


8REAKING F8

by drhicks76



Series: The Mindfang Journals - The Life and Loves of Marquise Spinneret Mindfang [4]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Romance Novel, Ancestor-Era, Ancestors, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Femslash, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Minor Kismesissitude, Moirails With Benefits, Original Character(s), Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Pale-Black Vacillation, Pale-Red Vacillation, Porn With Plot, Xeno, longfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-01-11 08:48:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 76
Words: 467,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1171083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drhicks76/pseuds/drhicks76
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The question: What if Mindfang had arrived in time to save Dolorosa from Dualscar's wrath?  "Beautiful Jewel" ends much differently now... and the entire Ancestor universe unfolds in unexpected ways!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 0 - pr0l0gue

**Author's Note:**

> The first time I saw this question asked was by my moirail/editor, [Michaela](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercale/pseuds/Mercale), who asked it in the notes she appended to her edits on "Beautiful Jewel". The second time came on the night I finished writing the end (literally the chapter "The End") of the final part of the trilogy, "Nobody Lives Forever", when a fan of the series approached me on Tumblr (she goes by Vrisky8its there: Vrisky8its.tumblr.com) asked if I'd consider trying my hand at writing how it might unfold. The idea took hold rather quickly; I was quite sad that the series was over and this gave me an opportunity to spend more time in Mindfang's world but, more importantly, do it without having to deal with all of the heartbreak and misery Hussie's canon story required. 
> 
> In a way, this is the "Happy Ending" people have wished would have happened, but also keep in mind this won't be all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. To make a story interesting to the reader, there has to be some peril. Be assured there will be peril, but also a lot of laughs, a lot of sexually positive activity and exploration of a couple of new relationships, including Aranea and Porrim's matespritship which now, at last, comes to fruition. 
> 
> Those of you who have read the second book, "Condemnation", will notice that this story begins almost identically to that one at first. That's because the event that opened that series was the furthest back in time for Mindfang and this is where the biggest change takes place. Those folks will also recognize my first "fan character", Felida Oceleo, Mindfang's moirail-with-benefits, is also present through much of this story. I get to really develop her in this one and I hope you readers don't mind that as, like in "Condemnation", she serves a much needed purpose. There will be more OCs here; many are just part of the background, but a couple you'll recognize from the other stories in the canon cycle and one that belongs to Vrisky8its, Aurana Zashyl, who I was able to flesh out into a significant player in this tale. I don't do "Sues" so you'll have nothing to fear there. 
> 
> As usual, this is a Story with some sex in it, not the other way around, but I hope I've struck an effective balance for readers seeking both (if the sexy scenes aren't your cup of tea, you can just gloss over them and carry on). For the record, I best pull a Kankri again and list what ISN'T here for those easily triggered:
> 
> What’s NOT in these stories: extreme gore, urophilia, scat, vicious torture.
> 
> What you WILL encounter: explicit (but consensual) lesbian sexuality (because consensual is sexy), female ejaculation (biological necessity), light bondage, light nookplay (keep in mind I use "seedflap" as a vaginal analogue - figure it out?), mild BDSM themes (I try to portray that lifestyle in a positive fashion) , psychological manipulation (Hello! It’s Mindfang!), a few violent scenes (blood is spilled now and then, sometimes a fair bit of it), and of course, major character death (BUT WHICH ONES THIS TIME????????).
> 
> Also, I don’t personally subscribe to the tentabulge theory, but if you do, make like Wallace in “Scott Pilgrim" and just pretend they have them if it makes you enjoy it more.
> 
> THANK YOU to the people mentioned above for making this hapen, and to all of you who have taken the time to read the main story and comment on it. I appreciate your support more than you will ever know. 
> 
> Soooooooo... It's a whole new world out there where anything can happen. Excited? I sure am. Let's begin, shall we? :::: )
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)
> 
> NOTE: you can see the cover art for this tale by my lovely wife on dA here: [Cover Art Link](http://drhicks76.deviantart.com/art/8REAKING-F8-Fanfic-Cover-Art-432111281)

**pr0l0gue**  
  
    “Soooooooo... Where the hell am I and just who the hell are you?”  
  
    “I am someone who knows what you are capable of.   I also know that you are capable of so much more.”  
  
    “Hm.   Maybe you do know me then.  You should also know that I’m not to be underestimated.”  
  
    “And perhaps you should know that you overestimate your own abilities.  I am here to make up for the difference.”  
  
    “Aren’t you a charming fellow!  I bet you get all the ladies with that smooth talk.  All of them.”  
  
    “There’s only one lady that I have use for.  She serves in the manner which she is meant to.  It is she who will be bringing you my gift.”  
  
    “I like gifts.  I also know that genuine gifts are very rare.  What is the price tag associated?  Keep in mind I’m not one who likes to pay for things.”  
  
    “I’m well aware of your privateering tendencies, and your predilection towards obtaining items without providing adequate compensation.  However, understand that, as a host, I have no expectations of recompense.  I merely offer you what you lack.”  
  
    “How do you know I lack anything?”  
  
    “Please.  You’re merely arrogant, not stupid. You will gratefully, if not gracefully, accept any advantage that is dropped into your lap.”  
  
    “And how do I know this... gift will offer me any advantage?  Let’s see it.”    
  
    “Of course.  I am, if nothing else, a gracious host.  It should be arriving any moment... this one, in fact.”  
  
    “Hooooooooly shit.  Where’d she come from?”  
  
    “From me, of course.  I sent her.”  
  
    “No kidding.  Good thing you’re smarter than you look.  And what’s with all the green?  You two look like you crawled out of the Mother Grub’s costume party.  I must  
admit, it’s a beautiful shade.”  
  
    “Yes it is.  Thank you for saying so.  You will come to like it even more in the future. Now, my Handmaid will provide you with that which you asked for.”  
  
    “ <........>”  
  
    “I didn’t catch that, dear... say it again?  Your accent... Eastern?”  
  
    “<You need listen very carefully, Aranea.  There not much time, and it strange for me to say that.>”  
  
    “Ummmmmmmm… How do you know my name?  And what’s with all this wavy red business going on?”  
  
    “Never mind that.  You listen now.  What I about to tell you will cost me any kind of relationship with you but it worth it so you can have better life.  This awful thing I about to give you can not be trusted.  You must NEVER ask it about how you die or who will fill your quadrants.  Beyond that, do with it what you will, but never trust what it say.>”  
  
    “Okaaaaaaaay…”  
  
    “Damara!  What do you think you’re doing?”  
  
    “<You shut non-existent mouth, round head piece of white dog shit!  Aranea, this most important thing:  when you meet matesprit and you ready to make it official and use token, you check inside pocket of your jacket.  Tokens already there.  You MUST remember this!>"  
  
    “I shall do my best!”  
  
    “<Best not enough!  It essential!  Everything hinge on thAAAAAGHHH!>”  
  
    “ENOUGH.  I will NOT have you interfere further!  Begone with you!”  
  
    “Hey, where did she go?  Did you just hit that poor girl with a broom?”  
  
    “Yes.  I knocked her into next week where she won’t create any further issues.  I must apologize for having to do that in your company; it was most ungracious of me, but a rather unfortunate necessity.  Now, you do have the sphere, correct?”  
  
    “I do… and quite honestly, I’m more than a little concerned about it.  From what I gather, this thing allows me to ask questions about the future?”  
  
    “Your future in particular.  You strike me as someone who could certainly make use of this oracle.  That and you are one of the few who could possibly see that which it has to show; your special eye permits this.”  
  
    “What do you… oh, I see. There’s kind of a hole in it.”  
  
    “A window, actually.  Why don’t you ask it a question?”  
  
    “All right…  Let’s try this:  is this pompous windbag actually telling me the truth?”  
  
    “And what does it say?”  
  
    “It says ‘Yes’, but that doesn’t exactly prove anything.”  
  
    “Then try something else.  You consider yourself a rather intelligent creature; I’m certain you can come up with a more effective line of questioning.”  
  
    “Very wellllllll… Tell me, Ball, is my fate predetermined or do I have free will?”  
  
    “That’s a fascinating choice of query.  You are obviously interested in philosophical concepts.  I am most pleased to see this oracle in the hands of someone so mentally capa-”      
  
    “Well, that’s interesting…  It’s saying ‘There is no fate?’”  
  
    “WHAT?”  
  
    “Right here.  It says, ‘There is no fate but what you make for yourself.’  Hm.”  
  
    “Give me that…”  
  
    “Hey, now! No need to get grabby!  Those are rather terrible manners for a host, don’t you think?”  
  
    “Yes, you’re absolutely correct, but I need to verify that this is still functioning as it should be.  Okay… there we go.  Try it now.”  
  
    “All right, but you’ve got me concerned here, mister… or buddy… or whatever you want to be called…”  
  
    “Doc, actually.  Doc Scratch, at your service.”  
  
    “You can call yourself whatever the hell you want as long as you don’t try to hit me with that broom.  I assure you, you’ll regret it if you try.”  
  
    “And I assure you that I won’t.  Regret it, that is.  I suspect it shouldn’t have to come to that, however.  Now, ask it another question if you wish to prove the veracity of what it tells you.”  
  
    “Wellllllll… if it’s true that there’s no fate but what I choose to make for myself, would that mean anything it says is true at all?  Or will it serve to shape my actions and provide an illusion of determinism?”  
  
    “Not exactly.  It’s far more complex than you make it…”  
  
    “No, it’s not.  It would only be telling me one possible future, but if I never look at it, then maybe what it would tell me would never come to pass.  Why would you even offer me something like this, anyway?  What am I to you?  Entertainment?”  
  
    “You make that sound like a bad thing.”  
  
    “Well, guess what, you… what did she call you… globe-headed shitlord, or something equally awesome, you can keep your legless offspring, thanks; I’m not the lusus type.  The only future I’m interested in is the one I write.  Here, take your lousy bauble.  Find some other sucker.  I’m outta herrrrrrrre…”  
  
    “That was… unfortunate.  Damara, to me.”  
  
    “<What… what you want now?  Is she gone?>”  
  
    “Yes, thanks to your untimely interference.  I would suspect you have no true understanding of the repercussions of your folly.”  
  
    “<I not care.  She free of you.  Her life her own now.>”  
  
    “But yours is mine.  The cost to you will be rather steep.”  
  
    “<I already your bitch forever, am I not?  Cost not matter.>”  
  
    “I will do whatever is within my power to ensure that you will not see her again.”

    “<I expect that.  It horrible but my life already horrible now and it all thanks to you.  Why you not go back to the seven hell you came from and die in fire?>”  
  
    “We all may do so in time due to your foolishness.  Aranea Serket is now a wildcard, and she may very well end up doing something drastic such as killing a rather important person in this universe, rendering it a dead session.”  
  
    “<How you know she not change everything for the better?  Did that thought ever cross empty shell where your pan supposed to go?>”  
  
    “‘Better’ is a relative term, Damara.  I’m sure you would consider it ‘better’ to be allowed to wander through time freely, doing whatever you wished to.  I, however, think it would most definitely be ‘better’ if you spent the next century’s worth of your solar sweeps in your closet.  At least until your peculiar obsession with Aranea Serket has waned somewhat.”  
  
    “<Hey, I not the one dragging her to this forsaken place.  That your department.  Maybe you have crush on her?  I thought you say you not have bulge?  You lie about that, too?>”  
  
    “I assure you that I most definitely have not misled you in that department.  Now, into the closet with you or else I’ll send you there on the end of my broom.  You’ve done enough damage for one day.”  
  
    “<What your idea of damage my idea of gift.  She deserve so much better than what she get from you.>”  
  
    “Then I shall repay your generousity in kind and spare your pathetic existence.  You should consider yourself very lucky indeed.  Hopefully your friend will be as lucky.  That being said, she does seem to have a natural gift in that department.  Maybe it will work in her favour…”


	2. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea receives a reminder that she doesn't need to leave her hive that night, after all. Cronus confronts Porrim with proof of Mindfang's deception and abilities, only to find the jadeblood already knows. Dualscar finds that his kismesissitude is about to come to rather pointed end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those of you who have read "Beautiful Jewel" will recognize the first page or two of Porrim and Cronus' dialogue to be taken directly from that story. I promise you that will be the last time I lift a scene from it; everything after is all new and exciting and I hope you enjoy it! This was very cathartic for me to write... ::::)
> 
> Soundtrack songs: open with #1, song #2 starts at "Before he could squeeze the trigger..." and #3 at “Is this far enough from shore, Captain?”
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**1.**  
  
    Aranea Serket was on top of the world.  
  
    She inhaled the salty scent of the ocean as she sped away from her hive in her vintage hovercar.  The pink light of the moon was to her right, gleaming off of the nearly calm water.   _After all these sweeps, someone has completely captured me,_ she thought, smiling as she recalled the sight of her lover’s serene face as she slept.   _I never could have imagined it possible, but then, I never could have imagined it would be someone so pure and idealistic, either.  Porrim is everything that I’m not:  genuine, trusting, inspiring.  So much of what I’ve done took persuasive abilities that few possess, but not when it came to her… at least, not when it counted.  She believes in me, and I in her.  For the first time I can remember, my life actually has new meaning.  And now I will have her as my matesprit for as long as we can be together.  I can’t even begin to imagine what we’ll be capable of!   But first I have to go get these tokens…  and hope that my kismesis has enough sense in that thick skull of his to stay the hell away from her._  
  
    As she flipped some stray hairs away from her face, a flicker of light caught Aranea’s eye.  She looked down at the parking brake lever to her right; the round white knob on the end was shimmering with red light from the dashboard.   _That’s strange… I don’t remember ever seeing that kind of effect before.  Or do I?_    
  
    Aranea removed her foot from the accelerator and let the vehicle coast to a stop so she could inspect the dashboard lights.   _They seem unusually bright tonight for some reason.  Or maybe it’s just the way they’re playing off of the… white sphere.  And the wavy redness… so familiar, but why?_  
  
    She recalled a dream within a dream; something that may or may not have happened many sweeps ago.   _They say the dreams that we remember well are remembered for a reason, and the one with the man dressed in green with a round white head and the beautiful woman who spoke in the Eastern dialect never quite left my pan.  But what was it she said?  
  
    Something about… tokens?_  
  
    She took her hands from the steering wheel and patted the chest of her long black leather jacket, itself a token from her moirail.  As Aranea’s left hand slapped down on her breast, she heard the softest of clinks and felt a slight lump underneath.  She opened the coat and slipped her hand inside in search of both the pocket and the contents it contained.  As her fingertips brushed the objects, her breath stopped.   _How did these get here?_  
  
    When her hand withdrew, there were two rings contained within her palm:  a large oval sapphire set in gold with a spider shape laying over the stone, its legs reaching down into the setting; the other a simple ring of jade with not a single piece of metalwork adorning it.   _I… don’t remember putting these here, but since they’re here, there’s no reason for me to head all the way to Base Two.  I’m only about fifty klicks away from hive sweet hive; if I hurry back, Porrim won’t even know that I was gone._    
  
    Aranea returned the rings to her jacket pocket and pushed the accelerator down as she threw a sharp u-turn.   _I’m coming back home, Porrim.  And this time, we’ll do this right._  
  
  
  
  
    Porrim Maryam was in the middle of a conversation that she’d hoped never to have.  
  
    “You sure have a sharp tongue for someone who’s stuck behind bars, slave.”  Dualscar stood slowly and took his electroharpoon down from his shoulder.  “You should realize that I could reduce you to a stain without a second thought.”  
  
    A sudden wave of strength seemed to flow into Porrim as she realized that she had him at a disadvantage and she dropped the sheet and made her way back up to the bars.  “You wouldn’t dare!  You know she’d eviscerate you if you even thought about harming me!”  
  
    “Try me..."  
  
    She calculated the odds that he would actually follow through and realized that she might be in some danger, but the idea of extracting some small measure of payback for what he’d inflicted on her gave her an impetus for engaging him while he was off-balance.  “You know you can’t and that’s what’s making you crazy, isn’t it?  You’re still hanging on to some misplaced hope that she’ll flush red for you.  If you harm me in any way, it won’t make her suddenly love you… quite likely the opposite, in fact.”  
  
    He regarded her through narrowed eyes.  “What do you know about it?  You’re just a simple, traitorous piece of weak-willed garbage.  I still haven’t been able to figure out why she wants you for anything other than entertainment value.  I must say, so far, I haven’t exactly found you terribly entertaining.”  
  
    “What, would you like me to do a little dance for you or something?  Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s reserved for one person alone.”  
  
    “Ugh.  Please.  I’d sooner fuck a mud puddle than watch that.  It was bad enough to have to watch you defile such beauty with your unworthy hands; I couldn’t possibly get it up for you if you were the last bucketholder on Alternia.”  
  
    His verbal barbs were starting to irritate her, but a sharp pain from the scars on her back reminded her that he was capable of seriously harming her if provoked... or for his own amusement.  “Listen to me: you have to understand that there’s nothing you can do or say that can turn me against her.  Whatever you set out to do here is an abject failure.  Get out before she gets back and maybe she won’t reply quite as harshly.  She is capable of mercy, after all.”  
  
    Ampora laughed loudly.  “Seriously?  You’re not kidding; it’s got to be the only logical reason she has anything to do with you.  Mercy... pity... they’re about the same thing, aren’t they?  So, where is the Marquise, anyway?  Out getting a new set of rags for you to wear?  I see she can’t even clothe you properly.”  
  
    Porrim was now utterly unconcerned about her nudity at this point; this must be how she feels about it, she thought.  “Actually, she’s out picking up rings for us to wear.  We are matesprits now, after all.”  
  
    His laughter was a hard sound in the room.  “You have GOT to be kidding me!  It’s bad enough that she’s fucking the kitchen table but now she thinks she can marry it, too, hmm?  I take it back, jadeblood:  you ARE entertaining after all!  That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day!”  
  
    She shrugged.  “Fine, don’t believe me.  Read this for yourself.”  
  
    Dualscar looked warily at the pale blue piece of paper she thrust at him through the bars.  He approached her slowly and deliberately, never taking his steely purple eyes off her hers until he was close enough to pluck it from her grasp.  As soon as he took it, Porrim backed away and sat down on the bed.  She reached back and slipped the earring out from under the pillow and clutched it tightly.   _All I can do is either keep him occupied until Aranea gets back or try and persuade him to leave.  Hopefully this does it or I’m going to need her to get home quickly..._    
  
    Porrim watched his face as he read her script.  What happened next was not at all what she expected: he sank to the floor and landed sharply on his knees.  He balled his hands and crumpled the paper as his jaw trembled and a small trickle of purple appeared from his right eye.  “This... no... She can’t...” was all he could manage.  “This has to be... some kind of trick...”  
  
    She weighed her words carefully.  “You know that’s not the case, don’t you?  Please, try to understand that there’s nothing you can do to change this.  It’s over.  Please just let us be.”  
  
    He dropped the crushed paper and put his hands over his face.  “Why?  Why doesn’t she see what I can give her?”  
  
    “You give her a tremendous adversary!  Your caliginous relationship is one she enjoys, but she’s starting to worry these red feelings you have are damaging it.”  
  
    “STOP TALKING.  You know NOTHING about it!”  
  
    “I know everything about it!  I’m her matesprit!” Porrim retorted.  “She tells me of her troubles... her needs and worries... her plans.  All the things you could only dream that she would share with you!”    
  
    Hearing this just made Ampora clamp his hands over his ears and shake with rage.  “Matesprit.  You, of all... things.”    
  
    “Did you not hear her when she said I’m not a Thing?  Maybe that’s why I’m her matesprit and you aren’t?  You can’t see past bloodcaste!  Love is everywhere across the hemospectrum!  I AM HER RED LOVER!  So long as I’m with her that way, there’s no way you can ever be!”  
  
    Dualscar suddenly stopped shaking.   _Finally... I got through to him, she thought._  She watched him slowly rise to his feet, and then turn to face her.  Something in his expression suddenly frightened her.    
  
    “Impudent lowblood... as much as it pains me to admit it, you are absolutely right.  If I got rid of you, it would completely destroy any possibility of red romance anyhow.  So, if it’s gotta be black, might as well go full dark then.”  Ampora took Ahab’s Crosshairs into his hands and pointed it right at her.  
  
    She scrambled to her feet, desperately searching for a place to hide; there would be little chance she could reason with him in this state.  “No!  Please!  You don’t want to do this!”  
  
    “YES I DO!” he shouted. The purple began to well up in his eyes again.  “Do you know what it’s like to want someone with every fiber of your being?  Someone who is just perfect for you, but wants no part of you, no matter how hard you try to impress her?  No!  You have no fucking idea at all!  It feels like I’m being cut in half!  Any hope I had when I came in here is completely gone now.  So you can kiss any hope you had of ever getting out of this cage alive goodbye.  So long, traitor.”  He bared his teeth pointed the weapon through the bars.  
  
    Before he could squeeze the trigger, Dualscar felt a soft bump up against his boot.   He looked down and recoiled as he realized it was caused by a severed head, which was still leaking yellow blood from its neck.  “WHAT THE GLUBBING FUCK?”  Ampora released his grip on Ahab’s Crosshairs and stared at the horror on the floor as he scrambled to think of where it came from and what it meant.   _That’s a clean cut, which means it was caused by a sword, which means… oh shit._  
  
    He turned around slowly which put him face to face with the Marquise herself.  Every bit of her was taut; her face strained with undisguised fury.  Her lip was curled in a snarl that was all teeth and all eight of her pupils were nothing but cold, black stones.  
  
    “What the actual FUCK do you think you’re doing????????”  
  
    Ampora couldn’t recall a time when her voice sounded so enraged and yet so calm.  In that moment, the man known as Dualscar, a name that struck fear into the hearts of countless thousands, experienced a sensation that he hadn’t known in many, many sweeps: pure, abject terror.    
  
    “I, uh… was… taking out the garbage for yo-”  
  
    His reply was swiftly followed by the whisper of a blade slashing through air as one of his fins was severed from the side of his head.  The electroharpoon clattered to the floor as he screeched in agony and clutched at his now-bleeding face, the violet blood pouring out from between his fingers.  
  
    “SHE is not garbage.  SHE is my matesprit.  And if I didn’t know better, I’d wager you were about to kill her.  NOW HOW IN ALL OF THE BLUE FUCKING HELLS DID YOUR FEEBLE EXCUSE FOR A THINKPAN DECIDE THAT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA????????”  
  
    Aranea’s voice had taken on an almost hysterical note; the weight of what had nearly transpired fueled her emotions to a desperate extreme.  The blood was pounding in her ears, adrenaline still coursing through her as waves of anger, despair, betrayal, and relief for having made it in time fought for dominance within her mind and body.  She was visibly shaking as she stared at the cowering man she once called her kismesis. “I honestly can’t believe it,” Mindfang spat as she kicked the weapon to the side, well away from his reach.  “You just couldn’t fucking help yourself, could you?  This is NOT the time for irreverence, Cronus; your very life depends on what you say next.”  
  
    As he struggled to keep his balance, Ampora’s eyes darted around the block; they lit for the barest moment upon the jadeblood pressed up against the bars, wide-eyed at the scene unfolding in front of her.  
  
    “Tell me you aren’t still thinking of harming her.  Please tell me I haven’t misjudged you that grossly.”    
  
    “Funny…” he said as he dared to look at the sticky violet mess, his very life’s essence, congealing in his right hand, “You seem to think… that mutilating your kismesis… is an acceptable thing to do.”  
  
    Mindfang tipped the hooked blade in her hand towards him and spoke with such venom that she wondered if he would wither and die from her words.  “I’m giving you a choice.  Quite simply, you can stand there, clutching what’s left of your face and watch me disassemble the rest of you, or you apologize to Porrim for what you’ve done and then leave this place and never return.  This kismesisitude is over, Cronus.  I can’t give you your damn scar back, but I can give you many more that will run a LOT deeper than that botched one you gave me.”  
  
    Dualscar stared at her in disbelief.  “You… You’re serious.  You want to end this.”  
  
    “I don’t think I’ve ever been more serious about anything in my entire life.  You’re leaving my hive either on your own two feet or in a box.  Keep in mind that it’s already too late for you to get out in one piece.  Don’t make me choose for you; I promise you won’t like my selection.”  Her long fingers tightened around the hilt of her blade that much more.  
  
    “THIS ISN’T HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!” he shouted; another brief gout of blood trickled down his cheek, running parallel to the tracks of his violet tears.    
  
    “This may be the last thing we ever agree on, Cronus,” she replied.  Despite her best attempts, her voice still carried a hint of undesired vibrato.  Her sword, however, remained fully extended and unwavering.  “Leave while you still have legs to do so.”  
  
    Ampora scanned her face and came to the conclusion that she was neither bluffing nor making empty threats.  A quick glance at his violently detached facial fin confirmed that.   _I’m still faster than she is,_ he thought.   _If I can bait her into making a foolish move, I might be able to subdue her and escape this place.  And there’s only one way I know of to make her do something rash…_  “Fine then…  If that’s how you want it… then that’s how you’ll have it.  Everything I’ve done… I’ve done for you, you know.”  He straightened up with all of the pride he could muster… and shot his blood covered hand towards the bars in search of Porrim’s throat.  “I’ll leave… BUT THE KITCHEN TABLE COMES WITHURRRRRRRKKK-”  
  
    A chill ran down his spine a split second before a blue sword scraped past it on its way through him.  
  
    As Dualscar slumped down to his knees, a wordless scream upon his lips and a cobalt blue blade embedded in his abdomen, Marquise Spinneret Mindfang leaned in close to his undamaged ear and said, “You weak… pathetic… fool.  WHY????????”    
  
    Ampora could swear he heard the barest hint of a hitch in her voice, a touch of sadness.  “D…  didn’t think you…” he wheezed.  Every breath  of air was agony.  
  
    “You didn’t think.  FOR FUCK’S SAKE, CRONUS, WHAT DID YOU THINK I’D DO?”  There was no masking the emotion in Aranea’s voice now; it spilled out with far less resistance than the sword did as she tore it from his body.  “You threatened my matesprit!  Twice!  I don’t give a shit if you’re my kismesis or the Condesce herself, you’re getting what you deserve!”  She looked at the blue cutlass and watched the violet gore drip down onto the floor before returning her attention to the mortally wounded admiral, her dying black lover, wheezing in front of her.  “Dammit, Cronus, I hated you!  I relished chasing you and being chased, outsmarting you and your damn plans… Why couldn’t we have just stayed like that?  Why did you have to fucking vacillate on me this way?  Why couldn’t you have just left us alone and enjoyed the pitch rivalry?”  
  
    “Be… because… you’re too… good… for the likes… of THAT,” he spat.  As the blood-tinged spittle dripped from his mouth, he raised a trembling hand to point at Aranea’s matesprit, still bare as her pupation night, only inches away from him.    
  
    In that moment, any sadness or compassion Mindfang may have had for him evaporated, her face becoming a cold mask.  “Thank you, Cronus.  Thank you for reminding me why I had to do this.”  Without giving him so much as a chance to draw another breath, she swung the sword once more; this time the edge of the blade traveled across his throat, leaving a cold violet trail in its wake.  Moments later, Cronus Ampora fell forward and remained still.    
  
    With the stained blue sword still clenched tightly in her left hand, Mindfang crouched down beside Dualscar’s inert form and rummaged around in his pants pockets until she found the key that she sought.  Seconds after, Porrim was free from her cell and clinging tightly to Aranea, her face pressed up against the blueblood’s still-rapidly heaving chest.  At first, Aranea returned the gesture by putting one arm around Porrim’s back; she still held onto the violet-stained blade as she watched Dualscar’s body for any further signs of life.  Seeing none, she finally let the sword clatter to the floor and embraced Porrim  fully.  Where Porrim was weeping freely, Aranea was still too tight, too wound up to let go.  She couldn’t find the words to express her relief that her matesprit had survived and that was all that mattered.    
  
    Minutes passed.  It was Porrim who spoke first.  “I… I’m so sorry…”  
  
    Mindfang was dumbfounded.  “What do you mean, dear heart?  He forced his way in here, did he not?  It’s not like you let him in.”  
  
    “No, I didn’t,” she sobbed.  “But w-what you had… had to do there… that must have been so… so hard for you…”  
  
    It took a little while for the meaning of what Porrim was saying to register in Aranea’s thinkpan, and even when it did, she still couldn’t entirely believe it.  “What… you mean Cronus?”  
  
    Porrim made a couple of small nods.  “I’m so sorry… you had to kill your kismesis.  I mean… I may not have liked him at all, but… you and he were…  You must be… so distraught…”  
  
    Aranea’s mouth moved but no sounds came forth for a few moments.  “Porrim… I… He… He tried to kill you!  Twice!  And you’re worried about MY well-being?”    
  
    “Well, you’re… you’re my matesprit.  I’m worried you might need to… talk to someone about it… and your moirail isn’t here... and…”  
  
   “Shhhhhhhh… sweet Porrim, not another word.  If you were anyone else, I might be questioning your motives, but you have got to be the most selfless creature that I’ve ever known.  How can you even be real?”  As she touched her matesprit’s mind, the realization of just how deep Porrim’s genuine concern for her was caused Aranea to tear up as well.  She pulled Porrim as close as she could and let the tension of the horrific events just passed finally flow from her.  “I swear you this, my love… I will do everything in my power to keep you from harm.  I can’t ever promise it, but I will try.”    
  
    Porrim said nothing but just held on to Aranea tightly and internally thanked anyone who could hear her thoughts – gods, spirits or otherwise - that she was given the opportunity to do so again. They separated with a soft kiss, one more subdued than either of them would have liked but the presence of a messy corpse and a severed head that needed attention dampened their mood somewhat.  “I suppose I best go find a box,” Aranea said, only half-joking.  “As much as this pains me to say this, Porrim, I think you should get dressed.  I may need to get some help from the crew downstairs and I gather you’re not as comfortable wearing nothing but your skin as I am.”    
  
    Porrim recalled her earlier thoughts concerning her nakedness in front of Ampora and was about to remark about how she’d come a long way in a short time where that was concerned,  but opted instead to smile and head over to the chair her black and jade green dress was draped over.  As she dressed, she watched Mindfang leave the room, which left her alone with Dualscar once again.  Despite having witnessed his demise firsthand, Porrim still had this niggling fear that somehow, someway, he could rise again and finish the job he’d hoped to complete prior to Aranea’s return.   _No need for such foolish thoughts,_ she chastised herself, _but it’s still rather awful to be anywhere near him, dead or alive.  The sooner this unpleasantness is over and done with, the better._    
  
    She spotted the note Aranea ( _signed “Spinneret”, thankfully_ ) left for her, crumpled blue paper resting not far from the fallen admiral.  Porrim went over and picked it up; as she did her best to smooth it out against her chest, she thought of the contents written in Aranea’s flowing script and how it changed everything.   _Is our love really that dangerous?  Was it more than simple jealousy that moved him to murder?   Aranea and I aren’t that far apart on the hemospectrum and yet there are those who would love nothing more than to see our red love ended violently.  What kind of world do we live in?  Kankri paid with his life to try and change it; is there any hope?_    
  
    Porrim regarded Dualscar’s remains less than fondly.   _Were you a product of that society, taught to despise others because of the blood in their veins?  Or were you naturally predisposed to cruelty?  It doesn’t matter; I’m sad that Aranea was forced to end you to protect me, but as much as it pains me to say so, our lives will be better without having to worry about the danger you posed.  As much as I want to hate highbloods because of what you did and because of what happened to Kankri, to do so would be to invite accusations of hypocrisy… and they would be fairly spoken.  We will live as free as we can, but until change finally comes – true change- we will never truly be free to love as we wish to._  
  
    Her reverie was derailed by the return of Mindfang and two other people, one carrying a couple of wooden planks and a blanket, the other pushing a repulsorplatform.  The orangeblood winced at the sight of the carnage.  “Ugh… You weren’t kidding about the mess, Captain!”    
  
    “I know you’ve seen plenty of blood before, Ianrad,” Spinneret chided, “but I suspect just not so much in that particular hue before.  Thing is, finfaces bleed just like anyone else does when you puncture them with something sharp.  The droids will take care of the floor; just get him and that head out of here and onto the Fool’s Gam8it as soon as possible.  Confirm the rest of this other guy has been packaged up as well, Wexlin?”  
  
    The crimsonblood Wexlin Dresel nodded.  “Yes, Captain.  I’ve got Gatlef and Thesse loading up that damn cook’s body… or what’s left of it after you got through with him.”    
  
    “Excellent.  How are the rest of the cooking staff faring?”  
  
    “The gas will wear off in a couple of hours, I figure,” Ianrad Tandur answered.  “Someone will stay back to make sure they wake up safely.”  
  
    “Gooooooood.  We sail as soon as you get our… cargo loaded up.  Someone is loading a week’s worth of provisions onto my personal lifeboat, yes?”  
  
    “I’ll make sure of it myself, once this is done of course.” Dresel replied.  He visibly struggled for a moment to find the words he wanted but did find them.  “Er… how do I even say this… sorry about your kismesis.  He was a total jerk who made our lives miserable.”  
  
    Mindfang snorted.  “He was that.  I suspect he will be missed by precisely no one in this room, though.  Things between us had been… substandard as of late.  Luckily for me I have someone far more fun to fill buckets with now.”  She glanced over to Porrim, who suddenly felt heat rising to her cheeks.  
  
    The two Gamblignant sailors (which is what Porrim assumed they were based on their simple garb and the amount of gold they wore) suddenly turned to look at her; the confusion in their eyes was quite evident to her, but a moment later Porrim noticed that their expressions softened and it was as though they’d seen her a hundred times before.  “Congratulations!” Ianrad said. “You’ve exchanged tokens, then?”  
  
    “Not yet but verrrrrrrry soon, I assure you,” the Marquise replied as she stepped over the body to stand beside her jadeblooded red lover.  “Now, let’s get this unpleasantness over with as quickly as we can; Porrim and I need to pack.  We’ll be down in five minutes or so.”  
  
    They nodded their acknowledgment and set about loading Ampora’s remains but as Dresel reached down to grab Dualscar’s detached fin from the floor, Mindfang called out, “Wait!  I want to keep that.”  
  
    He looked at it, then back at her.  “As you wish, Captain, but I don’t suspect it will keep long…”  
  
    “Tell whoever’s staying to instruct the cooks to save it on ice until someone can get it embalmed.  Call it a hunch but I want to hang on to it.”  
  
    Wexlin nodded and put it on the edge of the repulsorplatform which now contained Dualscar’s body and the two of them slowly carried it down the hall to the stairs which eventually ended up in the docking bay.    
  
    And then Aranea and Porrim were alone together  in the block once again.    
  
    Porrim briefly considered asking Aranea if she had persuaded her crewmates to accept her somehow, but she didn’t have the chance before Mindfang’s blue-tinted lips were on hers.  She returned the kiss and felt the energy that always seemed to be there when it happened, but her uneasiness was getting in the way of properly enjoying it.  “I think we… might need to get out of this room for a while.”  
  
    “I couldn’t possibly agree more, my sweet.  And I’ll see to it that once we return here, those bars will be gone.  This block will be your respiteblock now... if you can handle that?”  
  
    Her green eyes scanned the floor:  she found it odd that the congealing puddles of violet and gold blood didn’t turn her stomach whatsoever, but the events that took place here were still awfully fresh in her pan.  “I think so, yes.  There are a number of books I haven’t even had the pleasure of looking at yet.”  
  
    Mindfang gave Porrim’s neck a quick kiss.  “I love the way you think, my love.  As you saw, my block is usually such a mess, so I hope you don’t mind having sleepoverrrrrrrrs…”  
  
    “Something tells me there won’t be a lot of sleeping happening…”  
  
    “And since when did you develop psychic abilities?  I thought I was the only one here who had those.  We can worry about our sleeping arrangements when we get back.  I haven’t the slightest when that will be, but when we return, this block will be nice and clean.”  Aranea took a few moments to look around as well.  “I have to admit, this block has seen some rather interesting things over the last couple of perigees, hasn’t it?”    
  
    Porrim wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that; she was acutely aware that her presence was what made it such, but her own emotions were still too fluid to even try and figure out how to reply, so she simply nodded and took Aranea’s hand in her own.  “I’m ready to go when you are.  Do we need to bring anything?”  
  
    “My dear, sweet Porrim… All I need to bring is you.”  Aranea leaned in and kissed her neck again, this time letting her fangs drag a little.  
  
    This made Porrim start a bit, but she found the sensation oddly arousing.  “Was that another spider bite?”  
  
    “Maybeeeeeeee…  And to answer your question a touch more truthfully, anything we’ll need is on board the ship.”  Aranea looked over to the chair where the blue and black dress Porrim made for her rested; she picked it up and draped it over her arm.  “Save for this.  I’d like to bring this beautiful dress along, too, yes.  Think it would hold up?”  
  
    Porrim considered the materials and her workmanship, and suggested it would be fine if it wasn’t subjected to too much in the way of rough handling.    
  
    “Well, in that case, I may have to let you take it off of me, then.”  
  
    The heat quickly returned to Maryam’s face but when Aranea took her hand this time, despite all of the fright and fear and misery that had taken place not so long ago, she felt a twinge of excitement start to take over her mood and hoped that it would continue to bloom as they embarked on their trip to wherever-they-were-going.  The destination didn’t matter to her so long as they were away from this block and that they were together.    
  
  
  
  
    “Is this far enough from shore, Captain?”  
  
    “Maybe another couple of kilometers, Yelsew.  The current picks up speed there.”  
  
    “Aye, Captain.”  
  
    Mindfang stood at the bow of the ship, most of the crew of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ alongside of her.  Porrim was clutching onto her arm at the elbow, trying her very best not to shiver visibly.  Once Aranea realized that Maryam was having problems being on a ship again, she sent an empathic calming to her matesprit.   _Considering what you went through last time you were at sea, I understand why you’re having problems with this.  It will come in good time, have no worries.  That being said, I gather you’re glad we didn’t eat this evening…_  
  
    Porrim nodded weakly.  She tried to divine whether or not the nausea was rooted in the ship’s movements or in her own subconscious reaction to being on the ship in the first place.  She was most relieved as the queasy sensation started to ebb, no doubt thanks to Aranea’s ( _you have to think of her as Spinneret among her crew,_ she reminded herself) assistance, but she suspected she would feel much better once the task at hand was over and done with.  
  
    “Okay, full stop.  This will do,” Spinneret called out.  The command was answered and the _Fool’s Gam8it_ drifted into the current.  She gave Porrim a quick peck on the cheek and left her side to approach the cloth-covered bodies resting on the repulsorplatform.  No one spoke a word as she pushed it towards the side of the ship, where there was a low spot in the smooth wooden railing.  Once there, she lifted up the edge of the blanket to have one last look.  “Yep, it’s still him.  All right… I suppose you guys think I should say something.  Fine.  This guy was nothing but a first class pain in the ass to us for an awfully long time.  That’s what we should remember him for.  He challenged us to be our best and more often than not, we thwarted him whenever we could.  That speaks volumes about us as a crew because say what I will about him, Cronus Ampora, known to the world at large as Dualscar, Admiral of the 2nd Fleet of the Alternian Navy, was a worthy opponent.  Let us salute that part of who he was.  Make no mistake:  killing him is going to make our lives a lot more difficult in the near future, I suspect, and I will actually apologize for that.  As his kismesis, they’re gonna come looking for me.  I’m sure they’d just love to add kismesicide to the litany of crimes they’d like me to swing for and they’re certainly welcome to do so.  I just hope against hope it doesn’t cause the rest of you any undue harm.  
  
    “As to undue harm, that’s the reason he’s dead.  The jadeblood woman you see standing with you is Porrim Maryam.  She is my betrothed matesprit.  Over the last few weeks, Cronus’s feelings towards me began to vacillate dangerously into the red and he began to interfere with the red relationship that Porrim and I were developing.  Early this evening, as I’m sure you’re all well aware, he entered my hive thanks to an accomplice, who is also under this sheet.  Luckily, I was able to return in time to thwart him on land as we did on the oceans.  He threatened Porrim’s life, I took his in response.  Somehow, I don’t suspect the charade that passes for a justice system on this planet these days is going to believe that considering the defendant is a known Gamblignant with a rap sheet as long as the sea is wide and that the only witness is… well, let’s just say she’s known to them.”  
  
    Many eyes turned to Porrim; to her surprise, instead of being filled with suspicion and loathing, their expressions were of acceptance and curiousity.  Nevertheless, she chose to simply look at her feet and keep to herself.  
  
    “So, Cronus Ampora as a rival was among the best one could ever hope to have.  As a black lover, he was somewhat less thrilling, but so be it.  However, despite his many sweeps upon this world, he never understood that there are some things which are solely the province of red lovers and shouldn’t be interfered with.”  
  
    Porrim swore she could hear a hint of a snort from the crewman standing beside her and wondered what prompted it.  
  
    “Time to wrap this up, I guess.  Somehow, Cronus, I suspect this is better than what you’ll get from your Navy buddies, but it’s also better than you deserve.  Your bigotry and arrogance cost you your life.  I genuinely mean this when I say ‘what a waste’.  Wherever you are now, I hope you finally understand that you brought this on yourself.  Maybe in death you can serve a better purpose: if we’re all lucky, then hopefully Condy’s hideous monstrosity of a fucking lusus can choke to death on your bones.  So long, chum.”  With a quick motion, she tipped the repulsorplatform up on end and both the bodies of Cronus Ampora and his accomplice slid off the underlying planks and into the dark water below, never to be seen again.    
  
    As the crew began to return to their positions, Porrim came to stand beside Aranea and placed an arm around her; Maryam found the long leather jacket Mindfang wore to be a slight interference and wished she could embrace her lover without it being in the way.   “I’m sure that was harder for you than it looked.”  
  
    Mindfang sighed and returned the gesture.  “Not as hard as you may have thought.  My hate for him was waning fast, mostly because of what he did to you.  It was so unnecessary.  That’s the worst part about it all: you only saw the worst of him.  Granted, it was pretty fucking awful, but that’s what happens when you’ve been brought up to believe that you’re better than everyone else just because of the blood that courses through you.  Thing with Cronus was that he actually believed it.  Fat lot of good it did him; my sword still went through his gut and his neck.  In a way, though, I’m relieved that it’s over.”  
  
    Porrim nodded.   _You and me both.  Good riddance,_ she thought and then realized that Aranea probably heard or felt the sentiment.  
   
    “Don’t worry, dear, your thoughts are your own and you are welcome to them.  I certainly won’t chastise you for thinking them in the first place.  That’s genuinely how you feel and I frankly don’t blame you in the slightest.  Truth be told, my hate was already gone by the time I got back to the hive this evening.  It’s sad in many ways, but I’m overjoyed that I was able to arrive in time to stop him from hurting you… or worse.  I could imagine my life without him, but I can’t even bear to think of what it would be like without you.  In all my sweeps, I’ve never met anyone quite like you, and I’d trade the lives of a thousand Cronus Amporas to have you by my side.”  She took Porrim into her arms and kissed her right there, completely unconcerned as to who was watching.  
  
    “Um… sorry to interrupt, Captain, but do you have a course in mind?”  
  
    Mindfang pulled away from Porrim and glowered at the source of the question with such ferocity that he jumped back two steps.  With a resigned sigh, she empathically relaxed him and said, “Yes, right, a course.  You guys are off to Base Two, once you drop Porrim and I off at Blue Recluse Island first, that is.”  
  
    The young crimsonblood, despite just having been mentally shooshpapped a moment ago, suddenly became anxious.  “Blue Recluse?  Are you sure you want to take _Fool’s Gam8it_ that close?  The shoals are awfully treacherous and the rocks surrounding it ar-”  
  
    “Don’t worry, Yelsew, just get us close enough to deploy my boat.  It’s far more maneuverable than this magnificent ship and that’s why I had it loaded up with supplies.  Porrim and I are going to spend a few nights there before we join you at Base Two.  I’m sure Felida’s itching to get back to sea by now, but she could use a few more nights to get that arm and leg of hers fully trained, so it works out well.  Now get us underway; the sooner we get there, the sooner my matesprit and I can finally relax.”  
  
    “Yes, Captain!”  Without another word, he scurried off to the helm to do as he was bid.  
  
    Porrim watched him go and tried to figure out if he was doing so out of unbridled enthusiasm or fear.    
  
    “He loves his job, my sweet, have no fear of that,” Mindfang answered aloud.    
  
    “He seems awfully young to be the helmsman a ship as big as this.  What’s his story?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “Yelsew Kasher lost his lusus when he was six sweeps old.  I found him zipping around on a little watercraft a couple of sweeps ago when we were pulling into port at Riza for some shore leave one night.  Little shit cut us right off so I had him hauled up to the deck.  I was contemplating using him to feed the fish when I realized he had built that watercraft out of nothing but flotsam, hair and bird shit.  He’s brilliant, that one; rather industrious, quite like someone else I know and love.”  She gave Porrim a wink and continued, “I put him to work and he was glad to have it; now he steers my ship from time to time.  When you do what I do for a living, you have to have an eye for talent, especially in some of the most unlikely places.”  
  
    Porrim smiled sweetly.  “I’m rather grateful that you have that eye.”  
  
    Spinneret looked at her for a moment and then laughed.  “Well, I’ll be.  I think I finally figured it out.”  
  
    “Figured what out?”  
  
    “Your talent.  It’s love.  Teaching others how to care.  THIS is why you’re unique, dear heart:  your gifts are truly uncommon in a world so obsessed with fulfilling selfish desires.   I was no different… hell, maybe I still have a long way to go, but if it wasn’t for you, I would never had known what it meant to give without expectation, to love without demands.  And this is why I love you, Porrim Maryam.”  Aranea took both of her hands in her own and kissed her once again before whispering “There’s plenty more where that came from, I swear it.  And you’ll get it as soon as we get to Blue Recluse.”  
  
    Maryam smiled at the thought and for the first time since that night began, she actually started to relax somewhat.  “I can’t wait,” she answered.  “So, what should we do in the meantime?”  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm… How about I give you a tour?  The Fool’s Gam8it may look like a classic wooden warship, but underneath, she’s a technological marvel that’s taken me sweeps to hone into the perfect pirating vessel.  It’ll take us a couple of hours to get where we’re going so let’s put it to use.  Hopefully we can discover another talent you might happen to have because, as much as I’m sure the idea kinda rattles your protein chute, we’re gonna be at sea a fair bit more than on land for the foreseeable future and you’ll need to find a way to help out, lest everyone think you’re nothing more than the captain’s sex slave.  And we’ll take every opportunity to prove that isn’t the case.  That I promise.”  
  
    While the idea of spending lengthy periods of time at sea did make her rather anxious, Porrim was grateful for Aranea’s ability to mitigate her queasiness.  “I’ll try and help out any way I can.  With the right equipment, perhaps I can mend damaged clothing or fix those sails if need be?”  
  
    This time Mindfang laughed loud and Porrim was baffled by it.  “Sorry, love, I’m not making fun, I just… forgot you’re not much of a seagoer.  Those sails?  Totally for show.  This ship is powered by a reactor core; it has more in common with a starship than a sailboat, I’m afraid.  Come on below deck with me and I’ll show you.  Hopefully you find my quarters equally inviting; they’re your quarters now, too, after allllllll.”  
  
    “Will I be able to find the ‘coon or the bed under all of your stuff?”  
  
    This time it was Spinneret’s turn to look shocked.  “Porrim Maryam!  Did you just make a joke?”  
  
    She smiled coyly and replied, “Well, it was only kind of a joke; I’m actually hoping that it’s not a complete disaster like your respiteblock…”  
  
    “Oh don’t you worry your pretty little head about that.  If you find yourself looking for the restraints on that bed, I’m sure you’ll discover them without too much difficulty.  They’re good for keeping people who tease me about my lack of cleaning habits from being overly fussy about tidying up.”    
  
    “Well, it’s not like you have droids here to do it… do you?”  
  
    “No, actually.  Well, if that’s what makes you happy, fill your boots… oh wait.”  Aranea looked down at Porrim’s feet, which were completely exposed.  “When was the last time you actually had footwear?”  
  
    Maryam thought about this.  “Not since they captured us.”    
  
    Mindfang nodded.  “I see.  The good news is you won’t need it where we’re going, but once we get to Base Two, I’m gonna find you some proper boots to wear.  You won’t believe the attention these beautiful red ones get.”  
  
    Porrim took a moment to look at the scarlet boots that were as much of Aranea’s appearance as her jacket and sword.  She recalled the first night Mindfang came into her cell and how her captor slid them off oh-so-slowly to great effect, exposing the lower part of her long, shapely legs.  But it was how she undid her shirt and let you hold her that stirred you so, wasn’t it? she thought.  “I can only hope to find something to wear that’s both practical and stunning as your outfit.”  
  
    “Maybe you’ll come up with something completely different than mine?  The thing is, my sweet, as much as I absolutely adore your dress, we need to get you wearing something a lot more conducive to life aboard a ship.   I have a sneaking suspicion that would also be a challenge that would make proper use of your skills, no?”  
  
    “I think so… but could I use something other than curtains this time?”  
  
    Aranea just stared at her for a moment and then shook her head.  “Two jokes in one night!  Slow down, love; you’ll hurt yourself if you’re not careful.”  
  
    “I wasn’t joking, though.  That material was particularly challenging to work with, and I don’t suspect it would stand up to everyday wear.  Besides, as much as I don’t mind it, you’d be constantly complaining about the daylight getting in if I completely raided your curtain collection for fashion’s sake.”  
  
    Mindfang was cackling into her hands by this point.  “Seriously!  Just how much snark do you have pent up inside of you?”  
  
   It was Porrim’s turn to smile mischievously now.  “All of it.”  
  
     “That’s it,” Spinneret said, grabbing Porrim’s hand and hauling her towards the stairs that led to the lower decks.  “This tour begins now.  If I have to listen to any more of this, I’m like to be reduced to a laughing fool on the deck of my own ship, and that wouldn’t be terribly becoming.  Your attempts to put me in a better mood are proving effective, Maryam.  You’ll come to reap the benefits of this soon enough, that I can promiiiiiiiise…”


	3. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a quiet place away from the rest of the world, two lovers exchange tokens and enjoy each other's company for the first time as matesprits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, for those of you who have stuck around after the first chapter, here's the next. Just keep in mind that this IS a decidedly shippy fic and all about celebrating a matespritship that finally gets to happen. This is a rather sexy (read: decidedly explicit) chapter (focusing on a fetish called "body worship") but hopefully you can handle that. The person who asked for this fic and I wanted these two to enjoy what they were denied the first time around. :) 
> 
> Also, this marks the first time I have created original music for one of my stories. This is "Dear Heart", which I wrote for their matespritship "ceremony"; it's in 6/8 time (Maryams being the sixth trolls on the list, Serkets being the eighth) and uses sounds I have used for the characters (or their descendants) in other pieces. I do hope you enjoy it: ["Dear Heart" on Soundcloud](https://soundcloud.com/drhicks76/dear-heart)
> 
> Soundtrack songs: #04 ("Dear Heart") begins at "Hand in hand," and #05 at "They stepped out of the water and onto the beach."
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link]()

**NOTE - The latter half of this chapter contains explicit sexuality; just a heads up for those who want to know that sort of thing.**

****2.**  
  
     ** “Okay, I have to admit, this is more the kind of boat I’m used to being on, and I’m a little bit worried.  Will I need to row?”  
  
    “Porrim, relax,” Mindfang encouraged as the elevators placed the smaller captain’s boat into the water.  “You needn’t worry about a thing.”  She reached over to her left where a panel of buttons and a joystick were and a moment later, the engines under the boat hummed to life.    
  
    Maryam remained uncertain.  “Okay, but how do you plan to negotiate those rocks?  The moonlight might not be bright enough!”  
  
    Instead of replying verbally, Aranea touched another button and a pair of lights flared on at the bow behind Porrim.  “I’ve got this covered, trust me.  I thought we dealt with our trust issues already, my sweet?”  
  
    “We have but…”  Porrim fidgeted in her seat.  “When Kankri, Meulin, Mituna and I were on that boat,  fleeing to some semblance of safety, we had to keep the lights off to avoid being seen by patrols.  We came so close to wrecking I don’t know how many times…  And the waves…”  She crossed her hands in front of her chest and shivered.  
   
    Mindfang stood and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  “I don’t doubt for a second that it must have been harrowing.  We’ve had our share of close escapes, but then, it’s far easier to defend oneself in an armed ship versus a simple wooden boat.  Compared to that, though, I swear this will be much easier.  The seas are mostly calm and we’re only going a short distance tonight.  It’ll take about an hour from here to get to Base Two when we leave, but we can pick whichever night we choose. If the ocean is feeling combative, we can wait.  No one is going anywhere without us, nor is anyone hunting for us;  this time is ours and ours alone.  Just relax and enjoy the ride; we’ll be on land in a few minutes.”  
  
    Porrim nodded and decided to look down at the floor of the boat.  When it began to smoothly pull away from the Fool’s Gam8it, she was surprised at how pleasant it actually was; so much so that she even dared to look up to watch the large vessel pull away and rejoin its intended course.  Porrim wasn’t certain if it was nausea or hunger that was primarily responsible for making her stomach gurgle, but either way  she was more than ready for it to stop and she feared it would take being off of this boat before it could be dealt with one way or another.    
  
    She dared to sneak a look over her shoulder to see a series of massive rock outcroppings approaching at close range and immediately whipped her head back around to face Aranea, who was the picture of contentment.    
  
    “Don’t worry, love,” Mindfang said cheerfully as the boat entered the sharp rocks, “I’ve done this many times.  I could probably do it with one eye closed if I had to.”  
  
    “But not both closed, right?” Maryam asked plaintively.    
  
    “Well, probably, but I certainly wouldn’t risk it, especially not with you in the boat with me; I wouldn’t want to alarm you any further!  As long as my left eye was open, I’d have no problem at all.  It helps me… anticipate what’s coming next.  If it helps you, just look at me and take some deep breaths.  Isn’t that ocean air just wonderful?”  
  
    Porrim suddenly developed a fascination with the ocean breeze that she couldn’t recall having before.   _It is awfully nice,_ she thought, letting it pass over her sniffnodes with each breath.   _It never seemed as welcoming before as it does now…_  
Before she could voice any further comments on it, the boat was already slowing down.  Porrim dared to glance over her shoulder again to find that they were about to brush up against a small, sandy beach.  Mindfang  shut the engine down and hopped out onto land.  Porrim rose unsteadily, but Aranea reached out and took her hand to help her make a relatively graceful egress.  Mindfang then pulled the boat as far onto the beach as she could and then removed a couple of large bags from underneath the seats.  Porrim offered to take one but Aranea declined.   “Don’t worry about a thing, love; let me take care of this.  You get your land legs back and relax.”  
  
    Maryam was reasonably sure her land legs had never truly left her, which was likely the cause of the problem in her opinion.  She followed Aranea up a slight hill after which the sand turned to green grass and a few clumps of blue trees here and there.  They walked a few paces until Aranea found a flat spot clear of trees and plunked the bags down.  “Perrrrrrrrfect.  This will do nicely.”  
  
    Porrim was about to inquire as to what was in the bags but Mindfang simply opened one and extracted a pile of plastic woven cloth.  “Watch this…” Aranea said and touched a button somewhere in the heap.  About twenty seconds later, a large tent was standing  in front of them, its mechanical pegs embedding themselves into the ground.  “Instant portable hive!”  
  
    “I’ve never seen anything like that before!  Where did you get it?”  
  
    “Heh heh… Where many things I own are concerned,  I think you might just want to avoid asking that question, my dear.  There are a few things I still like to enjoy your innocent awe of.”  
  
    “All right, then.  But this is quite the tent!”  
  
    Mindfang beamed.  “Like it, do you?  This thick blue material will keep us cool during the day and dry should a storm happen upon us.  It’s also tall enough that you can stand up to enter it; your horns are pretty close to mine in size so you won’t have any problems getting in and out.”  
  
    “Should I ask what’s in the other bag?”  Porrim had some ideas but when it came to Aranea, she was never quite certain what was in store.  
  
    “Give me a moment or two and you can see for yourself!”  Mindfang  unzipped the door, pitched the other bag into the tent and then followed it in.  Patiently Porrim waited  as the whirrs of fans and distinctive sounds of the inflation of plastics took place.  Shortly after, Aranea emerged and beckoned Maryam to join her inside.  Once Porrim was within, she was amazed to see the floor of most of the tent covered by an air mattress covered by a set of soft blue blankets, and a pair of large foam pillows up against one of the walls.  While there was a vent in the roof that permitted some diffuse moonlight through, a pair of glowglobes hung suspended in the corners to supplement it.  There was enough space alongside the mattress to house a miniature thermal hull on one side and a portable music player on the other.  Porrim noticed the second bag was just off to her left by the door and was not completely empty, either.  “What else is left to set up?”  
  
    “Nothing, really.  I just have a few things for later.  They’re surprises, but I swear they’re pleasant ones.”  Mindfang’s expression was that of a most suggestive smirk that couldn’t help but bring a smile to Porrim’s face.    
  
    “Okay.  I trust you.”  
  
    “That, love, is music to my sponge clots.  Soooooooo… what would you like to do?”  
  
    Porrim was torn, but she knew her lover would pick it up immediately.  “I’m excited to be here, Aranea, really I am, but I’m so emotionally weary from what happened this evening, not to mention the boat ride…”  
  
    “Say no more, dear heart.  Come and lie down; I’ll join you.  Let’s take a bit of a nap then and see how you feel after that.”  Aranea held the tent door open and waited for Porrim to enter before following her in.  By the time Mindfang  had her jacket off Porrim was already fast asleep on top of the covers.   _Poor thing… But then it has been a hard night for her.  She’s had more than her share of hard ones as of late, no small number of them due to something I’ve done to her, good or bad._  Aranea lay down upon the other side of the air mattress and watched her lover sleep.   _I do hope this is a short nap, love; we have some unfinished business of the best kind left to attend to._  She wondered how long Porrim would nap for, but her own fatigue caught up to her before long and soon she was asleep as well.  
  
  
  
  
    “Aranea? Wake up… I need to ask you something…”  
  
    She was stirred back into consciousness by a gentle but insistent tapping on the shoulder.  “Are you hassling me awake, Porrim?”  she asked, not unkindly.    
  
    “Sorry, but… I really need to pee.  Where can I do that?”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.  “Outside, I hope!  This tent doesn’t come with a gaper, I’m afraid.”  
  
    Porrim blushed a bit, mumbled an apology for waking her up and then set about opening the tent door.  As she stepped out, Mindfang noted that it was still dark out save for the green moonlight.   _Good… I was worried we were going to oversleep._  She sat up and slipped a hand inside of her jacket pocket to find the two rings still where she left them.   _I can’t believe my luck some nights.  How horrible would it have been if I hadn’t checked for these?  She would have likely been dead.  And this was only hours ago.  We came so close to disaster… but it was averted._    
  
    Aranea took a deep breath and slowly let it out as she tried to chase the weight of such thoughts from her mind.   _This is going to be one of the most awesome nights of my life; I need to relax.  We’ve already filled a bucket, for crying out loud; it’s not like she’s gonna say ‘No’!  But still… all these sweeps and I haven’t felt this way for someone in a very long time, and even then, it’s different.  Felida’s wonderful but… we’re too much alike in many ways.  Porrim is someone so different she defies description.  And at last, we’re going to be together with no more schemes or plans to get in the way.  At last, she’s mine… and I, hers._  
  
    When Porrim returned, Aranea gestured for her to wait outside and a few moments later, she was now wearing the blue and black dress that Maryam had fashioned for her.  She nimbly stepped out of the tent, closed the flap and joined her jade lover in looking out to the sea.  
  
    “I don’t suppose you could give a hand with tying a lady up?” she inquired.  Porrim was more than happy to oblige.  Once Aranea was well ensconced in her outfit, she asked “Would you like to see the rest of the island, my dear?  It’s not a terribly large one, but I can give you the grand tour.”  
  
    Maryam nodded and took the hand she was offered.  “How did you find this place?”  
  
    “My travels take me here and there.  Thing is, a place like this requires a bit of a commitment to get to: navigating the rocks around this little island just isn’t worth it to most, but there is a prize awaiting anyone willing to try.”  
  
    “And what’s that?”  
  
    “You’re looking at it, love.”  Mindfang swept her hand at the vista before them: the soft grasses moved as the sea breeze swept them, while the purple leaves in the scattered blue trees rustled gently.   “What do you see?”  
  
    Porrim slowly scanned the island; she was pretty sure she could see the other side, even from where they stood.  “Aside from a few trees, not a whole lot.”  
  
    “Exactly!  Isn’t it wonderfullllllll?”  
  
    Maryam suddenly understood what it was that Aranea was getting at.  “There’s no one else here, is there?”  
  
    “Nope.  Just the way I like it.  And quite honestly, I don’t get to come here anywhere near often enough.  Come on, let’s take a walk.”  
  
    Hand in hand, they walked along the shoreline, saying little but thinking much.  A few minutes later, they came to the other side; another short drop off to a sandy beach and then the ocean for as far as she could see.  They stood side by side, looking out at the horizon and the stars above.  Porrim finally broke the silence.  “Until last evening, I wasn’t sure I was ever going to be free of that block.  I was wondering if I was just going to be nothing more than just a pet or a toy of yours.”  
  
    “Even after the nights and days we spent together last week?” Aranea asked.  “I thought I made it pretty clear to you then how much you mean to me.”  
  
    “You did… but it wasn’t until you brought me outside and let me choose for myself that I knew you meant it.  That took a lot of courage.”  
  
    Mindfang grinned widely enough that her fangs were visible.  “You know, I’ve been in some scary situations; some that I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to escape in one piece… or two or three, for that matter.   And yet, I found a way to face what it was that wanted me dead; I dug deep and found what it took to engage it.  But, to be honest, in all my sweeps, I don’t think I’ve ever been more worried about anything than as to what you were going to do yesternight.  You could have just said ‘fuck this’ and drove away.   Yet even after all that I put you through, you chose me.”  She looked down at her red boots as they walked.  “And I don’t think I’ve ever been luckier.  Or happier.”  
  
    This time it was Porrim who looked down in an effort to hide her emotions and compose them at the same time.  The grass tickled at her bare feet and she enjoyed the sensations it caused.  After perigees of walking the same hard floor, it’s wonderful to feel something different.  The sea wind picked up ever so slightly and set a piece of her hair loose across her face; she reached up and pushed it back with her free left hand.  “I still don’t entirely understand what it is about me that you find so fascinating.  I’m just… me.”  
  
    “I know, my sweet.  And that’s all I ever want you to be.  You’ve been an attendant to a Mother Grub, you’ve been an outcast because you chose to raise a grub, you’ve taught a young man how to stand up to tyranny and try to change the world, you’ve been a slave, bought and sold, and now you’ve been freed, able to be whoever you want to be.  But whether you’ve known it or not, Porrim Maryam, you’ve been a teacher.  You’ve taught me what’s truly important: love for others.   Love that transcends the self.   My first teacher only showed me the benefits of taking; you’ve shown me the other side of that coin and it’s changed me in a way I never expected.  Just keep being you, my love.  But there is something more I want you to be…”  Aranea released Porrim’s hand and reached inside of her coat.  “I wish I had these the night before, but I’m just glad I have them now.”  
  
    Porrim had all but forgotten about the lack of tokens; she was just so overwhelmed by the question asked the night prior and the joy in accepting and consummating a matespritship for the first time in her life that she could think of little else.  But the tinkling sound of the items in Aranea’s hand drew it into sharp focus now; that hand opened to reveal two rings:  one a smooth piece of carved jade, the other a large sapphire set into brilliant gold and crowned with a golden spider.  She was so overwhelmed she didn’t quite know what to say or do.    
  
    “Take the jade ring,” Mindfang encouraged.  “I’ll put the blue one on your finger in just a moment… if you still feel the same way tonight as you did the last one?”  For a moment, Aranea was struck with a fear that what had taken place early this evening may have dissuaded Porrim from wanting to continue their relationship but it only took a second for the jade ring to disappear from her open palm and she knew then that she had nothing to fear at all.    
  
    “I… I’ve never done this before,” Maryam stammered.    
  
    “Until last night, you never filled a bucket before, either.  Hell, until you met me, you’d never made love before, either!  I assure you, this is a lot less messy.  Well, usualllllllly…”  
  
    Porrim laughed and asked, “Okay, so what do I do?”  
  
    “Give me your hand and watch.  When I’m done, you do the same, but in your own way.  Easy as falling down.”  
  
    “Why is it that everytime you say that, things actually do get messy?”  
  
    Mindfang grinned.  “That’s after.  Rings first.  Now, come on… that hand.  Let’s go.”  
  
    Still laughing, Porrim extended her arm and offered her hand.    
  
    “Okay, knock off the giggles.  This is the serious part.”  
  
    The jadeblood did her best to do so, but continued to smile.  “I’m ready.”  
  
    “Gooooooood.”  As the green moon set and the pink one rose, Aranea took the hand she was offered and gently slid the sapphire onto Porrim’s finger.  “This is a token of my love for you.  Never in all of my sweeps have I encountered someone as kind and gentle, as genuine and real as you.  Until you came along, I never knew what true love was and now that I know, I can’t possibly live with it… or without you.  This sapphire is one of the oldest rings I have; I chose it because I feel like we are old souls who somehow find each other time and time again.  There is nothing more wonderful than getting to fall in love with you and I want to do it again and again every single night for the rest of our lives.  I love you, dear heart.  More than you’ll ever know.”  She caressed Porrim’s hand and kissed the ring that now adored it.    
  
    Once Aranea had let go of it, Porrim brought her hand closer so that she could get a good look at the ring.  She could only do so for a few moments before her eyes filled with tears.  “I… still can’t…”  
  
    “Can’t what, dear?”  
  
    “Can’t believe… this is really happening…”  
  
    Aranea embraced her.  “It is,” she whispered.  “It is and you deserve every moment of it.  Take your time, my sweet.  I’m not going anywhere.  I swear it.”  
  
    They stood that way until Porrim was finally able to collect herself enough to speak again.  “I think… I think I’m ready now.”  
  
    Mindfang took a step back and smiled, even though her own emotions were threatening to overflow.  “Go for it,” she said and offered her hand.  
  
    Porrim took that hand with its slender fingers and blue-tipped nails and slid the jade ring onto one of them.  She took a deep breath and began, “This is a token of my love for you.  I did not choose this ring, you did, just as you chose me, and that’s as fitting a sentiment as I can think of.  If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.  And by here, I mean alive at all.  I would have been beaten and broken at the hand of some vicious slavedriver, or worse, raped and murdered, my name never spoken again.  But you chose me.  As much as you say I taught you, you taught me how to love and be loved in return.  You gave me love and freedom, and then you saved my life again this very night.  If you say I taught you selflessness, then you’re a quick learner because you risked your life to save mine.  I’m still reeling from it all, but every single time I told you that I was yours, I meant it.  You saved my life and I will stand by you for the rest of it.  Let this ring remind you that your selflessness  changed a life for the better and the return was nothing short of all the love I have to give.”  
  
    For one of the few times in her life that she could think of, Aranea Serket was struck completely speechless; the only reply she had was the involuntary surge of blue appearing in her eyes before finally overflowing and running down her cheeks.  Seeing this, Porrim leaned in and kissed her before putting her arms around her matesprit’s waist and silently resting her head on her shoulder.  There they stood for what may have been minutes or hours, bathed in moonlight, their feelings too strong for words  to even come close to.  All that mattered was that they were with each other and that the threat to their love was gone.

 

 

     In time, they finally let go of one another.  Porrim gathered that Aranea might still be a little overwhelmed, so she took her by the hand and asked, “Shall we?”  
  
    “Yessssssss…”    
  
    Together they made their way back through the sparse trees until they came back to the cobalt tent.  As they approached the door, Porrim reached forward to open the flap but Mindfang intercepted her and gently pulled her matesprit’s hand away.  Porrim gave her a quizzical look and asked, “Oh!  I’m… surprised.  Um… is there more of the island you wanted to show me?”  
  
    Aranea looked skyward in thought.  “Yes and noooooooo…  What I’m thinking is that we might get to experience a small part of it a lot closer up, though.  Would you kindly untie me, dear?”    
  
    Porrim was baffled by Aranea’s rather cryptic comment, but tugged on the silvery bow and watched with interest as Mindfang shed her handmade dress and placed it carefully back inside of the tent.  All Aranea wore beneath was a frilly pair of blue underwear; her conical cerulean tinged breasts were fully visible, which immediately caught Maryam’s attention. “I’m not entirely certain what you mean, but I have a feeling I’m about to find out!”  
  
     “Of that, I can most definitely assure you, Porrim Maryam.”  She stepped up to the grinning jadeblood and planted a kiss on her lips that made Porrim shudder from the intensity.  “There… Our first official kiss as tokened matesprits.  How’d you like that?”  
  
    “Mmm…  I think I’d like another.”  
  
    “Ask and you shall receive, my love…”  Aranea started with her lips, but soon made her way down Porrim’s long neck, sucking and kissing all the way down to her shoulder before stopping and looking up at her lover’s face.    
  
    “What’s the matter?” Maryam asked.  “Is something wrong?”  
  
    “Wellllllll… I must admit that I’m not a terribly big fan of kissing the everloving fuck out of somebody’s clothing.  As beautiful and unique as this outfit of yours is, it needs to go.  You’re far too overdressed for the occasion, you know.”  
  
    “Is that so?”  Porrim smirked and thought about how best to go about doing something about it.  “Would you like to remedy the situation or shall I do it myself?”  
  
    Mindfang beamed, her fangs fully visible.  “I thought you’d never aaaaaaaask…”    
  
    Moments later, the black and jade dress Porrim felt so comfortable in was being slipped down over her hips and down to the ground.  She stepped out of it and let Aranea toss it back into the tent as well.  Unlike her matesprit, she wore nothing under it and the breeze tickled her skin.  “It appears you’re the one who’s overdressed now, doesn’t it?”  
  
    “And how would you go about changing that, hm?  Show me what you’ve learned, dear heart,” Mindfang invited.  “Allllllll of it…”  
  
    This time, it was Porrim’s mouth on Aranea’s neck, her kisses wet and hungry.  She listened as Mindfang moaned softly into her sponge clots as she moved her mouth up and down the skin exposed to her as Aranea held her long black hair back to permit Porrim access.  In her excitement, Porrim let her fangs drag on her lover’s neck…  
  
    “Ohhhhhhhh… What in the blue hells was that?”  
  
    Maryam suddenly jerked away.  “I… I’m sorry.  I didn’t…”  
  
    “Do it again.”  
  
    She swallowed and moved back in uncertainly.  “Are you sure?”  
  
    “Fuck yes.  I like a good bite now and then, even from a red lover.  Your fangs are as long as mine, damn near.  Put them to use!”  
  
    “All right…”  As she resumed her kissing, Aranea grabbed her left hand and placed it on her chest.  Porrim could feel the firm point of her blue nipple in her palm, which made her want to suck that much harder on Mindfang’s neck.   _If I’m not careful, I’m going to leave bruises… or worse…_ she thought, but the desire to kiss and lick and taste and finally bite was completely overwhelming.    
  
    It wasn’t until a strange taste appeared in her mouth that Porrim pulled back again to see that she had, in fact, bitten and drawn blood.  “Oh!  I didn’t mean to…”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.  “Pssh.  No big deal.  I’ve had a lot worse, trust me.  Looks like I’m not the only one who can do a spider bite, eh?  Now, didn’t you say something about me being overdressed?  I like what you’re doing, but somehow, I’m still wearing more clothing than you are.”  
  
    “All right, let me see…  I don’t suppose you’d be willing to sit down?  It might be the only way to get those boots off.”  
  
    “I suppose I could… but do try to remember that it’s not the boots you’re trying to get off; it’s me.”  
  
    Porrim almost choked on her laughter.  “I’ll try to keep that in mind.  I have no desire to lick them, just so you know.”  
  
    “Awwwwwwww… you sure?  Might be kinda hot?”  
  
    “No, Aranea.”  
  
    Mindfang smiled.  “See how far you’ve come?  You’re starting to decide what you want to do; what you like and don’t like.  It’s wonderful to see.”  She kneeled and then sat back down on the soft grass.  “Now, since you asked so nicely, I’ll let you remove my footwear.  Just put them beside the tent when you’re done.”  
  
    Porrim kneeled down in front of her and took the leg that was being offered.  With a slight effort, she was able to slide the scarlet boot from Aranea’s leg, revealing the blue painted toes beneath.  She repeated the same action with the other and then gently tossed them towards the door of the tent.    
  
    “By the way, love, I thought you should know it took every fibre of my being not to try and tickle your nose with my toes while you were removing the other boot.”  
  
    “Yuck!  I’m glad you were able to resist that urge!”  Porrim set Aranea’s other foot down in such a way that would offer her slightly easier access to the only piece of clothing that still remained on her matesprit’s body.    
  
    “Okay, so feet aren’t your thing,” Aranea said, allowing her knees to fall to the sides and give Porrim even more room to manoeuver.  “I certainly hope you still have an interest in other parts of my body.”  She slid her fingers under the waistband of her lacy blue panties and began to make slow circles underneath the shiny fabric.  “Particularly this one…”  
  
    Maryam leaned forward on her hands and knees and then reached up to take Aranea’s wrist and slowly remove the hand attached to it from its concealed location.  With a very deliberate series of motions, Porrim took that hand which now had a faint hint of blue on the fingertips into her own.  She opened her mouth, slowly placed the two wettest fingers past her lips and embraced them orally, slowly sucking the blue essence away.  Without saying a word, she released Aranea’s hand and then with a rapidity that startled Mindfang, grabbed onto her underwear and quickly pulled them out from underneath her.  She whisked them down her legs until they were off and flung them aside in the general direction of the red boots.  “There.  Problem solved.”  
  
    “So it is!  I’m pleased to see you have an appetite for the blue from my seedflap and not just the blue from my veins!”  
  
    Porrim was about to remark on that when a gust of wind blew past them; the air slipped between her thighs and made its presence known as it brushed along her own swollen, sensitive places.  She looked around, eyes wide.    
  
    “What is it, love?” Aranea asked.  “Did you hear something?”  
  
    “No… but are we really alone out here?  We’re completely exposed in all senses of the word!  What if a ship goes by and sees us?”  
  
    “My dear, sweet Porrim, it doesn’t matter.  They won’t see a thing.  No one can get close to this place unless they know how.  You and I are totally safe here.”  Aranea propped herself up on her elbows to get a better look at her companion.  “This is my gift to you:  for maybe the first time in your life, you are completely and utterly free.  There is no one coming for us anymore; the fool is gone and there’s only you and me.  You can just let go and do whatever you wish.  I sincerely hope that what you choose to do is meeeeeeee…”  
  
    She turned her head as far as she could in both directions, scanning the horizon, but the reflected pink moonlight on the water gave no indication that there were any other vessels around whatsoever.  Porrim returned her attention to Aranea, who was looking at her with a bemused smile on her face and not a thing else on her body.  “This feels… rather strange, but kind of… well, liberating at the same time!”  
  
    “Isn’t it?  This is why I love this place!  There’s nowhere else I know of that allows me to experience this kind of freedom.  Now, how about you and I do just that?  Relish it… enjoy every single moment, love.  Nothing stands between us here but your own self-consciousness; cast it aside and let’s just love each other.  How’s that sound?”  
  
    A strange smile crept across Porrim’s face as she came to realize that Aranea just might be right.  “In that case…”  She dropped forward onto her hands, crawled in between Aranea’s open legs and began planting long, sucking kisses on the inside of her thighs that made the blueblood inhale involuntarily.  Those kisses made their way closer and closer to a pair of blue lips that were slick with moisture and anticipation until Porrim’s lips met those lower ones and began to kiss and caress what they found there.  Before long, her tongue was running the length of those lips and then working slow circles around an insistent protrusion, delivering unspeakable pleasure with every single pass.  
   
    Aranea moaned and clutched at the grass under her hands.  “That’s right… ohhhhhhhh… no one else… just you…”  She let herself fall back to the ground as Porrim continued inflicting wonder on her.  “You’ve learned well, my sweet… keep going… gods yes, keep going!”  
  
    The wind continued to ebb and flow but Porrim no longer concerned herself with its presence.  Instead, she enjoyed the unsteady starts and stops of the breeze and parted her knees slightly to take advantage of its touch on her seedflap while she administered a literal tongue lashing on Aranea’s.  She listened as Aranea’s breathing quickened; the sounds emanating from her lost coherence but gained in volume by the moment as she simply let go of everything around her in anticipation of the sweet release of orgasm.    
  
    Mindfang didn’t have to wait long; Porrim’s tongue found a rhythm on and around her nub which was enhanced by the addition of fingertips brushing against the wettest parts.  That coupled with her own burgeoning arousal at finally being completely alone with her matesprit sent her falling into the sweet abyss of climax before she even had time to warn Porrim that it was happening.    
  
    Once she was able to finally open her eyes, she lifted her head to see Porrim sitting contentedly off to her left, holding her hand.  It was tough to miss the fact that a good portion of her face and chest were covered in a thin layer of blue and Aranea couldn’t help but chuckle. “Get any on you?”  
  
    “Just a bit,” Porrim replied, but she was smiling as she said it.  “It’s okay; I’m kinda getting used to it, actually.”  She wiped her face with the back of her hand and looked at the residue.  “That being said, I may need to wash up.”  
  
    “Well, the good news is that if you walk in pretty much any direction for a few minutes, you’ll find somewhere you can do that.  If you’d like, I’ll show you the best place to do so.”    
  
    Aranea’s inviting smile was more than enough for Porrim.  “Sure!”  Maryam extended a hand and helped Mindfang to her feet, which earned her a kiss despite her face still bearing a decidedly cerulean tint.  “That really doesn’t bother you at all?” she asked.    
  
    “Not in the least, love.  Why should it?  It’s just another part of me, after all.”  To demonstrate this, she crouched slightly so as not to poke Porrim with her horns and ran her tongue up from the underside of one of her jade-tipped breasts, across the stiff nipple at the center, and then upwards across her chest to her neck, clearing a path through the blue liquid it encountered.  “See?  Doesn’t bother me a lick!”  
  
    “Ha ha.  You’re too funny for your own good sometimes, you know.”  
  
    “Yeah, I know.  I suppose I should get you into the water while there’s still some left on you to wash off?  Unless you’d like me to save you some?  I know how much yoooooooou enjoy it…”  
  
    The heat rushed to Porrim’s cheeks faster than she ever thought possible.  “Well… you know… I might’ve… tried… a little… ”  
  
    “So far to go with you still,” Mindfang sighed.  “Porrim… My dear, sweet, innocent Porrim… anything goes here.  I won’t ever judge you; do what you WANT to do!  In fact, watching you do what you did with my fingers when we got started turned me on so much, you have NO idea!  I’m really proud of you, you know!”  
  
    Porrim took Aranea’s hand as they walked towards the sandy beach a short distance away.  “How so?”  
  
    “Well, let’s see… Would you have even considered doing something like that even a couple of weeks ago?”  
  
    “Hmm… probably not!  But then, you’ve really made me feel comfortable with my body - and yours - since that business with… well, you know.  And even before that, when I really think about it.    That very first night you came into my cell and held me… I’d never been held by anyone like that before.”  She stopped once they reached the soft, wet sand.  “I guess you’re right; maybe I have come a long way.  But it’s you that I have to thank.  For everything.”    
  
    Aranea smiled sweetly.  “You deserve it, my love.  Really, you do.  Seeing you come out of your shell like this has been worth every single struggle we’ve been through.  Now come on,” she said, leading Porrim into the warm water, “let’s get you nice and wet before I get you nice and wet!”  She winked and gave Porrim’s bottom a playful swat.    
  
    “Hey!” Maryam yelped as Mindfang ran past her.  “You…”  
  
    “Me?  Whatever do you mean?” Aranea laughed as she started splashing water in her matesprit’s direction.    
  
    Porrim sputtered as some of that water caught her in the face but she kept coming until she caught up to Aranea and tried to wrestle her into the thigh-deep water.  They struggled playfully until Aranea carried her down into the waves.  When Porrim emerged, she was a lot cleaner than she was when she came in, but found herself wanting to wash herself even more so as she found herself missing her time in the ablution trap, especially when things were about to get (or in this case, had already gotten) sexually interesting.  She made for deeper water and tried to wash herself without being too obvious about it.  However, she soon realized that trying to be discreet was rather pointless when your matesprit was an empath.    
  
    “Porrrrrrrrim… Are you feeling self-conscious again?  What did I tell you about that?”  
  
    “I know… I just… want to be clean for you, okay?”  
  
    “I appreciate that, love, but you might want to come a little closer in.  This is low tide and while the beach slopes out very gently here, it does drop off in a hurry if you get too far out.  Besides, I want to make sure that ring fits you tightly enough that it doesn’t fall off!”  
  
    The horror of that idea struck Porrim and she immediately pulled her left hand out of the water to ensure that the sapphire was still present.  She was relieved to find that it hadn’t come off and didn’t feel loose at all.  “It’s here!  I didn’t lose it!”  
“I didn’t suspect you would, dear,” Aranea said, standing up and checking the tightness of her own jade token; it remained fast on her finger.  “You seem to have a natural skill where taking good care of jewelry is concerned.”  
  
    Porrim gasped.  “Your earring!  I forgot it under my pillow when…”  
  
    “I know, love, don’t worry about it.  You were… preoccupied when you came out of that area.  Quite alright.  However, I do have an idea where that particular piece is concerned:  how would you feel about being able to wear it as it was meant to be worn?”  
  
    “I… suppose?  I’ve never had my ears pierced before.”  Porrim thought about asking if it hurt, but she already knew the answer to that question.  I’ve had a lot worse than that, though, I’m sure.  “Are you sure you want to do that, though?  I mean, it’s yours and it obviously means a lot to you.”  
  
    “It doessssssss… but the funny thing is that it means something different to me now, particularly because you’ve been looking out for it for so long.  Besides, I still have the other one.  Call it another token of sorts, maybe?”  
  
    The idea of it made Porrim smile.  “Yeah… That’s a cool idea, actually.”  
  
    “I’m glad you think so…”  Aranea stretched her long, slender arms above her head and let the water run down her tight, scarred body back to the ocean from whence it came.    
Porrim couldn’t help but be struck by the silhouette the blueblooded Gamblignant made in the moonlight; she stood up in the shallows and started making her way over to where Aranea was beckoning for her to join her.   Once she reached the ankle deep water where her lover stood waiting, Aranea dropped her arms to place them around her neck and whispered, “What I need you to do, my sweet, is to come and lay down in the sand.  It’s nice and wet and cool and it’s a wonderful place for my love to lie down and listen to what it is that I love about her.”    
  
    She wasn’t quite sure what Aranea had in mind but she had a feeling she was going to enjoy it.  “And after I went through all the trouble of washing mys-”  
  
    “Shhhhhhhh…” Aranea placed a finger on Porrim’s lips; Maryam desperately wanted to put them in her mouth again but she resisted the urge.  “No protests, no complaints.  This is all about you, dear heart.  You and you alone.  Now, come…”    
  
    They stepped out of the water and onto the beach.  There were a few rocks here and there, but any that were in the way of what Aranea had in mind were quickly kicked aside.  The sand was wet and smooth and dense under Porrim’s feet; when Aranea suggested that she sit down in it, she found it yielded against her bottom just as perfectly as it did when her soles pressed against it.  “So now what?”  
  
    “Lie all the way back, love.  Don’t worry about getting sand in your hair; I’ll let you rinse it out when we’re done.  Now, stretch those beautiful legs of yours out, put your hands by your sides and just close your eyes and listen to the sound of my voice.”  
Porrim found the gritty sound her head made as she rested it in the sand was rather peculiar, but once it was there, she closed her eyes as she was bid and extended her legs as far as she could.  A few moments later, she could hear the soft thumps of what she believed to be Aranea’s knees touching down beside her.      
  
    “Now just relax… and listen.”    
  
    One deep breath later, Porrim tried her best to do just that.   She felt a cool pair of hands suddenly embrace her horns and fought to repress a shiver.    
  
    “Such beautiful, long horns you have, my sweet,” Aranea said as she let her hands slide slowly up from where they were rooted in her head and hair towards the sharp points at the ends, one of which was hooked almost identically to Mindfang’s own.  “They’re so smooth and elegant, just like the person who they belong to.  They’re so very much a part of you… so much like you…”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t stop herself from giggling, both from the sensations and from because what Aranea was saying seemed so peculiar.    
  
    “Shush, you.  Just keep your eyes closed and listen, I said!  Don’t make me make you.”  
  
    She took Aranea’s rebuke in stride and tried to let herself relax.  
  
    “Now, where was I… Oh yessssssss…”  This time Aranea ran her fingers from Porrim’s ears down her neck; both hands met at Maryam’s left shoulder and began sliding down her arm.  “This arm and the other one… how they take these pretty hands and fingers attached to such interesting places.  Sometimes they like to touch people in places they like to be touched…”  She took Porrim’s hand into both of her own and began to gently massage it; she let her fingers make their way down every single one of Porrim’s individually.  “Such talented fingers you have.  You can make such wonderful things with them; from clothing to climaxes, your fingers are the most gifted I’ve ever known…”  Aranea began to kiss them, and then placed the first two fingers in her mouth and replicated the sucking that Porrim did to her own earlier.  “I bet you these would have tasted a lot better with some ‘me’ on them,” she quipped.  
  
    Again, Porrim laughed but she kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the sensations that were being inflicted on her.  
  
    “Now, where to…”  Aranea placed Porrim’s arm back down on the sand, but a little further away from her side.  “Oh!  I couldn’t miss these even if I wanted to, which I most certainly wouldn’t want to…”    
  
    Maryam had a pretty good guess where Aranea was going this time, but the anticipation was making it that much more intense.  Sure enough, a cool breeze passed across her nipples from what she believed to be Aranea’s pursed lips; the jade green peaks, which were already taut from the light wind passing over her wet skin, but the concentrated air made the one being blown on stiffen on top of the full, round breast it sat upon.  She could feel the sucking sensation but didn’t feel any actual lips being pressed around it.   _When is she going to finally put her mou-ohhhhh…_  The teasing Aranea had inflicted on her yielded a far more intense response once she finally did let her lips and tongue play upon her nipple; she could feel the wetness starting to form between her legs and she couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take her lover to finally make her way down there to attend to it.   _Soon, I hope… but I’ll admit that I’m enjoying the journey!_  
  
    Once Aranea broke away from that, the next place that kisses were administered to make her actually shout at first.  “Hmmmmmmmm… I bet you had NO idea that touching these lovely indents where your grublegs once were would produce such a wondrous reaction, did you?”    
  
    Porrim tried to respond but the only sound she could make was a stuttered “nn-nn-nn” that only encouraged Aranea to continue kissing her there.      
  
    Soon enough, Aranea’s hands slipped down towards Porrim’s waist, which made her jump.  “Oh, of course… verrrrrrrry sensitive down there, aren’t we?  So am I, but these hips of yours are just so perfectly round and curvaceous and touchable that I simply couldn’t resist.  Your hips speak to me, Porrim, even when you’re just walking around or simply standing still.  Your elegant frame doesn’t have a single damn angle on it and there’s nowhere on that body of yours that grabs my eye like these…”  She let her hand sneak into what little space there was between Porrim’s backside and the sand it rested on and gave what she touched a quick squeeze.  “Save for that choice ass of yours.”  
  
    Porrim just shook her head slightly in reply.  The sand beneath answered softly as well.  
  
    “But, since you happen to be on your back at present and aren’t allowing me easy access to that most sexy part of you, I’ll just have to keep on going from here for now… down along these gorgeous thighs…”  Aranea let both of her hands slide down this part of Porrim’s anatomy, one on the inside, one without, taking care not to trip over her kneecap, but resuming their caress down the muscle of Maryam’s calf.  “And from there along these shapely legs, down to those feet you don’t seem to care much for.  Even though they don’t seem like much to you, they carry you here and there and since you haven’t had much in the way of shoes, they’ve been completely bare, only giving a hint as to how beautiful you are under that dress of yours.”  She picked up Porrim’s foot, gently dusted the sand from the bottom of it and began to massage it, not so lightly as to tickle it, but with enough pressure as to help the muscles within relax.  
  
    The kneading and squeezing on her feet was enough to make Porrim moan with pleasure, but of a slightly different kind.  “Oh my… you have NO idea how good that feels!”  
  
    “Oh, but I do, my sweet.  As much as I love wearing my red boots, there are few things more delicious in life than a foot massage… save for what I’m about to do to you next, that is.”  
  
    Porrim grinned.  “I have a feeling I know what that involves!”  
  
    “Oh, doooooooo you?  Well, we’ll see about that… but then again, you are as smart as you are beautiful, so you may in fact be correct.  Shall I stop what I’m doing and start making my way towards that particular part of you?”  
  
    As much as the ache between Porrim’s legs was growing more and more insistent, she was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of having her feet rubbed, something that she had never experienced before.  “Maybe not quite yet; I’d really like it if you did that to my right foot, too!”  
  
    “Very well,” Aranea said, giving her left heel one more squeeze and then gently forcing her yellow-nailed toes forward before setting her foot down on the sand in such a way that it left the jadeblood’s knee bent.  She picked up Porrim’s right foot, gave it a slow rotation at the ankle and then began to use her knuckles on the arch of it.  She could swear the low moans Maryam was making were almost as rooted in bliss as the ones she made with a tongue betwixt her labia.  “I dare say you may have a different opinion of feet by the time I’m done with you, love.”  
  
    “I don’t know about that,” Porrim sighed, “Feet just aren’t attractive at all to me, but if you ever need me to do this for you, I totally will.  It’s wonderful!”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.  “I may take you up on that sometime.  However, for now, I’ll just keep mauling these feet of yours, which are just as delightful as the rest of you.  I suspect they wouldn’t hurt as much if you weren’t pacing all the bloody time, you know.”  
Porrim just made a soft sound in response.  “I’ll keep that in mind.”  
Aranea’s hands made their way up past the heel and onto Porrim’s right calf muscles.  Porrim couldn’t see at all but judging from the position of those hands, she believed Aranea to be not entirely on the right side of her, but most likely in between her thighs now.  As those fingertips brushed the inside of her thigh, her suspicions were all but confirmed.  “I have a feeling I know what you’re up to…”  
  
    “Told you that you were smart,” came the reply.  “Now will you believe me when I tell you you’re sexy, too?”  
  
    “I’ll think about it if you keep doing what you’re doing,” Maryam gasped.  Those fingertips were now drawing slow circles between the place where her leg and her bottom met and her now engorged outer lips.  The swelling at that most insistent point was almost unbearable.   _My nub must be sticking right out,_ she thought, _She can see how crazy she’s making me…_  
  
    “That I can, my love.  It’s quite beautiful.  Seeing your arousal makes mine stir, you know…”  
  
    For a moment, Porrim had forgotten that Aranea could read her thoughts and also transmit if she so desired, but then, with the intensity of the finger on her skin, she probably would have forgotten her own name if someone had asked it of her.  She dared a quick peek; she was correct about where Aranea was sitting now and it was quite plain that while her matesprit’s left hand was doing the slow circles on and around Porrim’s seedflap, her right hand was repeating the action on her own.    
  
    “Did I say you could looooooook?  Shut your eyes and I’ll make you sing for me, Porrim…”  
  
    Porrim made no outright reply, but opened her legs just a little bit wider so that Aranea would have better access to what it was she wanted.    
  
    “That’s better… Now, where was I?  Oh right…  My, my, there sure are some interesting places to see here.”  Aranea wet the first two fingers of her left hand and slowly pulled them up on either side of Porrim’s labia, causing a small trickle of green to emerge.  “These full lips of yours are so smooth and eminently touchable, you know.  And very kissable, I might add…”  She leaned forward and did just that; the sound Porrim made this time was a low moan that encouraged Aranea to continue doing so.  “And look… another jewel of jade.  How lovely it is…”  
  
    As intense as the inhalation Aranea performed over her nipple was, the primal sensation it created over Porrim’s nub was unspeakable.  The low moan became a high pitched keen when those blue tinged lips finally made contact and Porrim dug her fingers deep into the cool sand in an effort to anchor herself lest she float away.    
  
    In between sucks, Aranea said, “I know exactly what that feels like, love.  I can feel your pleasure right along with you.  And knowing that licking and sucking this one tiny point is taking you to places words can never describe is what makes it worth doing.”  She embraced it orally once again just to emphasize the point, and Porrim howled.  “Gooooooood,” Aranea encouraged, “Be as loud as you want.  No one can hear you but me.  And I WANT to hear it!  Sing out, love…”   She dipped a finger into Porrim’s moistness, and then a second in tandem.  “You have such a beautiful seedflap, my sweet.  Really you do.  I love how your lips fall open at my touch… how easily your opening yields to me… how hungrily you push up against what I put inside of you… how tantalizingly wet you become.”  She very slowly let her long fingers fall from it, and one of them travelled slowly and deliberately down along the space between her flap and nook until it rested gently on the latter.  “And who thought you’d ever find a touch down here to be so pleasurable?  It’s like adding another instrument to the song, isn’t it?  Once you’ve experienced it, you notice when it’s absent.  And I do love how both your flap and your nook grip my fingers at the same time when you come…”  At this, she slipped a moistened digit into both and placed her mouth back onto Porrim’s nub.    
  
    The jadeblood’s response was less of a moan as it was a violent inhalation.  Porrim felt as though all language had escaped her as tongue and fingers dipped and darted in and out of her.  The only break from the relentless waves of pleasure came when Aranea would talk to her.   “You’re so close, I know.  I can feel it… Feel you pressing yourself against my tongue and my fingers… fuck, yessssssss… I’m inside you, body and mind, Porrim… just let it all go… I want you as inside of me as I am in you right now… let go for meeeeeeee…”  
  
    Porrim could feel her hips pushing against Aranea’s face and digits, wanting to amplify the intensity even more so, but hearing those words made her teeth chatter and she pushed her back and hips down into the soft, cool sand and waited for the building rush of release to overwhelm her.  She tried to speak and no words followed, just the formless thoughts of pleasure.   _How… do you… do this… so amazing…_  
  
    Her climax all but snuck up on her; it developed so quickly she didn’t even have time to vocalize at all.  One moment she was wondering when it would be upon her, the next it was and her body was wracked with joyous spasms while her mind went shooting off into that nameless place it always did when pleasure overwhelmed it.  Her eyes were closed but full of stars and as the shivers subsided, a soft moan from her own voice brought her around.   “So… wonderful…”  
  
    Porrim felt as though her head weighed a ton but with effort, she was able to raise it and look at Aranea, who still hadn’t withdrawn her fingers but was looking back at her and licking a tiny spot of green from her lips.  “Did I not… I felt like I…”  
  
    “Came bucketfuls?” Aranea asked.  “Oh, you did, don’t worry.”  
  
    “Then… how come you’re not…”  
  
    “A delicious shade of green?  Let’s just say I was in the right place at the right time.  I told you I wanted you inside of me, Porrim.  And I wanted to show you once and for all how little drinking of your essence - or mine own – bothers me.”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t find the words to answer but felt another wave of pleasure course through her as Aranea’s finger began to slide around inside of her entries once again.  “I… can give… you more… if you keep… doing that…” she finally replied.  
  
    “Excellennnnnnnnt…” Aranea said as she teased Porrim’s nub once more with her tongue.  “That’s what I was counting on.  I’m not done with you yet, my love.  Not even close…”  
  
   
  
  
    Porrim’s second orgasm of the night made her howl.  The third made her cry.  The fourth and fifth saw her struck silent save for the sounds her fingernails made as they scrabbled in the sand as each wave of pleasure slammed into her thinkpan.  Eventually they became an ongoing wave of ecstasy; every peak and valley that passed ran into the next and she lost all sense of self and time.    
  
    It took Aranea saying “Well, I think the tap has finally run dry, my sweet.  How are you holding up?” to finally bring her back to some semblance of conscious thought.    
  
    “I… I can barely… even move…”  
  
    “Well, if it helps,” Aranea said while pushing herself up on numb arms, “the sooner you get up, the sooner you can slip back into the water to get the sand off.  I know I’m looking forward to it.  Much as I enjoy this whole ‘sex on the beach’ business, the practical part can get a tad… gritty.”    
  
    Porrim found the strength to laugh and took the hand Aranea offered her to sit up and then, with some effort, stand.  She reached behind herself to try and knock the said off of her backside.  “I see what you mean; no fault of yours, but I think I’ve got sand in my nook…”  
  
    “Trust me, love, you’re not the only one dealing with sand where it shouldn’t be!”    
  
    While most of the wet sand on her own body was out of sight, Porrim noticed that Aranea’s chest and stomach were completely coated while the grit between her legs and on her thighs had taken on more of a bluish tinge.   “Indeed!”  She then looked to the ground:  where Aranea was laying, there was a full body shape pressed into the beach and while she expected the sand where she lay to be almost stained green with her sweat, tears and emissions, it appeared only slightly darker than that which surrounded it.  “Did you say we can go wash this off now?”  
  
    “Absolutely!  Let’s go.”   They walked back into the surf; it seemed to Porrim that they didn’t have as far to go as they did earlier.  “Tide’s coming in again,” Aranea answered.  “You might also notice that we should be quick about this; sun’s coming up.”  
  
    Porrim was one to welcome the red rays of the sun, but she knew full well after the previous morning that there was only so much of it her matesprit could stand.  “All right then.”  She reached behind herself again to try and loosen the sand but wasn’t as successful as she’d have liked.  “Aranea?  This is going to sound kinda strange but…”  
  
    “Say no more, love.  I’ll more than happily take care of that, especially considering I didn’t get to maul that choice ass of yours on the beach itself.”  Aranea swam up beside her, placed her hands on Porrim’s sandy rear and began to vigourously massage it.    
  
    _Oh, that’s very nice… might even get some feeling back in it, too!_ Porrim thought as Aranea’s cool hands scraped away the remnants of the beach’s grit from her but also stirred the circulation as well.  “I’m afraid to tell you how much I’m enjoying this.”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.  “Don’t be!  You can tell me all about it, but maybe you should wait until we’re safely ensconced in our tent first.”  
  
    They emerged from the ocean, hand in hand.  Porrim looked for the blue stone on her finger and was pleased to see it was still where it should be.   _It’s beautiful,_ she thought, _a jewel as stunning as any I’ve ever seen.  I don’t understand how this is possibly happening, but I’m glad that it is.  I just wish I could… return the favour somehow._  
  
    _Never worry about that, dear heart,_ came the response in her head as they left the sand behind and moved back into the grass.  “You’ve already given me so much.  A simple stone couldn’t possibly match it.”  
  
    “But what have I really given you, exactly?  Other than the dress, I mean.  It’s not like I’ve even left your hive until last night.”  
  
    “You really have no idea, do you?” Aranea asked.  She opened the tent door open to retrieve a pair of blue towels from the bag and handed one to Porrim.  Once they were mostly dry, she held the access flap open to let Porrim enter first and then slipped in behind her.  “It’s not about physical gifts.  Not at all.  Come lay down with me.”  
  
    Porrim gingerly climbed onto the blanket covered air mattress and lay facing Aranea, who had just done the same a moment prior.  Despite wiping most of the moisture from her skin, she felt a little on the cool side so she moved closer to Aranea and pulled the far edge of the blanket over her to cover up.  “I hope you don’t mind; I just need to warm up a bit.”  
  
    “I don’t mind at all!  I wish I had warmer blood so that I could help,” Aranea replied.  “Listen… when I said that you’ve given me so much, I didn’t mean the dress.  It was the meaning behind it that I was referring to.  Porrim, my love, you’ve given me a new way to look at things.  A whole new philosophy, really.  You take the darkest things and make something good come of them.  Even when I left you alone, you still believed in the potential love that was there… and I swear to you that I will never leave you alone like that again, my sweet.”   She punctuated this by kissing Porrim on the forehead.  “The point is that even though you’ve seen such horror in your life, you believe deep inside that something right can still come to pass.  And now here we are.  How can I not want to believe that wonderful things can actually happen when I see you doing the same?  Our actions CAN change our fate.”  
  
    Porrim pondered this as her matesprit embraced her.  “I’m glad you agree.  I’m just curious why you would think otherwise in the first place?”  
  
    Aranea was thankful that no sunlight got in through the tent walls; they hadn’t turned on the glowglobes when they returned either so Porrim couldn’t see the dark expression slide across her features as she thought about the reason and how best to explain it.  “Let’s just say someone once offered me a chance to see the future.  I argued that the future wasn’t set and the object that was supposed to tell me what was to come agreed with me, much to the chagrin of the fellow who was offering it.  The oddest part was that his… assistant told me something that did make a difference.  An important one where you’re concerned.”  
  
    “How so?”  Porrim was skeptical, but she certainly had no reason to believe that Aranea would make up a story concerning something so peculiar.    
  
    A long pause before Aranea answered, “All I remember was that she said that when it was time to find tokens for my matesprit that I should check my jacket pocket.  When I was driving to go and get them, I saw something that reminded me of her.  Sure enough, there they were.  I turned around and came home… just in time, as it turned out.”  She sat quietly for a moment to contemplate the implications of this.  “You ever have those feelings?  Like something just happened for a particular reason?”  
  
    Porrim wasn’t quite sure how to answer that.  “Sometimes I thought that about finding Kankri, but that didn’t end well…”  
  
    “Maybe it isn’t over?”  
  
    “What do you mean?”   She was puzzled by what Aranea was suggesting.  
  
    “I’ll explain later, I swear,” Aranea said through a yawn.  “Let’s rest, my love.  We have a few nights here; there’ll be plenty of time for stories, trust me.”  
  
    Maryam snuggled in closer to her.  “I do.”  
  
    Aranea sighed, awash in her afterglow and enjoying the scent of the sea on her lover’s skin and hair.  As she felt sleep overtake her, she answered, “There is nothing in the world that makes me happier to hear than that, Porrim.  Nothing at allllllll…”

 


	4. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea and Porrim enjoy their last evening on Blue Recluse Island before setting sail for Mindfang's Base Two. Porrim learns much about Aranea's moirail and the true extent of her lover's riches, ill-gotten or otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter opens with one more explicit scene before letting these two discuss many things that needed discussing. For those of you unfamiliar with my previous works (and I need to establish that they exist for those of you who haven't read them), I introduced my first OC, Felida Oceleo, in the Mindfang/Redglare tale, "Condemnation". She served as Aranea's moirail and First Mate and acted as a "tempistice" between her captain and the Neophyte Legislacerator. They also share a healthy Domme/sub relationship, which gives their pale a decidedly red appearance. I get the chance to develop her much further in this story and I hope you find that she belongs. For now, though, I wanted to depict how Porrim attempts to come to terms with what her matesprit does for a living and also to establish some ground rules about what is and isn't acceptable to her; love is a two way street after all, even when your significant other is an empath.
> 
> Soundtrack songs: #6 begins at "Porrim was a little uncertain;" and #7 at "“You know, I almost forgot..."
> 
>  
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](http://www.deviantart.com/users/outgoing?https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20%28Ch.%201-21%29.zip)

**3.**  
  
    The grubloaf and water lasted five nights.   Sating one appetite tended to stir the other, Aranea mused, and being contained to the tent for the last two nights due pouring rain, while making for all kinds of fun, led to them going through their supplies in shorter order than anticipated.    
  
    She looked over at Porrim, still caught up  in slumber.  At the foot of the mattress were the toys they’d put to use:  there were many different shapes and styles; all bore a green or blue tinge.   _I ought to tend to those before we set sail…_  She opened the door of the tent and then scooped up the various contraptions; one fell from her grasp and hit the floor which set it to vibrating.    
  
    _Shit… get over here!_  Aranea leaned forward to try and snag the buzzing object and nearly lost the rest of them in the process.  Once it was in her grasp, she  beat a hasty retreat in hopes that she hadn’t awoken Porrim any earlier than she wanted to.    
  
    The cloud cover meant that the heat of the evening wasn’t terribly stifling, but it was abnormally humid from all of the rain they’d received.  By the time she reached the shoreline, Aranea was already sweating, and not from the exertions of the last few nights.  She wandered into the water with her armful of pleasure devices, still completely undressed; neither of them had worn a stitch of clothing since they first shed what they were wearing when they arrived on the island.  Mindfang gave her toys a perfunctory scrubbing and hauled them back up to the tent; she could see her matesprit beginning to stir, so she carefully set them inside the door and returned to the beach.  
  
    Aranea waded into the water; the tide was high and the ocean embraced her waist in no time.  Once she was deep enough, she relieved herself and had started the process of bathing when she spotted a bleary-eyed jadeblood wandering down the sand to join her.  “Good eeeeeeeevening, my love.  Come to tell me what you were dreaming of?”  
  
    Porrim yawned and stretched on the shore before entering the water herself.  After she took a few moments to attend her own necessities, she swam over to where Aranea was waiting and said, “I’ve slept so deeply these past nights that I can’t even remember dreaming.  I honestly can’t recall a time where I’ve felt so… satisfied.  And I mean that in every way possible.  Thank you.”  She kissed Aranea and the two embraced in the sea as the last flickers of red shone through the breaks in the clouds above.    
  
    After a few moments like that, Aranea let the fingers of her left hand slip down over Porrim’s bottom and begin to tease what they found.  “Completely satisfied?” she purred.   “Considering we’ll need to leave here shortly, perhaps you’d be up for one more kick at the can, hmmmmmmmm?”  
  
    Maryam chuckled.  “Such a weird phrase, that one.”  
  
    “What do you mean?”  
  
    “When was the last time you kicked a can?  I don’t see how punting metallic food cylinders around equates with attempting to…”  
  
    “Porrim?”  
  
    “…yes?”  
  
     Aranea took Porrim’s hand and placed it on her flushed blue seedflap.  “You need to stop taking things so literally.  Now, let’s change this up a bit, shall we?  How about you lead?”  
  
    Porrim was a little uncertain; she was more than content to let Aranea take the initiative since this trip was her idea.  There were still moments that she felt grossly inexperienced around someone like Mindfang, who’d likely had a thousand lovers over the sweeps, and she wasn’t sure if there was anything she could possibly do, save for what she was asked to.  Now, she was being asked to start.  “I… guess?  You’re usually the one who likes to be in control of things…”  
  
    “Well, this time, I’d like you to try.  Don’t you think it’d be fun?”  
  
    “I’ve had all kinds of fun these last few nights, Aranea!  Are you sure about this?”  
Mindfang smiled invitingly.  “Absolutely.  There’s a reason for this.  For the first time in a long time, I want to be the one being taken…”  
  
    Arousal soon won over Porrim’s concern and she led Aranea to shallower water where they both had a solid foothold.  The waves lapped up against their waists as Porrim took to kissing and lightly biting Aranea’s long neck; she knew her lover seemed to enjoy that and she let her fingers under the water return to where Mindfang had just placed them a few moments earlier and rub in concert with what her mouth was doing.    
  
    Aranea’s head lolled back and she gasped each time Maryam’s fangs nicked her skin.  “That’s what I love, Porrim… drag your teeth on me and… no, wait… do what you want to me!  I’m all yours… love me…”  
  
    Porrim tried her best to relax and think about what she was going to do next.   _I’m not afraid of leading in most circumstances, but this is one I’m going to have to learn how to do right._  She tended not to be terribly vocal when Aranea was inflicting  pleasure on her; she didn’t suggest or insist but was content to just enjoy the ride.  This time, however, Porrim needed to decide how to go about things.   _Let’s just keep this simple,_ she thought and let her fingers caress and explore Mindfang’s seedflap.  “I remember you enjoying this last time we were in the water…”  They had made love in the ocean just as the rain started to fall two nights ago; Porrim found it was strange and wonderful, but most certainly memorable.  This time, she would do her best to ensure the sensations would have more to do with the water being passed between Aranea’s legs than that which was falling on them from the skies.    
  
    As those fingers, so skilled in sewing and creating but becoming more confident by the night in the art of pleasuring, explored Aranea’s nethers, Porrim found herself enjoying the sounds that came from the blueblood, who was evidently taking great pains to keep from saying anything further so that Porrim could continue leading the way.  After all of their activities during their time on the island, she was amazed that not only did Aranea still have any desires left unquenched,  but that her own were still present as well.   _Focus, Porrim… she’s probably looking at you, wondering what else you have in mind.  What DO I have in mind?_  “I know you like this…” she whispered in Aranea’s sponge clot, “Show me how much…”  
  
    The response was a low sound and Mindfang pressing herself against Porrim’s fingers.   _That seemed to work… let’s try something else!_  Recalling how most of the unusual looking objects that were pressed up against her nub, seedflap and nook the last couple of nights seemed to vibrate in a most wonderful way, she tried to do the same with her fingertips; each time they brushed up against Aranea or dipped inside of her, she tried to get them to shake slightly.  Mindfang’s fingers started to clutch at Porrim’s back in reply.   _I think that’s working…_  She gently placed the first two fingers of her left hand on either side of Aranea’s nub and set them to vibration.  “How’s that feel?  Is that what you’re looking for?”    
  
    Mindfang said nothing; she just grabbed onto Porrim that much tighter.  As her breathing began to quicken, Porrim sped up her vibrations just a bit in spite of the fatigue it was causing her.   _I can do this; just a little bit longer… I think she’s close…_  She brought her right hand from behind Aranea’s back and clutched onto the blueblood’s forked horn with it.  “Just let go for me, lover…” she whispered.    
  
    “Yessssssss…” was the exhaled reply, followed shortly after by a high pitched sound and an uncontrollable shudder.    
  
    Porrim looked down into the water; a hint of blue floated to the surface.   _After all we’ve done, I’m amazed she has anything left to give at all._  As her orgasmic shaking ebbed, Aranea fell forward; Porrim was able to easily catch her thanks to the buoyancy of the water.   “It’s okay… Enjoy it.  It’s all for you.  I’ve got you, Aranea.”  
  
    Eventually, Mindfang caught her breath and returned to conscious thought.  “Not bad, my sweet.  Not bad at all.”  
  
    The tone of her voice struck Porrim as a bit strange.   _Her usual confident demeanour seems… absent?_  “I’m glad you liked it.  Is everything okay?”  
  
    “Mm-hmmmmmmmm.”    
  
    Maryam wasn’t buying that for a moment.  She resisted the urge to ask her outright if that was the case, but instead looked at Mindfang’s face:  the smile was there, but she was pretty sure she could spot another hint of blue, this time on her matesprit’s cheek.  “Did I… did I do something wrong?”  
  
    Aranea swallowed and looked up at her.  “Not at all.  It’s just…”    
  
    Despite having seen Mindfang at a loss for words not all that long ago, back when she presented her with the blue and black dress that she made, it still surprised Porrim to see it happen.  “It’s okay.  You can tell me.”  
  
    Once Aranea composed herself, she continued.  “It’s been a very, very long time since I’ve let anyone take the lead with me like that.  You’re the first person I’ve been able to trust that much  and that’s… that’s a big thing for me.  The last one was my first matesprit and she broke that trust.  Not quite in the manner which you might think, but it was broken nonetheless.”  She quickly moved a hand up to her face to hide any further tears before they ran free.  “So while you’re still learning about what it’s like to really take the initiative, don’t worry, you’re doing fine.  It’ll come in time.”  
  
    Porrim smirked.  “This is the part where you say, ‘And so will I’, right?”    
  
    Aranea laughed.  “How do you know I wasn’t going to just let that one go, hmmmmmmmm?”  
  
    “You couldn’t resist if you tried.  Even in this state of mind.”  
  
     Mindfang narrowed her eyes.  “You’re just saying that because it’s true.”  
  
    Porrim looked skyward, her expression one of feigned innocence.    
  
    “Okay, that’s it.”  In one swift motion, Aranea plucked the jadeblood from the water and slung her over her shoulder.  “You made me do this.  I thought you should know that.”  She slapped Porrim’s wet backside a  couple of times, just hard enough so that she knew Porrim would feel it, provided she wasn’t too distracted by her laughing fit.  

    Mindfang carried her back up the beach and gently set her giggling cargo down into the soft grass.  “For the record, I’m officially back in charge here.  And yoooooooou, missy, are about to get what you deserve.”  She rolled the jadeblood over onto her front, knelt  down beside her and gave her ass another wet smack.    
  
    Porrim thought she’d never stop laughing but when moistened fingers and tongue found their way between her cheeks and thighs, the laughter was replaced by moans and cries of pleasure so seamlessly that they may have been one and the same.    
  
  
  
  
    “You know, I almost forgot about the fact that we’d have to do this.  Almost.”  Porrim wrung her hands as she watched the island they’d spent such a memorable time on fade into the distance.  She wasn’t sure if she was more dismayed by the fact that they were leaving or by the fact that she was back in a small boat again.  
  
    “I thought you’d maybe come to appreciate the ocean more now that you’ve spent some quality time in it, love.”  Mindfang set back in the captain’s chair,  using the small wheel to steer the ship towards its next destination.  
  
    Porrim looked over the side, watching the water speed past.  “I can appreciate it.  I guess I’m just worried about having to spend the rest of my existence under it if something went wrong with this boat.   Or any other for that matter.”  
  
    Aranea nodded.  “That’s something I have to deal with every night I spend upon it, my sweet.  That being said, it doesn’t bother me.  I’ve always had a love for the sea.  Never could quite explain it.”  
  
    “You do have a distinct lack of gills, I must admit.”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.   “After spending the last five nights in such close quarters with me, you would know, wouldn’t you?”    
  
    Porrim beamed.    
  
    “Anyway, Little Miss Snarkyfangs , there’s little to worry about.  This boat is far more modern than it looks.  Like the _Fool’s Gam8it,_ it’s only styled to look like an older vessel.  The power source is quite modern and it has the most advanced stabilizers you can get.  Now, if a decent storm suddenly popped up, yeah, we’d be in trouble, but I wouldn’t take you out in something like that, have no fear.”  
  
    “How would you even know there was a storm coming, though?  We had no computer links or anything the entire time we were there?”  
  
    “Did I not tell you it was going to rain shortly before it happened?”    
  
    Maryam thought about it for a second.  “Actually, you did, come to think of it.  How did you know about that?  I thought your gifts were solely pan-related; can you read the minds of clouds, too?”  
  
    Mindfang snorted.  “If you were anyone but you, dear heart, I’d swear you were making fun of me.  No, love, a successful Gamblignant must learn to read not only the movements of her prey, but also those of the stars, the moons and the clouds.  Sure, I’ve got technology on board to assist, but should those falter, the survival of both myself and my crew could depend on my ability to read these things without aid, not to mention on the fly.”   She looked up at the small breaks in the overcast layer.  “However, it’s nights like these that I’m more than happy to have navigation systems on board.”  
  
    “I have to admit, other than some of the tales I’ve heard from people besides yourself, I have little idea what it’s like to live at sea, much less do what it is that you do,”  Porrim said.  She was admittedly very curious about it, but was also trying her best to reconcile the idea that her matesprit was, to the eyes of many, a criminal.  
  
    Aranea leaned back in her seat, a wistful expression on her face.  “When it comes to Gamblignant stories, I’m sure it’s the romantic element that most people focus on.   However, it’s dangerous work; although there are many who wouldn’t even consider it work, it’s because they don’t understand.  As I mentioned before, we serve a purpose:  to keep the Imperial Navy sharp.  It’s come to the point where no one would dare attack our homeworld, and they sure as hell wouldn’t do it by challenging our floating fleet.  No, Alternia’s oceans are essentially a training ground for naval units that will be deployed elsewhere now.  Not to mention an excuse for violetblooded admirals to stay at home, well out of harm’s way, but that’s beside the point.    
  
    “Gamblignants answer to no one but their captain.  And since I’m a captain, I answer to no one at all.   We take what we can from whomever we wish; frankly, taking things from the Navy has been not only a fair challenge, but fun, too!  It’s only recently that we started taking their actual ships, but then, a certain somebody who shall remain at the bottom of this very ocean decided he wanted to actually go horn-to-horn with me.  He lost.”  
  
    Porrim watched as Mindfang’s moods flickered from sadness to anger and quickly back to what appeared to be contentment.  “So is that why you didn’t join the Navy?  You wanted that freedom more than anything else?”  
  
    “Would it surprise you to know that I DID join the Navy as soon as I was able?  The problems started, however, when I said I wanted command of my own ship.  I had the skill and ability to do so, but I was told my blood colour would preclude me from ever holding the rank of Captain; that privilege belonged only to indigobloods and above.  I argued the point and was told to either accept it or find a new line of work.  Luckily for me - or unluckily as fate would have it – I suddenly found myself under the tutelage of a most gifted mentor.  She taught me everything I wanted to know about naval combat and what life at sea was really aboat… I mean, about.”  
  
    Maryam chortled at Aranea’s choice of words.  “I gather your tutor was a seadweller?  I’ve heard that they like to decorate their speech with some nautical-themed words.”  
  
    “You’ve heard correctly.  Do forgive me if I let one slip from time to time, especially when I get talking about naval matters.  Anyhow, I served as her left hand, following her on her missions and getting experience that there was no other way for me to have earned.  Eventually, that spilled over to matters that involved a ship of a completely different sort.”  
  
    “A relationship,” Porrim deduced.  “A red one, I assume?  This is your first matesprit you’re talking about, right?”  
  
    Mindfang nodded her confirmation.  “She taught me everything I know about sex as well.  Her tastes tended towards the extreme; believe me, my sweet, I may seem quite experienced to you, possibly even a little warped, but aside from that deprivation business I’ve made sure to do nothing but kind things with you.  It’s how I want it and it’s what you deserve.”  She looked out to the open ocean.  “It’s not how it was with her, though.  There were moments of love and kindness, but those were tempered with… difficult lessons.  The scars on my back were her doing.”  
  
    Porrim’s fingers had traced those scars a few times over the last five nights.  Even though they were well disguised as part of an elaborate tattoo, she couldn’t help but wonder who would do something like that to her lover.  “I can see why your relationship fell apart…”  
  
    “Would you believe that had nothing to do with it?  That was a lesson itself.  It involved my decision to help myself to an item which you are VERY familiar with.”  
  
    It took a few seconds but it finally registered.  “That earring?  She scourged you for stealing it?”  
  
    Aranea shrugged.  “She was right; I had no claim to it.  It was theft, pure and simple.  What amazed me was that she let me keep it.  Said I’d finally earned it with my blood and agony.  I learned my lesson: I never stole from her again.”   She paused; a sly grin appeared.  “Well, not directly, anyway.”  
  
    Porrim didn’t know what to make of that.  “Scars like that are rather deep.  I’d wondered if those were kismesis scars, quite honestly.”  
  
    “No, amazingly.  The deep blue one under my breast is, however.  Admiral Fishfood, that fuckup, did th-”  
  
    Aranea didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence as her jadeblooded companion was too busy cackling with laughter and trying desperately to hide it.    
  
    “Whaaaaaaaat?  Liked that, did you?”  
  
    “I’m… hee… sorry.  I know he meant a lot to you but…”  
  
    “Don’t worry, love.  If I didn’t feel that way about him, I wouldn’t have made the joke in the first place.  If you wish to refer to him as Admiral Fishfood from now on, fill your boots.”  
  
    “But I don’t have any!” Porrim exclaimed before she was lost in another uncontrollable wave of giggles.    
  
    Aranea couldn’t help but laugh along with her.  “I have to admit I’ve never seen this side of you!”  
  
    Once Porrim was able to get a grip on her laughing, she replied, “I guess I’m starting to feel that comfortable around you.  There hasn’t been an awful lot for me to laugh about in my life at times.  Or yours, I gather.”  
  
    “Sometimes, love, laughter is the only way to get through a dark time.  It may not make the situation any less serious or grim, but it can help you feel better about having to go through it.   To be honest, there wasn’t a lot of laughter by the end of my time with her.  She was so preoccupied with a new mission that she just didn’t seem to have any time for me at all anymore.  I told her I was leaving; she seemed perfectly fine with that.   I made a point of clearing my name from Imperial records and started over as Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, scourge of the seas.  She knew full well I’d be helping myself to the ships under her command, but again, her focus was elsewhere.”  
  
    “Dare I ask where?”  
  
    “Space,” Aranea answered.    
  
    Porrim cringed.  She’d heard that one of her own closest friends, a man she once considered declaring pale feelings for, Mituna Captor, had been put on one of those conquering ships and was likely millions of light sweeps from home now, never to return.   “I’m gathering she must have been a close confidant to the Condesce to be a part of that project.”  
  
    “You could say that.”  Mindfang decided it was high time to change the subject.  “But speaking of pale feelings, the story of how I met my moirail is far more interesting, I assure you.  In fact, the funniest part about how that all came about was-”  
  
    “Hold on,” Porrim interrupted.  “I didn’t say anything about pale feelings… but I was thinking it.”  
  
    “Oh.”  Aranea grinned sheepishly.  “I don’t suppose you’re willing to chalk that up to coincidence, eh?”  
  
    Maryam responded with an unimpressed look.  “Not from the woman who doesn’t believe in coincidence.  Aranea, I need to know something:  you’ve told me it’s harder for you to do what you do to someone with my blood colour, but is this going to be an issue going forward?  If I don’t agree with what it is you want to do, are you going to simply change my mind for me?  I suppose if you did, I’d be none the wiser, but I’d like to hope that you wouldn’t stoop to that.  I love you because I want to, not because you make me.  Can you promise me that you won’t mess with my thinkpan?”  
  
    Mindfang sighed.  “The only reason I say I can’t promise that, dear heart, is because somenight a situation may arise  where your lack of experience in a certain field, say for instance naval combat, may become an issue and your very life may rely on whether or not I can take control and get you to make a decision necessary for your survival.  But when it comes to night-to-night activities, I swear to you that you will have full autonomy.  I may have a peek at how you’re feeling about something, but sometimes I just do that out of habit, or your emotions are strong enough that you’re broadcasting them at me and I can’t help but know how you feel about it.  You said that you trust me.  Trust me on this then:  I will do everything I can to let you be you.  Just note that if we work at it, we might be able to communicate effectively without speaking; it may come in awfully handy.  Will that do for you, Porrim?”  
  
    Maryam nodded slowly.  “Okay.  I can handle that.  I just thought that we should get that cleared up sooner than later.  I want to be your matesprit, not your thrall.”  
  
    Aranea smiled kindly.  “That I can assure you will never be the case.”  
  
    “Does that apply to everyone else, too?”  
  
    This time Mindfang took a few moments before she answered.  “There are times, love, when I need my crew to act faster than words can convey the information necessary.  Please don’t begrudge me that.  Know that my actions are generally benevolent.”  
  
    “And what about in the respiteblock?”  
  
    “Well, frankly, I don’t think I will need to worry about that anymore with you around.  With my kismesis now playing the role of high cuisine on a nutrition plateau…”   She waited for Porrim to snicker, and she did.  “…I guess that eliminates any other need for buckets.  However, to get back to the story of my moirail, there’s something you might want to know about she and I.”  
  
    Porrim’s eyebrows were now raised.  “Do tell…”  
  
    “About twenty sweeps ago, I stumbled across a ship being run by another Gamblignant.  I pulled up alongside to offer my… er… assistance.  Mostly I just wanted to finally get my hands on that backwater scumbag who called himself a Gamblignant, but once that was taken care of, I was most curious about the captured vessel and its cargo.  It turned out to be a number of captured prisoners bound for a slave market.”  
  
    “I see.”  Maryam shuddered at the thought. She remembered a similar voyage far too well for her liking.   Even though she kept her head down and her mouth shut, she still tasted the back of someone’s hand for no particular reason now and then.    
  
    “I figured I could use a few more hands; I’d just recently taken over a small abandoned naval base in the south islands and it would need some work to get it up and running again.  Many of the prisoners were too weak to even stand; I gave them mercy.”  Aranea saw Porrim wince again; she didn’t need to read her lover’s mind to know that she’d seen that mercy handed out firsthand not terribly long ago.  “But there were a couple that had stronger constitutions that were still fit for use.   The interesting part was that not only were both in chains but also leg restraints and isolated from the others in metal cages.  One was sitting serenely with a gag in her mouth; the other looked like she’d kill the next person to open the cage she was in.  One of my crew suggested that we throw her cage over the side and do everyone a favour.  You probably won’t like this much, but I threw her over the side instead.”  
  
    “Oh.”    
  
   “Yeah.  Anyway, we brought both cages aboard and set fire to the slaver’s ship.  We released the calmer one, an oliveblood, and undid her gag.  Turned out to be a good move as she was able to tell us that the turquoiseblood in the cage beside her was damn near feral and would require some form of tranquilization before we opened the door.  What this little oliveblood didn’t know was that I was in possession of a means to do that without using any drugs at all.  
  
    “Now, as challenging as it is to do my mental manipulations on you, Porrim, when I’m dealing with someone even closer to me on the hemospectrum, all I can usually do is emotional contact.  In this case, it proved to be enough:  I was able to calm the wild troll down enough so that I could open her cage and unshackle her bonds.  It took some time, but I was able to do it without being attacked, which is lucky as I suspected her strength would nearly be a match for my own.  I had a feeling it would take a long time to get her acclimatized to her new surroundings, but I set her up with quarters and made sure she was fed and watered.    
  
    “The oliveblood was completely surprised not only at how I was able to do this, but also that I would even have bothered.  She told me her name was Felida Oceleo and the savage woman beside her was called Aurana Zashyl.  Felida told me that she was a geologist  who had run afoul of the Imperial regime for digging a little too deep, if you’ll pardon the pun, into trying to find out about where the Empire’s stores of a very valuable mineral were kept.  That mineral, as it turned out, was one that I was rather familiar with: fluorite.   I told her that if she wanted to work for me, I would be more than willing to help her out.  She was most grateful; compared to the fate that awaited her in port, it was likely a significant improvement.    
  
    “Felida also said that what she knew of the other woman from their conversations was that she was raised away from civilization by her lusus and while she had learned to make good use of technology thanks to a moirail, she had been on the run from Imperial forces for so long that she’d lost any ability to function in society.  It took a number of trained highbloods to capture her, but they finally did.  This she was able to glean from one of Aurana’s few calm moments; the rest she spent snarling and growling until the crewmen finally gagged them both.”  
  
    “All of this talk of slave ships is making my stomach that much more upset,” Porrim said, putting her hands on it to emphasize this.  “So what became of these two?”  
  
    “Aurana was a most difficult case,” Mindfang continued, “It took about a week of occasional mentally induced relaxation before she was able to leave her quarters, and then it took a few perigees to get her focused enough to be an active part of the crew.  I started her with physical labour, but in time, I discovered she had skills she’d learned from her time in the wild that could be honed and she served me as a bodyguard of sorts when I made excursions into port.  She could move so silently that anyone sneaking up behind me never stood a chance.”  
  
    “I’m hearing a lot of this being told in past tense.”  
  
    Aranea nodded.  “Aurana served with me for the better part of ten sweeps.  One night we stopped into the trader’s port a few kilometers from Capitol and I let the crew take a couple of nights worth of leave.  When Aurana came back, she had a purpleblood in tow.  My pusher skipped a beat; I don’t exactly trust a lot of highbloods, but I did trust her so I asked who her new friend was.  Her friend, as it turned out, was not only a Capitol city administrator, but also now her matesprit!”  
  
    At first Porrim raised her eyebrows but then lowered them quickly as she thought about the circumstances that brought her to this very place.  “I would say something about the swiftness of that, but that would be grubsauce pan calling the water boiling device black, wouldn’t it?”  
  
    “Indeeeeeeeed,” grinned Mindfang.  “I had no choice but to let her go, but she swore she could serve me in other ways by keeping me abreast on what was taking place in the seat of power.  Ironic in that I once had all but free reign in those halls, but since I no longer did, I was more than happy to accept that.  It’s come in rather useful on a couple of occasions.  
  
    “As for Felida, she found life at sea was most definitely for her.  With me, she discovered what true freedom was.  She was so sick of the rules and regulations that bounded her research; once she found out what it was like to work without restrictions, save those of available resources, she embraced it fully.   Like Aurana, I had her conduct menial tasks at first, but I discovered she had a knack for many of the tasks needed aboard a ship: tying knots, for instance.  The things that girl can do with a rope are without peer.”  
  
    Maryam watched the fangs-bared smile that unfurled across Aranea’s face and started to wonder about a few things.  “I don’t suppose she was one of your bedmates?”  
  
    _Time for honesty, I guess…_ “You suppose correctly.  It took a little while for that to happen, though.  Originally I had her bunking with Aurana when she arrived, but she said that Zashyl was mostly indifferent to her and somewhat reluctant to share, in her words, ‘her territory’.  I honestly thought they would have gotten along famously; Felida is one of those olivebloods who really loves to do the whole ‘cat’ thing.  Her horns even have that wildcat kind of look to them; you’ll see what I mean.  Anyhow, since the other ships of the fleet, which was considerably smaller at the time, weren’t around and the quarters on Fool’s Gam8it were already pretty much full, I offered to let her stay with me.  I knew from my scans of her that she was entirely safe; the degree of awe and gratitude that radiated off of her made that quite obvious.    
  
    “I let her sleep in my bed if I was in the recupracoon and vice versa.  We would spend the mornings chatting about this and that.  Felida struck me as quite intelligent and capable; once she’d learned a task on the ship, she would execute it with confidence.  Each night I taught her something new; by daytime she had it down cold.  Within a perigee, she could do pretty much anything on the ship, even steer it.  Like I said before, it’s important to have an eye for talent in this business, so I decided then and there I’d keep her on _Fool’s Gam8it_.”  
  
    Porrim sighed.  “Something tells me I may not be as adept as she was…”  
  
    Aranea reached over and took her hand to offer reassurance.  “Porrim, my love, you don’t need to compare yourself to anyone.  The only person you need to impress is me and let me tell you, you’ve done just that!  I’m not telling you about Felida to make you feel inadequate; you have abilities that are different than hers.  We’ll find a way to play to your strengths.”  
  
    “If you say so.  Is ‘trying not to freak out on a boat’ a useful skill?”  
  
    “The most useful one of all, trust me.”  Mindfang gave Porrim’s hand another gentle squeeze and continued.  “As for Felida, once we made our destination, I made a decision to promote my current first officer to command one of our newest ships, the _Aces High_ ,  and then took Felida to be my protégé.  It wasn’t long before we made sail again, and even though she moved into the quarters vacated by her predecessor, she was often in my respiteblock during the daylight hours, listening to my stories about my life at sea and off of it.  She’d tell me of her relationships and interests; I gathered she had a kismesis once but something went awry; she killed him after he became dangerously abusive.”  Aranea snorted.  “What the blue hells is she gonna say when she finds out about Cronus…”    
  
    “Better dead than red?”  
  
    Mindfang almost choked on her laughter.  “YOU… have got to be the snarkiest thing I’ve ever seen!   Nicely donnnnnnnne!”  She leaned over and gave Porrim a quick kiss without letting go of the controls.  “Anyhow, due to the rather savage nature of what had taken place, she was found not guilty of kismesicide and she took up with a friend who helped her find a job doing applied geology.  As I mentioned, they ran afoul of the regime when they started to research locations of greatest concentrations of fluorite.  Her partner didn’t survive, but they chained her up and were going to sell her off when I arrived on the scene.  I can understand why she was so appreciative, but the funny thing was we actually started to bond beyond that.  Felida would do anything I would tell her, but she did it in such a way that I could tell that she enjoyed being told what to do and how to do it.  She thrived on that direction and frankly, I rather liked giving it to her.  I’d been used to command for ages by that point; I was groomed in that direction by my former matesprit after all, but this was something different.    
  
    “She grew more confident by the night; the crew liked her and had no problems taking orders from her as she’d more than proved her ability and like many of them, she was a rescue from a grimmer fate.  She knew when to lead, but more importantly, when to follow.  I really didn’t understand just how important that was to her until one particular morning when I had stayed above deck to chart our course while she had retired a bit earlier for some reason.  I meant to pester her about it when I got back to the respiteblock but that plan died on my tongue when I went inside…”  
  
    Porrim smirked.  “I think I can guess what happened next.”  
  
    “Can you?” Mindfang asked.  “Don’t be so sure, love!  I entered the block and she was sitting on the edge of the bed.  There were tears in her eyes and I could sense she was obviously wrestling with something.  When I passed my mind over hers, I was both surprised and not surprised by what I discovered.  I didn’t want to let on to her the extent of my abilities yet, so I let her say what she needed to.  She asked me if she could ask me something and I said…”  
  
    “’You just did’?”    
  
    Aranea shook her head.  “I thought I fucked the snark out of you.  Apparently I just dislodged it somewhat.”  
  
    “That IS something you’d say, though,” Porrim retorted, a playful smile on her face.  
  
    “Do you hear me disagreeing with you?  Not a chance.  What I said, though, if you’d like to know, was ‘of course’.  She said it would be the last time she would ever ask anything of me and that I could kick her out if I was offended, but she asked me if I could tell her to take her clothes off.”  
  
    Maryam was somewhat confused.  “Why would she ask you that?”  
  
    Mindfang thought about how best to explain.  “Are you familiar with Domme/sub relationships at all?”  
  
    Porrim rolled that question around in her thinkpan a bit before answering.  “I’ve only heard a bit about it.  I kind of thought some of what we did in my… respiteblock was kind of like what I’ve read about.”  
  
    “You’d be right, my sweet.  The use of restraint as a means to both build and display trust is a philosophy often encountered in D/s relations.  I thought it would be an effective way of doing just that with you and I daresay it worked wonderfully?”  
  
    “It took a lot of trust on my part to do it, you know.  But yes, I’d say that looking back, it worked rather well!”  
  
    “You have no idea how much it pleases me to hear that!  A lot of what I learned from my time with Felida became the basis of how I wanted to start with you.  The difference, and it’s a significant one, is that Felida wanted to be told what to do.  Needed to be, actually.  I don’t know if it’s because of the relationship she was in that went bad or whether it was just something inside of her that came to the surface as she became more and more confident in her new environment, but she needed me to take control and lead the way, which I was more than happy to do.  
  
    “I had her undress completely; she was certainly beautiful to look at.  I told her to turn around and lay forward on the bed.  A few minutes after that, I had my fingers inside of her, my lips on her sponge clots and my other hand on her horn.  She got so into it, Porrim… the sounds that came out of her made me feel like an empress.  When she finally came for me, she was sobbing with joy.  The only thing that would have made her happier is what I did next:  told her to pleasure me, which she did with utter abandon.”  
  
    “Are you trying to make me jealous right before I meet this girl?” Porrim asked.  
  
    Aranea made a dismissive wave.  “Far from it!  You did want to know, howeverrrrrrrr…”  
  
    “I suppose…”  
  
    “Anyway, after that, our relationship became something very special.  We decided that we were more moirail material than matesprits  and that buckets weren’t a good idea for us.  We exchanged unusual tokens as well.  I gave her two tokens, actually:  the olive sash she wears around her waist is her token above deck, but below, she wears the gold-studded leather collar I gave her with pride.  She got me this lovely leather jacket; my first one was lost in a strange skirmish with another Gamblignant tipped off to my position by Admiral Fishfood himself.”  Mindfang waited for Porrim to stop tittering before continuing her exposition.  “It didn’t take long for the crew to figure out what was going on, but most of them didn’t mind at all and the ones that did suddenly decided not to mind, either.”  
  
    Porrim put a hand to her chin in thought.  “What on Alternia would you two use for a pile, if you don’t mind my asking?”  
  
    “I don’t mind at all!  You can ask me anything you like, dear heart.  Always.  Our pile?  Usually each other… or the other people on board she would bring into the block for us to share.”  
  
    This time Porrim’s eyebrows went up.  “The what now?”  
  
    “Felida is fond of something she calls ‘Rainbow Games’, where she’ll pick a crew member or two… or three… and she’ll point them out.  I’ll work my magic and next thing we know, we’re all having a good time!”  
  
    “Tell me how that’s okay?”    
  
    Aranea could hear the indignation in Porrim’s voice.  “Let’s just say that almost all of the time, anyone involved was a willing participant.  The vast majority of my crew is not involved in any particular quadrants; many left their worlds behind for one reason or another, and frankly, they welcome the attention.  I leave it up to them if they want to remember it or not.  It also helps to relieve tension among crew members as well.  It’s certainly an effective morale builder!”  
  
    Maryam backed down a bit.  “Oh… Well, when you put it that way…”  
  
    “There’s no need for jealousy, Porrim!  None at all!  Sex is just that!  The only person I ever want to share a pail with from here on in is you, my love!”  
  
    “I just want to make sure my matesprit isn’t mindraping people, that’s all…” Porrim muttered.  
  
    Mindfang exhaled sharply.  “Darling Porrim, I will knock that sort of thing off for good if it makes you feel better.  How you feel is very important to me; more important than anything at all.  All I ask is that you understand that the relationship Felida and I have does include sexual relations.  Believe me that there’s no pale pailing happening.  At all.  When it comes to that, you’re allllllll mine.”  
  
    “All yours…” Porrim agreed happily.  She took Aranea’s hand into both of her own and smiled contentedly.   _At least in one way, anyway.  But then, I suppose that is the nature of things.  Maybe I’m just not thrilled about the idea of having to spend time in an empty bed or ‘coon again after all I’ve been through…_

 

 

Considering some of the things she’d seen in her travels, there wasn’t a lot that Porrim thought could leave her gawking open-mouthed anymore, but the sight of a tall cliff face of jagged grey-blue rock splitting down the middle and pulling smoothly apart most certainly qualified.  “How…”  
  
    “Let’s just say I have some very talented friends who happen to be most capable engineers,” Mindfang replied, basking in the awe in open display on her matesprit’s face.  “I had this built about a hundred sweeps ago in anticipation of having a fleet to put in it.  At long last, I can finally say that I do.”  
  
    As the small boat they were in crossed through the open stone gate, Porrim could see the shadows fall away to reveal the shapes of numerous ships.  The Fool’s Gam8it was the only one she recognized, but many of the others were similar in that they appeared made of wood; she suspected they were as technologically advanced as the one she was on not terribly long ago.  There were smaller boats not much larger than the one they currently rode in, but these ones were decidedly stouter and some carried visible armament.  The ship that commanded the eye, however, was a massive metallic hulk, bristling with guns and crawling with troops.  For the second time in minutes, Maryam found herself staring.  “Where on Alternia did you get that?”  
  
    Aranea’s fangy smile was on full display.  “That, my love, is our most recent addition.  We’re calling it the Head8reaker II; the first ship to bear that moniker was sacrificed in order to obtain this one, much to the chagrin of a certain someone who is now nourishing the aquatic faunaaaaaaaa…”  
  
    Porrim giggled in spite of herself.  “How many different ways do you have available to say that?”  
  
    “As many as it takes to keep that sound coming from you, dear heart.”  She kissed Porrim’s cheek and gestured to the enormous ship as they rode past it.  “This is a fully armed and operational battleship, complete with cerulean-class missiles still intact.”  
  
    “Er… I must admit I don’t quite understand what that means.”  
  
    Mindfang just kept smiling and squeezed Porrim’s shoulder.  “At least you’re still innocent of some things, love.”  She waited for Porrim to stop chuckling and continued, “All you need to know is that is if they decide to send a few more of these after us, we’ll be able to make a big bada-boom of our own in response.”    
  
    Porrim’s throat tightened at the thought of something like that aiming those guns in her direction.  “So why don’t you make this your flagship?”  
  
    “Because it’s an obvious target.  It may have armour above and beyond anything the Fool’s Gam8it has but it will take the brunt of any assault, which will permit me to either calculate an effective response or make a hasty escape.”   The look of surprise on Porrim’s face gave her cause to explain.  “Please understand, love, I’m not so mindless that I wouldn’t retreat under certain circumstances, but eight times out of nine, I’ll stand and fight if I think the odds are good that I’ll win.  But I certainly wouldn’t risk you to a certain failure, have no fear.”    
  
    Maryam was placated by this to some degree.  “It’s nice to hear that.  I’ve already dodged death twice.  I’m not sure I’d get away with a third!”  
  
    Mindfang chuckled.  “My sweet, I’ve dodged death more times than I can count, and I can count awfully high.  You get used to it in time.  Once you understand that most of the time your own fear is a weapon to be used against you, you disarm your foe by abandoning your fear.  You strike me as someone with more courage than most; this should be an easy lesson for you.”  
  
    “I’m glad you think so.”  Porrim squeezed Aranea’s hand once more before letting go and allowing her matesprit to bring the craft in up alongside _Fool’s Gam8it_ and steer it into a docking platform that was being lowered.    
  
  
  
  
    “Just how big IS this place?”  Porrim marveled at how high the ceilings were as they traveled down the corridors towards Mindfang’s quarters.    
  
    “Big enough to hide a battleship.  That’s what matters most.  It has the facility to house pretty much anyone in my employ, which numbers in the hundreds now.  Despite being called Base Two, since the first base is my hive, this is the primary operational center for what I do.  It’s well hidden and I store not only a good number of my ships here, but also a fair amount of my loot!”  
  
    “Loot?”  
  
    Aranea laughed.  “Of course!  I’m a bloody Gamblignant!  I hoard loot, woman!  Wanna see?”  
  
    Before Porrim could give a nod in reply, she was quickly following Mindfang, who had taken her hand and started to hurriedly pull her down the gangway further into the complex.  They arrived in front of a steel plated wall.  “Um, there’s nowhere to go from here…” Porrim observed as she looked around.  
  
    “Says someone who doesn’t have my special type of eyesight!  Watch thissssssss…”    
  
    The jadeblood observed as Aranea’s long fingers rapidly tapped away at the featureless metal.  She then heard a clunk, but again, nothing seemed to move.  “What just happened?”  
  
    “Come on… I’ll show you!”  Mindfang stepped towards the wall… and vanished through it.  
  
    Porrim almost shook from watching it happen.  “How did you…”  
  
    “I said ‘come on’, love!  Just walk straight ahead!”  
  
    She swallowed and reached a tentative hand towards the steel plate that Mindfang just seemingly stepped through.  As it passed through the wall, Porrim could feel it being tugged at and a moment later, she was standing in a room lit with yellow glowglobes… the light of which reflected a tenfold off of massive piles of gold and jewels.    
  
    Porrim was utterly gobsmacked.  “What?  How is this…?”  
  
    “I know, right?”  Mindfang chortled softly at Porrim’s expression.  “It took me a long time to amass this, but amass it I did.  And completely without the help of any silly fortune tellers.”  
  
    “What do you mean?”  Porrim asked once she found her voice again.  
  
    “Long story.  Anyway, this is what funds my adventures.  When I need caegars, I sell a few things.  Sometimes I even sell ‘em back to their original owners… at a premium, of course.  And for the most part, it’s not like they missed them anyway.  You’re only seeing a tiny fraction of the wealth the violet aristocracy is sitting on.”  Aranea ventured further into the chamber and encouraged Porrim to follow.  “Some items, of course, I simply couldn’t part with.  Those are usually works of art, not unlike some of which you saw in my sittingblock.  You can tell a lot about someone by the art and music they favour you know.”  
  
    Porrim’s eyes were drawn to the paintings and sculptures that decorated the walls.  Many were rather sexually provocative in nature, but some were beautiful nightscapes as well.   “What must you think of me, then?”  
  
    “I think you’re smart and beautiful and more than a little bit sassy,” Aranea replied, putting her arms around Porrim’s hips and stealing a kiss.  “That’s what I think.  But I’m curious as to the reason behind your question?”  
  
    “Well,” she began as she tried to choose her words carefully, “where I’m from, we study art and music and can appreciate both, even though we don’t usually share it with the rest of the world, but we don’t really… have all that much in the way of treasures.”  She looked out to the vast piles of gold bars, coins, rings and other valuables.  “What caegars we had were earned by Sisters out on their sojourn to find a mate and a rival; she would send any excess back to the Mother Grub caves so that the next Sister who left would have something to start with.  I never did make an ‘official’ departure so, to be honest, I have absolutely nothing of worth… other than this ring on my finger.”  She stared at the gold-covered sapphire, her eye observing the shape the spider made around it.  “It’s so… large and deeply coloured.  Absolutely flawless.  It would probably be worth every single caegar we had.”  Porrim sighed.  “I really don’t have any business wearing anything li-”  
  
    She was interrupted by one of those long fingers on her lips.  “Shhhhhhhh… Not another word out of you about that.  Not one.  This ring belongs to you.  I chose it specifically for you.  It’s your matespritship token, end of story.  And more importantly, my love, I couldn’t care less that you don’t have two caegars to rub together.”  
  
    Porrim gave her a strange look.  “Even if I did, I don’t see what rubbing them together would accomplish…”  
  
    Mindfang snorted with laughter.  “Your wit alone would be reason enough to make you my matesprit, you know.”  Once she contained herself, Aranea returned her hands to Porrim’s waist and continued.  “Anyway, what I meant was that I’ve come to discover just how little this pile of metal and rocks really means.  It’s a means to an end, and that end is maybe starting to be rewritten.  Perhaps I should be shifting my focus somewhat.”  
  
    For a moment, Porrim’s pushed skipped a beat.  Would she actually be willing to give up the seafaring life?  I can’t see it, but…  “How so?” she asked tentatively.  
  
    “Well, it’s kind of funny… The more I get thinking about Felida and Aurana and how I came across them, part of me wonders if I shouldn’t start making more of an effort to rescue people instead of just rescuing money and baubles from grubby mitts?  I’ve got more than enough valuables here, and a whole lot of room for new crew members.  That does include you, by the way, my dear…”  
  
    Porrim offered up her best smile.  Better find some sea legs, Maryam.  But then, I’d sail to the ends of Alternia for her if she asked me to.  And she’s pretty much asking me to.  “I’m pleased to hear it!”  
  
    “Soooooooo… how about we start finding a way to see that people like you don’t end up in the hands or tentacles or whatever else have you of people like The Condesce or Admiral Fishfood or other oppressive highbloods, hm?  Would that sit a little better with you?  I can sense your discomfort with this degree of opulence, dear heart, and frankly, I was getting rather bored with it anyway.  How about we put it to good use?  Would that set your conscience at ease?”  
  
    Is it my conscience or yours that needs soothing, Aranea? Porrim thought, but no sooner than the thought was formed, Mindfang answered, “Maybe it’s a little bit of both, okay?  Just being around you makes me… I dunno… want to be a better person somehow.  That’s why you’re more valuable to me than every trinket in this room put together.  You take others and make them better.”  
  
    Maryam couldn’t look her in the eyes, even though she wanted to get lost in that exotic seven-pupiled one.  “I… don’t see how…”  
  
    “You don’t need to.  You just keep being you.  Let me take care of the rest.”  Aranea tipped Porrim’s chin up and kissed her softly, letting her tongue slip between Porrim’s lips and beyond.  The jadeblood returned this by putting her arms around Aranea’s back and closing her eyes as she closed what little distance was left between the two of them.  I won’t claim to understand it, Aranea, she thought, this time hoping her matesprit’s talents would pick up on it, but if that’s what you want of me, then I will.  Anything for you…  
  
  
  
  
    As Porrim stepped through the threshold of the door, she turned around to see what she could :  the metallic wall was still completely intact with no sign of the opening that she stepped through.  A moment later, she almost jumped as Aranea followed; she knew that Mindfang should and would appear there, but to observe it as it happened was still difficult for her to get her pan around.  “How does that work?” she asked.  
  
    “Another one of my friends is developing holo-projector technology,” Mindfang replied.  “There is a series of projectors around the door frame that make it look as though this is a simple wall.  It’s a fairly recent installation.  All of my crew knew the door was there, but I’ve since been able to assist them in forgetting it existed in the first place.  Besides, it’s more for keeping any invaders from finding my stash than anything.  My eye gives me the advantage of being able to see the control panel where no one else can.”  She entered a sequence on the keypad and the door closed with a click.  “And we’re good.  Let’s go.”  
  
    All Porrim could do was take her word for it, but she fell in beside Aranea and walked with her, listening to the brisk rhythm her lover’s bootheels made as they clicked along the metal platform.  “So, where to now?”  
  
    “I was thinking the respiteblock for a spell.  A bit of a nap before we meet with the crew to discuss our new plans might be beneficial.  And yes, Porrim, it might actually involve sleeping.  All that fresh air, not to mention the wonderful, wonderful time we’ve spent together, has left me a bit sleepy.  Maybe we need a vacation after our vacation?”    
  
    They turned down another corridor and walked past various rooms.  Some crew members walked past them and nodded on their way by, which Aranea returned.  “Just a gentle reminder, love:  here, I’m Spinneret.  You can call me Aranea when we’re all alone together, though.  It’ll be our secret.”  
  
    Porrim smiled at the sound of that, but a moment later thought of something.  “Doesn’t your moirail know your name?”  
  
    “I’ve told her a couple of times before, but I ensure she forgets it in short order.”  
  
    “Why would you do that?”  
  
    Aranea smiled sadly.  “For her own good.  If something ever happened to her, I don’t want them to torture her for information she doesn’t have.   If she uses a name for me, it’s Spinneret, but for the most part, she calls me Captain.”  
  
    This struck Porrim as odd.  “Even in the respiteblock?”  
  
    “Noooooooo…” Mindfang said as they arrived in front of the door of that very room and began entering her access code.  As it slid aside to allow them in, she continued, “There she calls me…”  
  
    “Welcome home, Mistress!”  
  
    Porrim actually did jump this time at the sound of the voice, while Mindfang calmly called out “Computer, lights to thirty percent.”  
  
    As the lighting responded, Porrim scanned the respiteblock and discovered a small woman lying on a large blue-covered bed, completely nude but for a studded collar around her neck and a hemp rope completely wound around her body and limbs in an elaborate design.  By some technique she couldn’t even begin to fathom, the woman had managed to wrap it under her thighs and around the back of her neck, which held her legs open so to allow someone unfettered access to her olive seedflap, save for the piece of the rope which wended its way through her lower lips.  Porrim was also surprised to see that this woman’s left arm and part of her left leg were made of metal and her left eye was so badly scarred that she was certain it couldn’t possibly be functional.  Could this be…?  
  
    “Helloooooooo, Felida!  I must admit I’m a little surprised to see you in here,” Mindfang purred.  
  
    “I just wanted to give you a 'Welcome Back' present, Mistress!  Guess what it is?”  The oliveblood was grinning with anticipation; other parts of her anatomy reflected that eagerness as well.  She turned her attention to Porrim, who was blushing a very deep green shade.  “And did you bring me a gift, too, Mistress?  I’ve never played with a jadeblood before!”  
  
    Mindfang sighed quietly and wandered over to the food preparation block adjacent to the respiteblock.  “I assume the escape knife is in its usual place?”  
  
    Felida was slightly bewildered by Spinneret’s response.  “Well, yes, Mistress… the ice block is melting on the floor just in case you didn’t arrive when I thought you would, but…”  
  
    “Trust me, my dear, under any other circumstances, I’d be thrilled beyond belief, but there’s a great deal we need to discuss.  Let me run some hot water on this and I’ll release you.  In the meantime, why don’t you and my matesprit get to know each other?  Her name is Porrim; she’s very sweeeeeeeet…”  
  
    Felida’s eyes flashed wide open.  “MATESPRIT?????”  

 


	5. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim meets Felida, Aranea's moirail and First Mate, for the first time with decidedly awkward results. Mindfang makes suggestions concerning changes to her mission which are warmly embraced by Felida, but the person responsible for them may not be...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From the time I started this story, I was thinking about what kind of interactions Porrim and Felida would have had if Porrim had actually lived. I finally got to explore that here in this chapter and I'm curious to see what you reader types think of it. This is only the beginning, be assured; much more to come with these two!
> 
> Soundtrack songs: Just #8 and you can start that at the beginning of the chapter.
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**4.**  
  
    _You didn’t tell her?_  
  
    _Relax, love.  I did indeed tell her,_  Mindfang grumbled mentally as she wiped the water up from the kitchen floor.   _I just didn’t tell her that we were… official yet.  I hadn’t had the chance, but we did discuss that there would be a possibility that she and I wouldn’t get to enjoy each other’s company anywhere near as often as she’d like to.   Just a moment…_  Spinneret closed her eyes and extended her abilities into Felida’s thinkpan for a few moments.   _She’s a bit jealous, yes, but you’re in no danger of being physically attacked.  Especially not when she’s in that position.  She’s more disappointed that I’m not going down on her right now after she went through all this trouble and that she considers you the reason she’s not getting her flap licked.  
   
    Well, that’s reassuring,_ Porrim huffed.  She stood beside Aranea in the kitchen and tried her best not to stare too long at the oliveblood patiently waiting on the bed to be freed from her bondage.  
  
    _Relaaaaaaaax,_ Mindfang admonished, _Believe it or not, she’s happy for us.  Really.  The ice block is almost melted; why don’t you go talk to her?  She doesn’t bite.  At least, no harder than you do…_  
  
    Porrim couldn’t recall I time where she’d felt so awkward, save for once stumbling in on her Kankri enjoying a particularly red session with Meulin or Mindfang catching her taking a taste of her blueness for the first time.   _I suppose I could try…_  
  
    _That’s the spirit!  I’ll be along in a minute or two.  She loves compliments; why not try that?_  
  
    _Okay,_ Maryam replied and stepped back into the respiteblock section of the large, open room.  She could feel Felida’s eyes all over her, appraising.  Porrim studied her in return.   _She’s still smiling; that’s a good sign, right?_  Despite having spent the last five nights in the company of someone who was naked for the entire duration of them, save the very beginning, she felt very odd about conversing with someone who was devoid of clothing.  “That’s… really lovely ropework!”  
  
    Oceleo’s eyes lit up.  “You think so?  Thanks!  I’ve never been able to pull this one off by myself before, but this new arm of mine can bend in directions my original one couldn’t.”  She looked at the jadeblood expectantly.  “Do you tie up, too?”  
  
    Porrim recalled the last time she had been bound with ropes, which was onboard the ship that carried her to the slave market where Mindfang had found her.  Those ropes chafed her wrists and ankles with each wave that rocked the ship and she thought about how stained they were with her dark green blood when they were finally removed.  Her next thought, though, which came unbidden to her, was how much she actually enjoyed being held by the metal clasps on the bed Mindfang provided for her, which were much smoother and cooler than the biting fibers of the rope.  What she enjoyed even more was what Aranea did to her next.  “Er… not exactly, no.”  She could see the crestfallen look on Felida’s face but she added, “But thanks to… Spinneret, I must admit I don’t mind a bit of restraint from time to time.”  
  
    This seemed to perk Felida up a bit.  “Nothing wrong with that!”    
  
    Maryam’s eyes flicked down to the space between Felida’s legs, particularly where the snug rope was rubbing up beside her nub and against various other tender places.   _How can that possibly be pleasurable?_  “If you don’t mind my asking, doesn’t that hurt?”  
  
    “Doesn’t what hurt?”  
  
    “The… well, you know… the part between your legs there.”  
  
    Felida smiled cheerily.  “It only hurts in a good way.  It feels good, too.  The part that I enjoy most about it, though, is the feeling of letting someone else be in control.  There’s nothing I can do in this state, except for be enjoyed, of course!”  
  
    Porrim was about to ask Felida about how she got herself into the rigging she was wearing when Mindfang strode into the room holding a short knife, her leather jacket trailing out behind her.   _In a different time and place, my love, I would have had you be the one to enjoy her while I watched,_ she interjected.    
  
    _But I barely even know this woman!_  
  
    _It wouldn’t have mattered.  But, like I told you, I am a different person now.  Just know that the idea of seeing both of my loves love each other would be one of the most arousing things I can think of._  Spinneret gave Porrim a sly grin.   _And I can think of many, many arousing things._  “All right, Felida,” the blueblood captain began as she brandished the blade, “I appreciate all the work you put into this, believe me.  You can totally do it again in the future, but like I told you, we need to coordinate this a little better from now on, okay?”  
  
    “Yes, Mistress,” she replied sullenly.  “But you should know that Horuss’s arm let me reach way further behind myself than I ever could before!”  
  
    Spinneret bared her fangs in a smile as she cut the rope that bound Felida’s thigh to her neck.  “You know what?  I think we should tell him all about that next time we see him.  I’m sure the sweat at the thought would just _rein_ off of him!”  
  
    Oceleo giggled at the horse pun; Maryam wasn’t sure what to make of it and her feeling of awkwardness returned.   _These two have known each other for sweeps, while Aranea and I have had barely two perigees together.  And yet, somehow, I’m her matesprit.  I can only wonder why she chose me and not her…_    
  
    _Settle your thinkpan, Porrim, my love.  That’s a story for another day.  In the meantime, relax and make a new friend.  I really would love nothing more than to see you two get alonnnnnnnng…_  
  
    Before Porrim could either think or vocalize a reply, Mindfang cut the other side of the rope and then Felida’s left leg, the one metallic from the knee and below, was free as well.  Felida stretched her legs and stood up; Porrim was taken aback by something she wasn’t sure how to describe other than to blurt out, “Umm… there appears to be a giant hairy snake chewing on your backside!”  
  
    Spinneret realized immediately what it was Porrim meant and cackled loudly; Felida was initially baffled.  “Snake?  What snake?”  She twisted her head to look behind herself and then realized what it was the jadeblood meant.  “Oh.  Ha ha.  That’s my tail.  I was just laying on it before.”  
  
    “You have a tail?” Porrim asked, completely floored by the idea.  “How did you get that?”  
  
    Mindfang was hooting with laughter.    
  
    Felida gave her a resigned look.  “I got this when I got my arm and leg fixed, thanks to my loving Mistress.  It was a gift… one that I just adore!”  She wagged it back and forth for emphasis, and then gave Spinneret a tight hug.  
  
    “Oooooooof!  I see you’ve come a long way with these cybernetics, Felida, but you still need to make some strength adjustments!”  
  
    “But I haven’t had anyone around to practice my hugging on the last couple of weeks, Mistress,” she replied with more than a hint of pout in her voice.    
  
    “Maybe you could practice on Porrim here?” Mindfang offered.  “She does love to be held.”  
  
    “Is that so?”  Felida grinned and looked Maryam up and down.  “Maybe she’ll let me hold her sometime?”  
  
    Porrim opted for the diplomatic “Perhaps?” and folded her hands in front of her demurely.    
  
    “As much as I would love to see you two enjoy each other’s company in some fashion, there’s a lot I need to tell you about, Felida.”  She kissed the oliveblood on the top of her head between her tapered  horns and set her down on the edge of the bed before taking a seat in a large chair upholstered in blue leather.  “Grab a seat, dear heart.  You’re a big part of this conversation!”    
  
    She did so without further encouragement, taking a similar chair beside her matesprit.  Porrim couldn’t help but notice Felida’s eyes were glued to her as she did so; _it’s times like this I wish I had Aranea’s abilities to read people,_  she thought to herself, _but then again, maybe it’s better that I don’t!  What am I to make of her?  Is she jealous?  Angry?  Vengeful?  Something else?_  
  
    “Soooooooo… There’s been some… news concerning my relationship status with Dualscar,”  Spinneret began, using the name that Felida would know him best by.  “Let’s just say he’s had both a change in address and in occupation that’s made continuing our kismesissitude… impossible.”  
  
    Felida’s eyes grew wide.  “Really?”  
  
    “Yeah… He’s had a significant change in his breathing status.   It’s been downgraded in a big way.  As for his reassignment, however, I’m quite sure he’s doing extremely well in his new job.”  
  
    “What would that be?” Felida asked with curiosity.  
  
    “Feeding the fish.”  
  
    Mindfang smiled as Porrim tried and failed miserably to stifle a laugh.  
  
  
  
  
    Once Spinneret had finished her tale of the events that led to Ampora’s demise, Felida rose from the bed and gently hauled Mindfang to her feet to give her a hug and a proper shooshpapping.  “It’s okay, Mistress… I completely understand.  I’ve been there, too.  No one would blame you in the least.  You did what you had to do to protect your matesprit.”  
  
  Porrim caught a glimpse of Felida glancing at her with her good eye and smiled wanly.  She watched this display of moirallegiance with happiness  and wondered what it would be like.   _Mituna and I were about as close as we could be without declaration, I suppose.   Aranea and I have a different kind of relationship, that’s for sure, and while it’s as exciting as can be, there’s something to be said for pale love…_ She let her eyes run down Felida’s lithe bare form before her.   _Although this has to be the reddest pale I’ve ever seen._  
  
    “Tell me, Felida, has there been any suggestion that they’re looking for me?” Mindfang asked.   “I’m not so foolish as to believe that the Navy hasn’t noticed one of their highest ranking admirals has suddenly slipped beneath the waves for good.   He would have advised someone if he was planning a vacation.  I just have a feeling that they know, and while Dualscar didn’t have a whole lot of people that would count him as ‘friend’, he was still an important member of the fleet.   I suspect the first person they would want to speak to about it is his kismesis.”  
  
    Felida’s brow furrowed in thought.  “Well, you could just tell them?  I did.  Once they knew what Cirtap was doing to me went far past pitch, there wasn’t a Tyranny that would convict me.”  
  
    “The difference, dear, is that Cirtap was a blueblood who took his Dom role way too far,” Spinneret said, knowing full well how difficult it was for Felida to bring up her ex-kismesis in any circumstance.  “He deserved what you gave him.  But other than that, he wasn’t a society dandy, either.  Ampora was very well known and they’re going to want me to swing for his death, whether I was responsible for it or not.”   Mindfang took Felida’s organic hand and gave it a squeeze.  “And since I actually was, we need to prepare for the coming onslaught.  Say what we will about him, Dualscar gave us a fighting chance because of me… although by the end of it, he was getting rather aggressive, wasn’t he?”    
  
    Oceleo nodded her agreement.  
  
    “Now that he’s gone, though, I suspect we’ll be seeing the full force of the Imperial Navy come looking for us.”   Spinneret pondered this for a second or two.  “Then againnnnnnnn… maybe they wouldn’t bother using such resources hunting me and would opt for something else.   All I know is this:  Dualscar was predictable to me; whatever is coming next is likely not to be.  We will need to advise the crews to be extremely vigilant over the following weeks.  And there’s something else of importance we’ll need to inform them of as well.”  
  
    “Such as, Mistress?”  
  
    “Our new mission.   Porrim here has had a marvelous effect on me, haven’t you, my sweet?”  She gestured to Maryam, who was still sitting in her blue chair contentedly.  “And it’s a mission plan that I’m certain you of all people could get behind, Felida.”  
  
    The oliveblood raised an eyebrow.  “Ooh!  I’m most curious, Mistress!  Please tell me?”  
  
    _Is she always like this?_ Porrim thought to herself.   _That’s what I’m curious about…_  
  
    “You see,” Spinneret continued, “I think it’s time we focused our attention on something far more valuable than plundered riches.   Perhaps we’d best be served by focusing on freeing those bound for servitude and giving them a chance at a new life.  There is a precedent of doing such, after all.”  
  
    Felida smiled; her face shone with genuine adoration.  “I LOVE IT!  Yes, let’s!  We could certainly use more crew members!  But… how are we going to feed them all?”  
  
    “I suppose we could actually trade some of my loot for supplies…  Or we could just steal supplies, too?”    
  
    Porrim put her hand to her forehead and sighed loudly.   _Once a Gamblignant…_  
  
    Mindfang touched her shoulder.  “Relax, love.  It’s just the way we do things around here.  Wouldn’t it be more wasteful NOT to take them?  We are absorbing their crew into our own… along with their ship if it’s any good.”  
  
    “I suppose…” the jadeblood replied, still uncertain about this part of the plan.  “But let’s try and keep the killing to a minimum?”  
  
    “I swear that we shall  do our very best on that, Porrim.  Except perhaps for occasions where we need to deal with a highblood captain who wants no part in handing over what’s theirs.  Besides, I suspect the aquatic carnivores have developed a taste for violet as of late; who are we to deny them?”    
  
    Porrim didn’t even bother to hide her laughter this time.  
  
    Felida looked briefly to Porrim and then back to the Marquise.  “There may still be casualties, Mistress.”  
  
    “I know that, dear.  Thing is, Porrim here is very much a believer in the Signless’s message  of trying to build a world where blood colour doesn’t matter.  Admittedly, she may have picked up a bit of a bias due to the way she was treated at Dualscar’s hands, but who could blame her?   It’s more about changing the way things are done on this world that interests her.  I’m sure you can get behind that?”  Mindfang gently stroked Felida’s cheek; her fingers just brushing past the long olive scar that cut  vertically across her left eye.  “Porrim is well versed in the Signless’s gospels; she’s heard most of what he had to say from his own lips, you know.”  
  
    “You met the Signless?   That’s so cool!  What was he like?”  
  
    _I’m not sure I’m ready to tell her about all of that yet,_ Maryam thought at her matesprit.  
  
    _You don’t have to explain everything about your past as Dolorosa, love.  Just a little bit would go a long way towards cementing her acceptance of your idea, though.  Trust me._  
  
    Porrim smiled wistfully.  “He was kind and gentle when he was by himself…  Fiery and inspirational when people needed to hear his message.  I think we could all benefit by railing  against those who would seek to continue to oppress others simply because of what flows through their veins.”  She found herself staring at Felida’s exposed nipples and was reminded of the young woman who loved Kankri in a different way than she herself did.   _Meulin… I wonder where you are.  I hope there’s still some fight left in you._  
  
    Mentally hearing the name Meulin made Spinneret close her eyes and suddenly look away.   _I’m still sorry about that, dear heart.  Maybe somenight I can make it up to you._  
  
    “Wow!” Felida exclaimed.  “I never got to meet him, but after what I went through, the idea of equality sounded like a good one to me.  I’m game if you are, Mistress!”    
  
    “Gooooooood.  Now, the next order of business you might actually be able to help me with, as well.  Where did you put your clothes?”  
  
    “They’re in the gaper room, Mistress.  I was hoping we’d end up in the shower…”  The note of disappointment in her voice was unmistakable.  
  
    “Perhaps later, my dear.  The reason I ask is because Porrim here is going to need to start wearing something a lot more conducive to shipboard life and I want to see if your clothes happen to fit her.”  
  
    Porrim’s eyes went to Felida’s bare frame and then back to Spinneret.  “Um… Are you sure about this?”  
  
    “It’s worth a try, love.  Go check them out!  You don’t mind, do you, Felida?”  
  
    “I suppose not, Mistress…”  
  
    “Excellent!  Go see what she’s got, Porrim.  I think you might find it… interesting.  At least from a practical perspective if not a fashion one, but hopefully you come around on the latter as well.”  
  
    Porrim did as she was asked:  she rose from the blue seat and made her way past the two other women towards the gaper room.    
  
    Once the jadeblood had closed the door, Mindfang spoke internally to Felida.   _Soooooooo?  What do you think of her?  
  
    She seems nice enough… but I’m not sure, Mistress…  
  
    About what?  No need to be jealous, either, my sweet; we will have our time together still.  Just a bit less often.  I explained how our relationship works to her.  
  
    It’s just… well… I am a little jealous of my time with you, Mistress.   I suppose I… just never thought I’d see the day where I’d have to compete for your attention again. Dualscar was different because you rarely brought him around, and Aurana finally understood how things had to be, but she’s going to be with us pretty much all of the time, isn’t she?  
  
    Quite likely, Felida.  You need never doubt how much I care for you, my sweet, but know that I love her very, very much.  I don’t think she’s the competitive type, but there’s nothing saying you couldn’t have a friendly rivalry with her, is there?_  
  
    Oceleo was about to respond when Porrim came out of the gaper room, still dressed in her jade and black gown, holding Felida’s blouse and shorts in her hands.  “Um… I must say, these are rather interesting, especially the shirt… but I’m afraid there’s no way I can wear these.  I’m far curvier in the chest and hip than Felida is.”    
  
    Mindfang chuckled softly, but when Porrim looked to Felida, the expression on her face defied description:  her eyes, even the one that was clouded over, were wide open, but the tiny oliveblood was biting her lip in a manner that Maryam had never seen before in her life.   _Oh dear… what have I said?_  
  
    Spinneret opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a loud tone that echoed through the respiteblock, followed by a voice.  “Captain!  Urgent message for you on the _Fool’s Gam8it_!  Code Turquoise.”  
  
    “Reeeeeeeeally!  I will be right there, Ianrad.”  She looked to Porrim and then to Felida, who now wore an unimpressed sneer.  “Felida, seriously.  When was the last time we heard from Aurana?   You’re my moirail, not her; I swear all of this jealousy is unhealthy, even if your blood actually is green.  It was unfortunate you two could never get blacker than you did considering the canine-like traits she got from living out in the bush with her lusus.”  
  
    “You know full well why it didn't happen.  Besides, it was too soon after Cirtap… at least it was back then, Mistress.”  The sneer slowly evolved into a tight smile.  
  
    “I suppose you’re right.  Anyhow, I hope this won’t take long.  If she considers it urgent, I suspect it must be of significance.  No rest for the wicked, eh, love?” Mindfang said to Porrim.  She gave them each a quick kiss and then turned on her scarlet clad heel for the door.  “I trust you two can get along for awhile in my absence?  Get to know each other!   You’ll be spending a lot of time in close quarters, I suspect.  See you shortly!”    
  
    As Porrim watched the door slide shut behind Mindfang, she thought _Well, she makes a good point._   _If this is going to be one of my new homes, I best get used t-_  
  
    Her thoughts were violently derailed by a metallic arm being wrapped around her neck from behind; not tight enough to choke her at all, but solid enough to keep her pulled backwards off-balance and completely restrained.   As she dropped the clothes she was clutching to the floor in shock, a voice whispered in her sponge clot: “It’s gonna be like THAT, is it?  Just what I didn’t need: a hiss-poor attempt at competition for the Mistress’s favours.  And you had to make sure that she remembers you’re oh-so-much more luscious to look at than I am?   All those curves of yours are what keeps you from wearing my outfit, eh?  Well, if you think bigger tits are the only way to her pusher, think again, Sister.  I have plenty of wiles of my own; ones I’m sure they don’t teach down in those caves you crawled out of.”  Felida pulled back again, which made Porrim cry out and stagger to catch her footing.  “Mistress is right about something, though… it’s been FAR too long since I’ve had a proper pitch relationship.”  She licked Porrim’s ear and lightly bit down on it.  “No time like the present, right?  And just remember, when I’m sitting on top of you, that you chose to start it, you little blackflirt.  I honestly wonder if you have any idea what you’re getting into with me…”

 


	6. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaerah Krysli, the purpleblooded Overseer of the massive city of Capitol, finds herself given another project by her superior, the Grand Highblood himself. Luckily for her, she also learns about another project of his, one involving the capture of her matesprit's former employer, one Marquise Spinneret Mindfang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaerah, like the soon to be encountered Aurana Zashyl, are products of my friend "Vrisky8its". I've done my best to give them life. I really wanted to write a purpleblood that wasn't a Subjuggalator or all that interested in mirthful messiahs; Kaerah gave me a chance to do so. Hope you like her! You'll also recognize a very familiar face in this chapter as well. More on Felida and Porrim next chapter...
> 
> Soundtrack songs: #9, which belongs on any Makara soundtrack you may happen to be working on.
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

  
** 5. **

    Kaerah Krysli decided she’d had enough of this shit.  But whether she’d had enough or not wasn’t the Grand Highblood’s concern.

    “You mean to tell me that you want me to divert how many caegars to building a Faygo fountain in front of this building?”  she asked, incredulous that this was even being discussed.

    “As many as it takes to build it, my wicked sister.  If you don’t, I’ll find the right motherfucker who will.”  Kurloz Makara idly tossed a club in his left hand.  He was hoping against hope she would give him an opportunity to use it.

    Overseer Krysli was used to threats from him.  She wasn’t entirely certain why he hadn’t tried to cull her yet; despite being almost as purpleblooded as he was, she completely and utterly eschewed anything to do with mirthful messiahs, motherfucking miracles or anything whatsoever to do with the foul swill called Faygo that so many purplebloods ingested in order to see the purported visions that their order made use of.   “How many times have I asked you not to call me that?”

    His only reply was to chuckle, a low, gravelly sound that made her grit her sharp teeth unwittingly.  

    “And where, Your Highness, are we supposed to find land to build this… monstrosity?”  Kaerah asked.  

    “I thought you’d never ask.”  Makara touched a few buttons on the arm of his throne, which sat at the top of a set of stairs.  Standing grimly behind it was what he called his “Mirthful Mosaic”:  a masterpiece made of the smeared blood of many of his victims.  

    Krysli noticed that there were only three colours missing:  purple, violet and, of course, fuchsia.   _I hope my purple isn’t the first to find a home there after this conversation._

    She barely had time to finish that thought when the entire throneblock shook from the shockwave of an explosion.  Kaerah hit the floor and covered her head, wondering who would dare to strike the very heart of Capitol, but instead of rising to fight, the Grand Highblood simply continued to sit comfortably on his throne, laughing away.  
   
    “I hear there’s some space now in front of this High Courthive, Overseer.  How motherfucking fortunate.”

    “How motherfucking fortunate, indeed.” Kaerah muttered as she stood up and dusted the shoulders of her suit jacket off.  A quick look at the knees of her pants showed that they would need a serious cleaning as well.   _Assclown…  Say what I will about his shitty fashion sense, I suspect the pattern of circles on his pants would hide this sort of thing._  Krysli also made a point of avoiding the style of dress generally associated with the purpleblooded zealots as well.  She suspected this made her a target of his terrible jokes, but so far, he considered her blood too precious to spill.  

    “I love the way you say that, Krysli.  Say it again.”

    She dusted off her hair and horns, hoping there wasn’t too much dust from the vaulted ceiling above coating them.  “I don’t think so.  Sir.”  

    “That’s what I like most about you, Overseer,” the Grand Highblood said as he resumed absently tossing the huge white club, it twirled through the air and always landed perfectly in his palm again.  “You have the globes to tell me no.  Believe it or not, that’s why I let you keep this job.”

    Kaerah quietly seethed.  “First off, I don’t have globes.  I have a seedflap.”

    “Could’ve fooled me…”

    Her seething became a lot less quiet.  “SECONDLY, I DESERVE THIS JOB.  I have done nothing short of a juggling act, that would make you stand up and applaud, to try and keep this city running smoothly, ESPECIALLY despite circus shit like random explosions and fucking Faygo balloon launchers and…”

    “And I let you keep it because it makes me smile watching you all up and try your motherfucking best to stay ahead of it all.  You entertain the motherfucking shit out of me, Overseer.  Ideally, you should be able to hang onto this job for another three thousand sweeps or so, but somehow, I have this funny feeling I’m going to outlive you.  I just await the night you finally snap.”

    Kaerah was wondering if tonight would finally be that night, but she finally calmed herself; there was no way she was giving this clown the satisfaction.  “Dream on, sir.  Somehow, I will make it work, even if-”

    She was interrupted by a raspy clicking voice from behind her.  “Gr’and Highbl’ood.  The Neo’phyte Leg’is’lacera’tor you s’ent for h’as arri’ved.”

    “Excellent.  Send that mirthful bitch in,” Makara said to the drones that appeared behind the other purpleblood.

    Overseer Krysli was unimpressed.  “Charming.  Is that what you call me when I’m summoned in here?  Sir?”

    “No,” he growled.  “I call you something far less motherfucking pleasant.  Now, go stand over there.  We can finish discussing the motherfucking Faygo fountain when I’m done with her.”

    Kaerah was about to go off about how she had about six hundred and twelve things  to do that night but realized that complaint would accomplish precisely nothing.  “Fine…”  She walked smartly over to stand beside one of the jet black columns.  Every single one of them featured carvings of other Wicked Brothers and Sisters, Subjuggalators all.   _Yuck.  And to think I could have been one of those._  She barely suppressed a shiver and turned her attention to the young woman in a shiny new teal and red uniform that was being escorted to the center of the courtblock.  
   
    _What have we here?_ she thought to herself as the Neophyte approached the throne.   _For someone so young, she’s certainly confident.   Most would be quietly quaking in their boots in front of The Grand Highblood.  Maybe hiding her eyes behind those red glasses gives her some extra courage?   And what is that she’s carrying?_

    As the Neophyte reached the stairs in front of the throne, she made a smooth bow, but dropped the white cane that was in her hands.  It clattered to the floor noisily.  The Legislacerator scooped it back up as quickly and deftly as she could but the Grand Highblood was already chuckling.  There were no words of reassurance; only raspy laughter.  

    The Neophyte, to her credit, didn’t take long to compose herself once more.  She did not speak, but waited patiently to be spoken to.  Makara left her to squirm for a moment and when he found that she wasn’t squirming as he’d hoped, he began, “Latula Pyrope.”

    “That’s me, Your Highness,” she replied as smoothly as she could manage.

    “I know.  Your glasses give you away as Neophyte Redglare.  You survived the Academy.”  It was a statement, not a question; it bore little of a congratulatory tone despite the extreme difficulty in accomplishing that particular feat.  

    Kaerah could see the woman was growing less confident by the moment.  “Er… yes sir.  Yes I did, Your Highness.”  An uncomfortable pause occurred and Latula finally asked, “May I ask why you’ve summoned me, Your Highness?”

    “You may.  In fact, I’ll even tell you.  I’ve been told that you have shown great skill at infiltration and that you possess talents above and beyond what most Neophytes have.”

    This made Pyrope stand up just that much straighter; she put the white cane with it’s strangely shaped head behind her back, where she held it with both hands.  “I’m flattered, Your Highness.”

    “Don’t be,” Makara grumbled.  “You’re also expendable, which may explain why you’ve been all up and selected for this assignment.  Your first may well be your last.”  

    The Overseer detected the barest hint of a swallow at the Neophyte’s throat.   _I don’t blame you, grub.  He’s probably not even joking.  But why ARE you here, anyway?_  Krysli extracted her Honeycomb handpad  computer from her suit pocket and began to scan her messages; she figured she might as well get started on that pile of tasks while she waited.  

    “You see, Neophyte, this assignment comes directly from Her Imperious Condescence herself.”  He paused to let that sink in a bit; while the Grand Highblood couldn’t see her eyes behind those peculiar red shades, he suspected they were wide fucking open now.  “As of two nights ago, the Empress’s lusus detected the body of an Imperial Navy admiral on the ocean floor.  This Admiral Ampora was the head of the 2nd Fleet and one of the highest ranking on the motherfucking planet.  He did not die of old age, but he sure as fuck didn’t die by drowning, either.   He had no active quadrants at the time save for black:  his kismesis was a Gamblignant known as Marquise Spinneret Mindfang.”

    Krysli looked up and then made herself look down at the Honeycomb again as quickly as she could.   _I know that name!  That’s the woman that Aurana used to work for.  I knew she was a Gamblignant but what has she done that would warrant this kind of attention?_

    “Judging by the deep cuts on what was left of the body, her lusus determined that this was likely a kismesicide.  Now, while Ampora was an utterly mirthless motherfucker who couldn’t tell a joke to save his life,  he was still an Imperial Admiral, and despite whatever relationship she had with him, this Gamblignant bitch needs to be hunted down.  Here’s the hard part: the Condesce wants her brought back alive for some reason.  That’s where you come in, my wicked teal sister…”

    “Okay,” Redglare said as she thought about what it was she was being asked to do.  “But how am I supposed to find her, Your Highness?”

    The Grand Highblood reached down beside his throne and extracted a Honeycomb not unlike the one the Overseer was holding.  He tossed it to Pyrope who released  her white cane with one hand to deftly catch it.  “These are the admiral’s files concerning his dealings with this Mindfang.  There weren’t many as he preferred to keep his relationship with her off of the books as much as possible, but they were declared kismesises. You’ll also find that Ampora thought a little bit more of her than that.”

    “Vacillation?” Latula asked.  “Oldest story out there.  It would certainly be a possibility, Your Highness.”

    “Agreed.  As for finding her, we are well aware of not only your talents, but those of your lusus as well.  Pyralspite is an exceptional tracker and pretty motherfucking intimidating.  I suspect between the two of you that you should have no problem in locating Mindfang.  The question is how you choose to approach the situation.  Finding Mindfang herself might be a challenge; she’s been committing a series of other crimes like stealing motherfucking battleships and she sure as fuck does not want to be found.  However, I’m betting this might be made a lot easier if your lusus all up and paid a visit to hers first.  Once she has a taste of blue blood,  she should be able to find that crazy Gamblignant without any trouble.”

    _Oh shit…_ Krysli thought.  Her thumbs began rapidly typing out a message on her Honeycomb.   _Aurana, please be home; you’re going to want to know this._  

    Pyrope nodded.  “That sounds like a great plan, Your Highness.  I will pass it on to her and begin preparations.  I may need a couple of perigees to prepare my infiltration…”

    The Grand Highbloods eyes flashed open and this time, Kaerah noticed the Neophyte actually took a step backwards.  “Fuck that shit, sister!  That spider lusus of hers better be motherfucking dragon chow within the week, and you better have your wicked mitts all over Mindfang before the end of the week  after that one or I’ll make your final trials at the Academy look like motherfucking eduhive recess games!  Do you all up and understand that or do I have to schoolfeed you myself?”

    Latula held her ground, but the sound of his voice caused a river of fear to tear through her back.  The eduhive threat didn’t bother her any; she remembered how nasty games of dodgeskull could get and she won damn near every single one she played in, but she carried no illusions whatsoever that if she didn’t get this job done, it would be her skull that grubs would be dodging soon enough.   She took a knee and said, “No, Your Highness.  I will bring you Mindfang or die trying.”

    “That’s exactly what better happen, Neophyte.  There are no other options.  I know this is a motherfucker of a first assignment but I’m told you’re as skilled a teal sister as there is.  Make this shit happen and the rewards will be as wicked as you can imagine...”

    Pyrope looked up to notice his eyes were all over her body; she wasn’t sure whether to be aroused or appalled.   _How in the blue hells would one even end up waxing black with the Grand Highblood?   Maybe I should ask Mindfang; she ended up with a kismesis that outranked even him!_  “Thank you for your confidence in me, Your Highness.  I will succeed.”

    “Thank the Condesce, Neophyte.  This is her idea.  She knows what she’s doing.  Now get going; the sooner you leave, the sooner you get back.”

    “Yes, Your Highness.  Thank you.”  Redglare rose and walked swiftly to the exit, the drones in tow behind her.  

    Kaerah couldn’t help but notice that the proud swagger that the Neophyte brought into the throneblock with her seemed to have evaporated in a hurry.   _If you came here seeking applause, sweetheart, you came to the wrong damn place.  You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.  But I best make sure that someone else knows you’re coming._  Her thumb hit the “Encrypt” key followed by the “Send” one.  

    “Overseer… We still have much to discuss,” came a grumbling voice from the raised throne.  “I’m sure your other motherfucking duties can wait.”

    She tucked the Honeycomb back into the pocket it came from.  “I’m sure you think so; they’re my motherfucking duties, after all, not yours.”   _Shit… I did it again,_ she thought as Makara laughed heartily from his seat.   _We’ll see who has the last laugh this time, clown. If Aurana’s former employer took down a violetblood, she might make short work of you…_  


 


	7. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felida discovers Porrim's lack of knowledge where caliginous relationships are concerned is legitimate. Porrim learns much more about Aranea's moirail than she bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a feeling a few of you were itching for a full on blackrom scene here but obviously that couldn't happen with Porrim's not having a lot of experience with them. Figure I'd let the anticipation build a bit first. ;;;; ) Sorry about the potentially disturbing nature of Felida's backstory, but I wanted to establish why she hadn't been involved with black for a while and why she prefers to keep her BDSM activities in the pale quadrant. 
> 
> Soundtrack songs: #10, a gorgeous and sad piece of music. Start it at "She considered for a moment..."
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

 

 

  
**NOTE: This chapter contains scenes of non-consensual sexual activity, but not between our two primary characters; it's recounted in a flashback of Felida's.  This is NOT how BDSM should be and I made sure that this is understood.**

** 6. **

    “I… don’t…” Porrim grunted.

    “Don’t what?”

    “Know… what I’m getting… into.”

    Felida was a bit confused but carried on.  “Of course you don’t!  I can be the best black lover you’ve ever known!”

    “Never been… in black… only ashen…”

    Oceleo processed this.  “What do you mean ‘never been in black’?”

    “Just… what I… said…” Porrim squirmed as she fought back the panic that crept into her thinkpan.  Felida was keeping her feet far enough back so that she couldn’t step on them and there was no way she could move the cybernetic appendage that held her fast.  “Just… had my first… red with Ar… Spinneret… never had… kismesis…”

    This piece of information caught Felida completely by surprise.  She immediately let Porrim go and watched to see how the jadeblood would react.  “I… I had no idea…”

    Maryam was panting, caught between whether she should be prepared to fight or whether she should try and figure out what exactly Felida was up to.  “What the hell was that all about?”

    Felida looked down at the floor, trying to hide the olive flush in her cheeks.  “I’m sorry… I thought you were… you know…”

    “No, I really don’t know! At all!  I have no idea!”

    “I thought you were hateflirting with me!  Trying to make yourself look good to Mistress while making me look bad.  You mean you weren’t trying to compete with me for her?”

    Porrim looked at her, exasperated.  “Why would I be competing with you?  I’m her matesprit, you’re her moirail, and that makes us inclade…  which is something I’ve never been before, either.”

    Felida ran her eyes over Porrim.  “How old are you, if you don’t mind my asking?”

    “Twenty two sweeps.  Why?”

    “And you’ve never even been in any black relationship?  At all?”

    Porrim shuffled over to the bed and sat down on the shiny blue comforter that served as the top layer.  She hung her head while she tried to decide how much to tell this stranger who was now not only  a big part of her life, but also just tried to get physical with her without warning.   _Couldn’t hurt to be up front with her; might as well try and start off on the right foot._  “No.  In fact, my very first time kissing someone was Spinneret and that was only a couple of perigees ago.  Everything I know, at least where red is concerned, came from her.  And there have been no caliginous relationships in my life at all.  That sort of thing just… never made sense to me.  I wouldn’t even know how to start something like that,  much less try to lead you on.”

     A moment later, Felida’s hands were over her mouth.  “Oh my gods… I’m so sorry!  I honestly had no idea!  I just…”  She started to pace back in forth in front of the bed like that, trying to figure out what to say or do next.  

    If there was  one thing Porrim could appreciate, it was a pacer.  “Well, don’t worry about it too much.  These things happen.  I’m sorry if I said or did something that seemed more than it was.”   She could see the bright olive in Felida’s face and she felt a pang of sympathy for the woman.  “Um… why don’t you come and sit down beside me?  We can… talk about things?  Spinneret was right; we should get to know each other.”  

    “Okay…”  Felida made the end of her last circuit and sat down on the edge of the bed with her.  

    As the oliveblood tried to gather herself, Porrim noticed the criss-crosses the ropes had made across her skin; there were no deep friction burns, but the pressure they made was just enough as to leave a faint mark behind as any snug garment would.   _Here’s another one completely comfortable in her own skin; naked as her pupation day and couldn’t care less.  Maybe I’m the one who needs to change her attitudes?_   “Listen, I’m… actually really flattered that you think that much of me after just meeting me.  I just really don’t know all that much about black romance at all.  Can you tell me about it?  Are you supposed to get to know the other person first?   Or does it just… kinda happen?  Like red?”

    Oceleo measured her reply.  “Well, it can be either, I guess.  I’m wishing I got to know my last kismesis better before we got involved.”

    “That’s the Cirtap person you mentioned?”

    She nodded.  “Cirtap Royyor.  I actually met him when I was still in my advanced Geology training.  We were both in our final sweep of classes and competing for the top marks.  Every single test, we’d be first and second.  Halfway through the sweep, we were out on a practical assignment underground; we were paired together and set off to explore a cave.  Next thing I know, while I was bent down looking at a crystal deposit, he pushed me over.  I was so mad and he was laughing and laughing, so I got up and shoved him back.  A moment later, he was on top of me, pinning me to the ground and his tongue was in my mouth and it just went from there.  It was like all of the perigees of tension built up between us was finally getting a release and for some reason, I found I rather liked being held down; he was a blueblood so there’s not a lot I could have really done about it, anyway.  I’d been in a red relationship or two, but this was way more intense!”

    _And I was worried I’d have to convince her to try and open up,_ Porrim thought, _but this is admittedly rather fascinating._  “That kind of surprises me.  In my rather limited experience with Spinneret, I’ve found the red to be quite intense itself.”

    Felida grinned.  “Trust me, you can’t use Mistress as your bar for comparison.  She can make pale seem like red and black at the same time!  I’ve never met anyone quite like her.”

    “Nor I,” Porrim agreed.  “I gather that the release of the tension of rivalry is what makes caliginous attraction so strong?  I mean, all I know about it is what we talked about in the Mother Grub caves.  I’ve seen a bit of it here and there, but never understood entirely how it worked.  Tell me more?”

    “Sure!  The actual physical part can vary greatly in intensity when it happens.  Sometimes it can get be as simple as restraining your partner and either giving them release or making them give you yours.  Sometimes there’s biting or slapping because you’re really not in kind love with this person, but you need to be with them because that drive is so strong!  There are buckets involved for a reason, after all.  However, sometimes it can go… too far.”  Felida trailed off for a moment as she stared at her bare feet, which she was kicking idly while she spoke.

    “Like Spinneret and Dualscar?” Porrim inquired.

    “Not exactly, although I don’t blame her a bit for what she did to him.  I totally would’ve gutted the fucker.”

    Maryam was a little surprised about how upfront the oliveblood was about this, but considering how forward she was about everything else, the surprise was short-lived.  “Then what do you mean?”

    “Can I ask you a question first?”

    Porrim was starting to get memory callbacks to the Question game she and Mindfang played in the beginning.  “I think that’s fair; I’ve asked you a few.”

    “Has Mistress tied you up or restrained you at all?”

    “Mm-hmm.”

    A small smile crept across Felida’s features.  “How did you like it?”

    This time it was Porrim who was blushing green.  “At first I was a little scared.  Maybe more than a little.”  She placed her right hand on the back of her neck and smiled.  “The times when I was being restrained before that were most certainly unpleasant ones, but when she encouraged me to try it, it felt… different somehow.  Like I was completely under her spell, but she didn’t harm me at all.  In fact, that was the first time I had a… well, you know…”

    “Do I ever!”  That small smile was in full bloom now.  “Well, kismesissitude can involve that sort of thing as well.  Rivalry can even extend to the respiteblock bed…  or on occasion exist there entirely!  It’s uncommon for one-upmanship to be solely sexual in nature, but I have heard of it…”  Felida laid her soft right hand on Porrim’s left one and gently stroked her fingers.

    “I… am curious to know more, but can we maybe chat some more first?” Porrim asked,  withdrawing her hand but placing it carefully on top of Oceleo’s.  “It’s been a very… involved time for me lately and I’m just trying to get my balance.  I’d really like to get to know you better; really I would.”

    Felida nodded.  “Okay.  That’s fine.  Sometimes I can be a bit too forward when I’m like this.  I’m just… so damn frustrated right now!  Have you ever experienced that?”

    Porrim recalled seeing Spinneret sprawled out on the blue couch, pleasuring herself in an effort to get her prisoner to speak the name of Meulin Leijon, begging the jadeblood to come and take her instead of suffering behind her bars.  The ache down below was unlike any she’d ever felt then; she wanted to join Mindfang there so badly, to touch her and taste her, but when her motives became apparent, it was enough to overwhelm the lustful attraction, which set a whole series of unfortunate events into action.   _Why couldn’t I tell her then?  Why did it take being forced into protecting Spinneret from Dualscar to finally do it?  Oh, Meulin, I protected you and that meant the world to me.  It still does, but if I’d known that I finally would tell her your name, shouldn’t I have done so sooner?_  “It may surprise you to know that I have.  The results were… unpleasant.”

    “Well, you’ll find times that climax denial can make things WAY more intense!  Sometimes the Top - that is, the person who is running the show at the time – will try and establish their dominance in the kismesissitude by only permitting the Bottom their release when THEY feel like it.  The thing is, though, it doesn’t have to be kismesises who partake in that sort of play, either.  Mistress and I do it all the time.  In fact, I ASK for my orgasms, and she lets me have it when she’s good and ready to give it.  The mystery of it makes it more exciting for me, and I love letting myself be at her mercy.  Some see it as servitude, but I see it as freeing, honestly.”

    Maryam shifted around a bit on the bed and tried to picture this.  “I wonder if she would enjoy having that done to her at all… She asked me to take control of the situation once and I didn’t know what to do!”  She turned her head to the left to look at Oceleo and was surprised to see a stunned expression.   “What?  Did I say something wrong here?”

    “No… Not at all… It’s just… You must be someone REALLY special!”

    At this, Porrim didn’t quite know how to respond.  “I certainly never thought of myself as such, I swear.  That’s not me at all.”

    “No, I mean… well…”  Felida thought about how exactly to express herself.  “I’ve never known Mistress to ever ask that of anyone before!  She must truly trust you!”

    Porrim considered for a moment whether or not she should be asking the question that was on her lips.  “Doesn’t she trust you that way, too?  You’re her moirail, so she must…”

    “Oh, she does; it’s just that I would never ask that of her.  I’m quite submissive, but only for one person.  Despite how things went for my kismesis and me, I became very fond of giving complete control to someone else.  I thrive on it, need it.  I am her sub, night and day, but outside of that, I’m quite comfortable being in command.”

    Porrim remembered the metallic arm around her neck a short time prior.  “Of that, I have no doubt at all.  If it’s not too personal,  can I ask what happened with that kismesis?  How does it go… wrong, especially when there’s instances of consensual pain?”

    The smile that was on Felida’s face earlier fell away in a pusherbeat.  “When it becomes non-consensual, things can go very badly.  When we graduated, Cirtap and I started working for a consultation firm that assisted others in finding seams of precious minerals.  At first, we both shared equal numbers of successes and the rivalry continued.  When we were alone, I was his sub  and he was my Dom.  That meant I did whatever he asked me to do, but he was smart enough to understand that the things he needed to ask of me were things that I would enjoy and consent to do.  Sometimes he’d get rather rough, but I chalked that up to kismesis being kismesis.  One night at work we both had a hand in a major strike; we celebrated by declaring ourselves and giving each other scars before he brought out the pails.”

    Maryam looked over Oceleo’s nude body again as best she could.  “I don’t see any major scars on you…”  

    “I actually don’t… have it anymore…” she said, “and before you ask, that’s another story altogether.  Let me tell you this one first, if you don’t mind.”

    “By all means.”

    “Anyhow, not long after that, his luck seemed to run dry.  And I don’t mean he wasn’t finding much, he wasn’t finding anything.  I was still coming up big and discovering all kinds of corundum  deposits, and that wasn’t sitting well with him.  Maybe it was the idea of the sub winning the rivalry that didn’t sit well in his pan… no, that’s exactly what it was.  One night I told him about a particularly big stone we hauled out.  He said it was time we actually marked the occasion properly, which I knew to mean some serious pitch play.  We went to his hive and I put my collar on; he told me to go downstairs and get ready to take my punishment for such a fine find.  I was really looking forward to the spanking that I thought was coming my way, but instead he cuffed me face down to this play structure he had down there.  No biggie, I thought, I’ll get what’s coming to me.  Well, he starts swatting me with his usual force and I’m enjoying it, but the blows start getting harder and harder and I’m having hard time taking it, which is saying something, I might add.”

    Porrim just listened in stunned silence as Felida carried on.  

    “The blows kept coming and I finally did something I’d never done before:  I asked him to stop.  When I was reading up on these kind of relationships, I was told that was something never to be done ; it was a taboo, ‘topping from the bottom’ they call it, but then he was taking his punishment WAY further than it needed to go.  And he didn’t stop either.  By the end of it, I’m pretty sure he was hitting me as hard as he could.   I cried out until he finally quit; I knew I was bleeding because I could feel it trickling down my thighs.  While I was grateful he finally stopped, I asked him to set me free so I could tend to myself.  He answered with his bulge.”

    “Gods no,” Porrim muttered.

    Oceleo closed her eyes.  “He took me everyway he could.  Told me it was what I deserved for upstaging him.   He wasn’t gentle about it, either.  When he was done, he left me chained up and crying in the basement while he went upstairs.  I was there for hours… all through the day, I’m sure.  I passed in and out of consciousness until he finally slapped me awake and told me we were going to work and to pretend nothing had happened.   I told him no, he’d gone way too far with this and he replied with another backhand.  I told him he had broken our trust and this time he answered by slapping my still bleeding backside as hard as he could.  He told me again that I had better just put a skirt on and not say another fucking word; I just nodded and he set me free then headed upstairs to get dressed.  As for what happened next, all I have to go by was what I read in the Enforcer’s  report.  I don’t remember much about it at all.”

    Porrim couldn’t help but wonder if her matesprit had some hand in this.  “You’re okay to go on with this?”

    “Oh, quite.  I trust you.  It’s also not exactly a big secret around these parts, anyway.”  Felida took a deep breath and continued.  “All I remember was the pain from trying to walk upstairs was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.  Even when he was actually hitting me and raping me, trying to walk was far worse.  From what they were able to figure out, I made it all the way up there, grabbed the largest knife I could find and went into his respiteblock where he was getting dressed.  I’m sure he knew I was there; I swear I remember him turning his head to look at me and saying ‘You won’t.’  He was wrong.

    “The enforcer lieutenant at the station told me that I had actually called them.  Told them flatly that I’d killed my kismesis and they needed to come here.  Apparently I also told them not to bother with the sirens; there was no need to hurry.   The medisponders arrived first as they often do and decided that I was right.  Once the enforcers arrived, they saw the mess and took me into custody.  The medexaminer said he found Cirtap face down on the bed with a broken neck and a rather long knife hilt-deep in his nook.  It appeared to have been removed and replaced multiple times… at least, that’s what it said on the report.  Of course, once that same medexaminer saw my wounds and heard my story, he said that there was no doubt in his mind about what happened and why.  I was set free later that night.”

    “So that had nothing to do with why you were put on a slaver’s ship, then?” Maryam asked.  

    “Not at all; that came a few sweeps later.  Kismesicide isn’t all that uncommon.  Pitch play kills more than its share of people, many by accident.  What happened to me is pretty rare, thankfully, but it does happen.  I’m sure you’ve heard that much before, at least.  There is a bit of a stigma associated, though; I had to find another job after that, which is what led to what you were asking about.  What happened with Mistress and Dualscar is a bit different, I gather, but once they know of it, who would convict her?”

    “I fear it’s not that simple,” Porrim said, once again debating the degree of her own past that she should reveal.   _I’m sure she must know who I am… or was, more accurately.  Then again, if she’s been living away from the world for some time, maybe not._  “You see, I’m very much a criminal in the eyes of the Empress, and so is Spinneret.  All I know about Ampora is that he was a rather highly ranked admiral and this might be enough to encourage them to hunt her down much more aggressively than they were before.”

    Felida grinned.  “Let them come, then.  We will be more than ready.”

    Porrim was taken aback by the intensity in the oliveblood’s functional eye, but understood that she meant every word of it.  “I don’t doubt that for a second.  But I need to ask you something…”

    “Sure!”  

    The cheery note in Felida’s voice surprised her.   _How can anyone be in a pleasant mood after telling a tale like that?_  “Well… after listening to you describe a kismesissitude gone wrong, how could you ever want to be in pitch with anyone ever again, much less take part in the… what did you call it… Dom and sub  kind of relationship?  I’m amazed you’d ever want to be involved in anything like that ever again!”

    Oceleo bit her lip as she tried to think of how best to explain.  “I can totally understand why you’d think that, but that relationship with him unlocked something in me that went way beyond just Cirtap.  He was the one who messed it up, not me.  But I swore two things:  that if I ever found myself with someone I could be a sub for again, it would be someone I trusted completely and that it wouldn’t be black.  Contrary to what a lot of people think, Dom/sub relations don’t always have to be ebon in nature!  Mistress and I are moirails;  I find it to be much more fulfilling.  And as for your question about kismesissitude in general, my case isn’t the norm.  I pretty much swore I wouldn’t do caliginous ever again; you heard Mistress mention that turquoiseblood earlier, right?”

     “Yes, I did.  She said she was surprised you two never went pitch, right?”

    “Yeah.  Three things prevented that.  One, I still wasn’t certain about myself at the time when it came to that sort of thing; second, Aurana pretty much just viewed me with indifference.  The way she fauns all over Mistress irritated the fuck out of me, but Mistress assured me that she and Aurana had a different kind of relationship than she and I did, so I had little choice but to accept it.  There’s no pitch rivalry there at all anymore; I’m not even convinced Aurana knows what that means.  Either she likes you a lot or she ignores you or she tears your throat out.”

    Porrim couldn’t help but wonder if the exact same description wouldn’t have applied to the small woman sitting beside her as well.   _Maybe you’re too much alike in some ways?_  

    “The third one had to do with Mistress and her concerns but that’s another story.  Anyway, I’ve finally come to terms with what happened with Cirtap and quite honestly, that ebon outburst there was the first time since him that I’ve acted on a black impulse.  Apparently I need to… refine my approach a bit.”

    The jadeblood laughed but kindly.  “I’d say perhaps that’s a possibility.”

    “Sorry about that.  But listen… I also swore I wouldn’t ever get into anything pitch that involved serious physical violence.  It would have to be much more passive in nature; the kind of thing where both parties know what they’re up to and the lines are well drawn out, you know?”

    “Um… actually, not entirely, no.  But I think you’re hoping that it not be so rough.”

    “Well, kinda,” Felida said, absently stroking her thigh with her cool left hand.  “More like, ‘I’m gonna pin you down and show you who’s in charge here’, but also letting the other person be in charge for a while, too.  That’s how blackrom SHOULD go.  A rivalry isn’t a rivalry if one side wins constantly!  It’s an easy way for hard feelings to develop, right?”  

    Porrim thought Felida’s laugh at the end of that sentence was more than a touch bitter and borne of experience.  “So what are you suggesting?”

    Oceleo’s right hand found itself back on Porrim’s left.  “If Mistress trusts you enough to be her matesprit, then I know I can trust you implicitly.  If you’re looking for a… less dangerous introduction to blackrom, I can help you with that.  It would help me, too; I feel like it’s something I need in my life, but never to the degree of risk that it held before.  I get enough danger in my life on the ship, thanks!”

    “That doesn’t surprise me at all, actually.”

    “So, what exactly are you looking for, then?”

    “Well,” Porrim began, looking around the respiteblock as she tried to articulate what it was she was thinking, “I have to admit that what you’re offering does sound like fun.  More than anything, I’d like to learn more about what Spinneret likes.  Her tastes are obviously a little more developed than my own sexually, and I have a feeling that no one else knows more about it than you do.  There’s a lot I could learn from you… if you don’t mind teaching me, of course!”

    Felida smirked.  “Not at all!  In fact, I think you and I can have a lot of fun together.  If you’re willing, that is…”  Her hand began outright caressing Porrim’s.

    “I believe so, yes, but it just… might not be tonight, if that’s okay?”  Porrim rose from the bed, but took Felida’s hand along in hers.  “I am awfully spent from enjoying the last few nights with Spinneret and I so desperately need a rest.  Is there a recupracoon in here somewhere?”

    “Mm-hmm.  It’s just around that corner,” Felida said as she stood, pointing at the doorway beside the one that led to the gaperblock.  “It’s kind of a leisureblock but she usually just uses it as a quiet place for a sleep in the ‘coon.  Something tells me she won’t mind if you put it to use.”  

    “Thanks.  I’m not going to climb into it right away if you want to stay and chat some more.  I was just going to get a drink of something.”  She scanned the block and found herself somewhat lost again.   _I don’t have a clue where anything is in this place!_  “If I knew where…”

    “Thermal hull’s right next to the ‘coon.  Can you grab me one, too?  I need to hit the gaper something fierce.”

    “Sure thing.”  Porrim found Felida looking up at her with a smile; the oliveblood had a high forehead that she covered with her bangs and her shorter horns tapered to a point at the top.  Even with the pale green vertical scar across her eye, Porrim thought her quite pretty.  She watched as Felida released her hand and turned towards her destination; her eyes slipped down to Oceleo’s bare posterior in search of any signs of permanent damage caused by her ex-kismesis’s savage treatment but aside from having a rather round bottom, she could see nothing that would suggest any serious side effects.   _Unless that roundness is scar tissue from all the spankings she’s had?  I wouldn’t know the first thing about that.  Although something tells me I may be about to get my share in the near future!_  Porrim thought about the playful swats she and Aranea had given to each other but suspected this was something altogether different.   _How could someone do something so awful to someone like her?_

    Once she heard the door to the gaper room close, Porrim went into the other block in search of refreshments.  There was very little light to be found, but she let her sponge clots guide her to the low humming noise the thermal hull made.  Her hands brushed up against it and she opened the hatch, letting the light spill forth.  Porrim found it surprisingly well stocked with grubloaf and paste, not unlike that which she had to choose from in her own space back in Aranea’s hive.  There were a few bottles of something that wasn’t water, so she took a couple and closed the door.  

    Just before it shut, she noticed the recupracoon to her left.   _My, that does look awfully inviting… but I said I would bring Felida a drink._  Porrim peered around the corner; she couldn’t hear anything in particular to suggest whether the oliveblood was going to be a while or not.   _Maybe I’ll just set these here…_  She placed the bottles in the doorway, and before she even knew it, she had shed her jade and black gown and was neck deep in sopor slime.   _Just for a few minutes… I’m sure I’ll hear her come out of the… gaper and… I’ll get out… then…_

 

 

 

    “Porrim?  Porrim?  Where did you… oh!  I see.”  A fully clothed Felida Oceleo regarded the snoozing jadeblood and decided to grab both bottles of the green fluid from the floor beside the recupracoon.   _Can’t blame her, I guess.  Poor thing must be completely tuckered out after a whole week of Mistress’s love._  She plopped back down onto the bed and pushed a button to activate a viewscreen.   _Hopefully Mistress will be back soon,_ she thought, letting her fingers slip under the waistband of her shorts, _With that one sleeping, we might have a bit of time to ourselves.  Providing Porrim there didn’t tucker HER out, too, that is…_

 


	8. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindfang receives an urgent message from her former bodyguard and friend concerning an attempt to apprehend her and charge her with the death of her kismesis. Once she returns to her respiteblock, Aranea finds her moirail waiting for her with more than a few concerns in need of addressing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter introduces Aurana Zashyl, a fantroll created by my good friend Vrisky8its. It serves as a taste of who she is but she will have a significant role to play in what's coming up next; hope you find her an interesting addition! The latter half focuses on Felida and Aranea's discussion about what Porrim's presence means to their relationship and why they remained pale instead of red. For those of you who have read "Condemnation", you'll know that Felida has confessed her love to Aranea on a previous occasion (or possibly more than once; one of them was mentally "encouraged" to forget that it happened). 
> 
> Soundtrack songs: #11 is a wonderful cover of a wonderful song. Start it at “Felidaaaaaaaa…” (the first sentence after the break)
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**7.**  
  
    Mindfang’s fingers danced swiftly over the keys as she entered her credentials into the computer console in her quarters on _Fool’s Gam8it_.  Moments later, the viewscreen shone with the image of a shaggy haired woman.  “Auranaaaaaaaa… I would normally say it’s a pleasure to see your face, pet, but I suspect this is not a pleasure call?”  
  
    “Hello, Captain!” Aurana Zashyl replied earnestly.  “I’m always happy to see you, but you’re right.  This is serious business.”  
  
    The Marquise could hear the leather of her jacket crinkle as she shifted in her chair; her shoulders tensed along with it.  “Do tell.  What’s the nature of the threat?”  If there was one thing she knew her former bodyguard appreciated, it was directness when there was considerable danger involved.  
  
    “Bigger than any I’ve ever seen and that’s saying something.  They’re sending a Legislacerator after you.”  
  
    Spinneret frowned.   “Who exactly is ‘they’ and for what reason?”  
  
    Aurana bared her lower teeth as she thought how best to explain.  “Kaerah was in front of the Grand Highblood on business a couple of hours ago.  At some point, he pushed her aside and brought some tealblooded Neophyte  Legislacerator in.  He instructed her to bring you in on charges of kismesicide.”  She looked quickly off to the side and then back to the camera of her handheld transmitter.  “Is it true, Captain?”  
  
    “My, my… News does travel fast these nights, doesn’t it?”  Mindfang was quite aware that she only half joking as she spoke.  “It’s true.  Dualscar decided he would make a better matesprit than a kismesis and tried to murder the person who currently occupied that position.  Now the only position he’s holding is ‘undersea appetizer’.”   She waited for Aurana’s laughter to subside before continuing.  “However, while it was completely defensible, I have a feeling that because of who my kismesis was, they’re not seeking justification.  To do so would admit that a violetblood could be bested and that simply wouldn’t do in those hallowed halls.  No, I fully expected that the Navy was going to come after me with guns blazing, but unleashing a teal tongued beast to haul me in is another thing entirely.”  
  
    “I’m afraid it isn’t just you, Captain.  The Grand Highblood apparently said something about your lusus as well.”  
  
    This caused Spinneret to bolt upright.  “I beg your pardon, pet, but what do you mean?”  
  
    Zashyl leaned in and spoke in a harsh whisper.  “The Neophyte has a massive lusus, one capable of doing serious damage to your fleet.  Kaerah gathered that the lusus’s first target, however, is your own.  Once she gets the taste of her blood and the smell of you, they figure she’ll be able to locate you that much easier.”  
  
    “Is that soooooooo…”  Mindfang stroked her chin as she reclined again in her seat.  “I must say I suspected they would step up their efforts to apprehend me, but I didn’t expect them to try and kill poor Spidermom  in the process.  Obviously, I can’t let that happen, now can I?”  
  
    “Of course not, Captain.  What do you plan to do about it?”  
  
    The eagerness was evident in the turquoiseblood’s voice and the Marquise needed no empathic abilities to detect it.   “Well, first of all, kindly thank your red lover for her provision of that information.  It tips things most decidedly in our favour.  Secondly, if you think she’d have no problem with it, I’d like you to come with me to meet this threat.  Kaerah will be able to advise you on any further plans they come up with if there are any, and your tracking skills will be invaluable when it comes to determining which direction the threat will be coming from.”   She waited for the smile that would inevitably appear on Aurana’s face and was pleased she didn’t have to wait long.  “I had a feeling you’d want in on this one.  It’s been too long since you’ve had a real challenge hasn’t it?”    
  
    “You’re not kidding!  This security gig in Capitol is all well and good; I can break heads now and then when I need to but there isn’t the same thrill of chasing a target that I got working with you.  I miss the… adventure.”  
  
    “And that I understand more so than you know, which is probably why I’m so loathe to give it up.  Even after I finally found a matesprit…”  
  
    “YOU HAVE A MATESPRIT?   GET OUT!” Aurana shouted.    
  
    Mindfang chuckled as she sat back up; she knew that Aurana would ensure that she was in a safe place before talking on this encrypted channel, but even so, the excitement she showed was both concerning but also gratifying as well.  “Yes, I do.  Who thought we’d see the night it would happen?”  
  
    Zashyl suddenly gathered her face in concentration before saying, “It’s not Felida, is it?”  
  
    “No, it’s not Felida.  That remains a rather red moirallegiance.  I will tell you all about her when I see you, I swear it.  Now, we’re going to need to move quickly, I suspect.  There’s no secret as to who my lusus is or where to find her.  Are you going to be able to get away within the next few hours?”  
  
    “Yes, Captain.  I’ve made the arrangements and let’s just say Kaerah had a feeling that you’d ask for my assistance.”  
  
    “She’s a perceptive one for a bureaucrat, I’ll give her that.  Very well; I will take my hovercar as they’ll likely be looking for me by sea.  Meet me at the rest stop west of Dabrona  by sunset tomorrow.  We’ll drive the rest of the way together in my machine as it has a much bigger trunk; I suspect we’ll have need of it.”  
  
    Aurana had no need to ask why.  “Sounds good to me, Captain!  I can’t wait!  Will it be just us?”  
  
    Spinneret pursed her lips in thought.  “I think so.  My matesprit is just getting used to her new surroundings and while Felida has suffered an unfortunate injury recently, she has recovered but not to the point that I think she’d need to be for a mission like this.”  She had no intention of risking either her red or pale quads  in what could prove to be a particularly dangerous situation.  “I’ll need you to be at your very best, Aurana.  You’re certain you haven’t lost your edge at all?”  
  
    The woman brought one of her long-nailed fingertips up to her face and studied it before dragging her thumb along the edge, which created a thin, turquoise scratch along the side of that digit.  “Nope.  All edges still present and accounted for, Captain!”  
  
    “Excellennnnnnnnt.  See you then.  If this Legislacerator wants me alive, then she shall have me as such.  I fully intend to keep her that way as well… at least long enough to tell me what exactly it is that the Grand Highblood has in mind for me.  That’s the plan.  See you tomorrow, pet.”  
  
    “I can’t wait!  Thank you, Captain!”  
  
    The small screen winked out and Mindfang exhaled through tight lips.   _Of all the times to get a matesprit… when the rest of the world is setting out to harm the ones I care most for.  Dammit, Meenah, is this what you had in mind for me?  Is it you who’s behind this?   I can’t imagine you’d really be that pusherbroken over me perforating Cronus.   Then again, maybe you don’t even know yet and this idiot clown of yours thinks this is some kind of motherfucking game.  Either way, I will defend those who matter most from whatever you or he come up with and by whatever means necessary.  I just hope we’re strong enough to repel a full scale naval assault.  But then again, this Legislacerator might be a most useful bargaining chip indeeeeeeeed…_  
  
    Spinneret shut down the computer and headed back towards her quarters.  ”Ianrad,” she said as she passed the goldblood on the deck, “I’ll be away for about three nights starting tomorrow.  Something potentially dangerous is on the horizon and I need to intercept it before it becomes a serious threat.”  
  
    “Yes, Captain.  Your orders?”  
  
    “Felida is in command until I return, and my matesprit is to be given full run of the place.  I don’t suspect she’ll be hanging around the fleet itself but if she stops by for any reason, let her mill about as she pleases.  The sooner she gets used to being on a ship, the better.”  
  
    “I can’t say I pictured you becoming matesprits with a landlover, Captain,”  he joked.    
  
    “Love is a strange thing, my friend,” she replied as she made her way down the gangplank onto the metallic platform that served as the dock.  “Sometimes one doesn’t see it coming, even with an eye like mine, but when it’s there, you don’t question it… or how much it likes being on a ship.  I’ll take care of getting her sea legs under her, have no doubt.”  
  
    He laughed heartily.  “I have none at all, Captain.  Good luck!”  
  
    She grinned in response.  “My favourite two words in the world, Ianrad.”  
  
  
  
  
    “Felidaaaaaaaa…”  
  
    The oliveblood bolted upright on the bed as Spinneret entered the respiteblock.  “Mistress!  That didn’t take long.”  
  
    “No, it didn’t.  Aurana is usually pretty to-the-point.”  Mindfang discarded her leather jacket onto a chair and fell backwards onto the bed beside Felida.  “But the bad news is that I’ll be leaving again come evening.”  
  
    Felida turned her legs to give her Domme more room on the bed, taking care not to spill her beverage on her as well.  “Did you mean just you or all of us, Mistress?”  
  
    “Sadly, just me.  I’m driving to meet Aurana outside of Dabrona then we’re heading to see my lusus.”  
  
    “Oh.  Okay.”  Oceleo took a sip of her drink with her right hand and was glad it was there as she likely would have crushed the bottle with her new left one in disappointment.    
  
    Mindfang sighed and closed her eyes.  “I sense what you’re thinking, my sweet, and no, it’s not like that.”  
  
    “But you just got back, Mistress!  I haven’t seen you in how long, and then I have to deal with you bringing your matesprit to meet me and now Aurana suddenly shows up again…”  
  
    Spinneret reached over and gently placed a hand on her moirail’s thigh.  “Felida, relax.  I know you’re upset and you have every right to be.  This should be a very short trip if all goes according to plan.”  
  
    “And if it doesn’t?  Mistress?”  
  
    “I don’t even want to think about that.  It has to go well.  My lusus is in danger.”

    Felida’s mindset changed quickly.  “Your lusus?  From who?”  
  
    “An emissary from the Grand Highblood, apparently.  That purpleblooded buffoon decided to sic a Legislacerator on me.  Unfortunately, the tealblood  has a dangerous lusus herself, I’m told, and in order to get to me, they want to get to her first.  Obviously, I can’t let that happen.”  
  
    “So how can I help, Mistress?  I think I’m just about ship-shape!”  To demonstrate, Felida hopped off of the bed and started tossing the drink bottle back and forth between her organic and metallic hands.    
  
    Mindfang smiled.  “I appreciate the offer immensely, dear, but I’m not sure I can… well, not sure I want to risk you this time around.”  
  
    The bottle suddenly flipped from Felida’s metal hand in completely the wrong direction and went careening into the leisureblock behind her.  “Oops!  Oh, shit… I’m sorry, Mistress, I didn’t…”  
  
    “Don’t worry about it, love.  I’m sure the droids need something to do anyway.”  Spinneret sat back up and put her hands in her lap.  “Listen, this isn’t an indictment of your abilities whatsoever.  I just… don’t want to risk either you or Porrim against something this dangerous.  Any other night, I’d say sure; even though I know you and Aurana pretty much just endure each other’s company, you fight wonderfully alongside one another.  But that arm and leg of yours are still too much of a wild card for me until I actually see you in melee combat with them.  One error, intentional or not, could result in a fatality I couldn’t live with.  And yes, that includes you,” she added as she stood and made to embrace the tiny woman.    
  
    Felida returned the gesture and leaned her head against Mindfang’s chest.  “I only want to be good enough for you, Mistress.”  
  
    “And you are!  Please don’t let these decisions make you think otherwise.”  She let her fingers kindly brush through Oceleo’s hair in hopes it would get her moirail to relax.  “Do I need to shooshpap you, Felida?  I totally will.”  
  
    Felida sighed, louder than she would have liked to have.  “I’m not sure if that’ll help, Mistress.”  
  
    This caught Mindfang by surprise, even though she could sense the unrest in the oliveblood’s thinkpan.  “Wow… If you have something you need to get off of your chest - other than your blouse, that is – I’d love to hear it.”  
  
    After a few more moments in Mindfang’s arms, Felida let go and took a few paces towards the dark leisureblock where Porrim was slumbering silently.  “I’m… not sure I should be asking you this.”  
  
    Spinneret chose not to rebuke Felida for not addressing her as Mistress, especially when something of this magnitude was troubling her.  “Anything, Felida.  You can ask me absolutely anything at all.  That’s what moirallegiance is all about.”  
  
    When she looked back towards Mindfang, the wetness in her eyes was evident.  “Why was I never good enough to be your matesprit?”  
  
    “Felida… it’s…”  
  
    “I love you, Spinneret!  I love you as my Mistress and I love you as a moirail but I love you as red as it gets, too!”  She let that hang in the air for a few moments before wiping her eyes and continuing.  “I wanted to be your matesprit as much as your moirail!  We’ve been together for, what, twenty sweeps?  I’ve fought at your side and loved you in every way I can.  What was missing that you couldn’t see me as more than pale?”  
  
    _I knew this was coming.  Doesn’t make it any easier._  “Nothing, Felida.  You’ve been all things to me.  I just… didn’t know I wanted a matesprit.  How was I supposed to get a bucket to the Mother Grub when we’re constantly on the run?  Besides, I wasn’t sure I could ever feel… THAT RED for anyone ever again!  You’re certainly the closest I’ve ever had since my first – and last – matesprit and…  maybe my memories of that made me worry about going through all the pain and disappointment all over again?  We have such a good thing going, my sweet; I didn’t want to complicate it, much less ruin it if something went sideways.”  
  
    “So what about her?”  Felida wasn’t yelling in order to try not to disturb the jadeblood, but she was certainly agitated.  “She just comes out of nowhere and next thing I know, you’re putting tokens on each other and filling buckets.”  
  
    “Please understand, Felida, that just because she’s here, NOTHING has to change between you and me.”  Spinneret reached out and took both of Oceleo’s hands in her own.  “Your red love is no surprise to me at all.  I’ve known all along.  I value you as a moirail and as a sub lover.  Porrim fills a different quadrant; pale love is just as important to me as red love!  Your counsel has been nothing short of invaluable to me over the sweeps,  and when we met, you knew absolutely nothing about what it meant to be a Gamblignant.  You’ve become such a huge part of my life and I don’t want anything about it to change!  In particular, the part I want to stay intact is the ‘you being alive’ part!  If you were hurt again or worse this time, I’m not sure I could live with myself!  The fact that you’re still alive is a gift and one that shouldn’t be recklessly thrown away!  I’ve stayed that way all these sweeps by knowing when to step up and when to step back.”  
  
    Felida looked down at their joined hands.  “I suppose that’s true…”  
  
    “But never let the fact that we’re not matesprits take anything away from how much I care for you!  There really is no need for jealousy, my dear.  I love you, I care for you; you’re everything I’ve wanted in a moirail.  In fact, if anything, you’ve proven to me that sometimes letting the colour from one quadrant seep into another can actually work.   Well, maybe not to the degree that Dualscar had in mind, which was a simultaneous romance between red and black.  I’ve never heard of a ‘black heart’ ever working…”  Mindfang thought about that for a moment and then continued, “A pale spade, yes…  But you’re fine with what we are, no?  Look, I knew the night I brought Porrim here would cause you a lot of consternation, but there’s no need.  There will be sunrises I spend in bed with her and some with you.  I don’t know how that’s going to work out quite yet but I have some ideas that might take some time for everyone involved to get their pans aro – hey, what’s with the tears now?”  
  
    Olive streaks poured down Oceleo’s cheeks.  “You mean… you mean it’s not because you didn’t trust me?  Trust me not to…”  
  
    The thoughts she took from Felida this time surprised her yet again.  “Not to what?  Kill me someday?  Felida, I can tell you with complete certainty the idea never ever crossed my thinkpan once!  Just because you deservedly offed someone you used to fill a pitch pail with doesn’t mean I don’t trust you completely!  Why would you ever think of such a… oh… you told Porrim about Cirtap, didn’t you.”  
  
    She sniffed and nodded her confirmation.  
  
    “Okay, that’s it.  Get over here.”  Spinneret gently pulled Felida close again and began to softly pat her cheek and shoosh in her sponge clot while her moirail wept into her chest.  “Look, my dear, you have nothing to ever worry about.  You’ll always be good enough for me.”  
  
    “But n-n-not enough to… to… fill a bucket.”  
  
    Mindfang continued her shooshing and papping.  “Felida, please.  Red romance is usually an intense spark that comes like a bolt from the blue.  It produces a much more potent mix than something two who have been together for a long time can create.  If it really means that much to you, I’d consider doing it once for you – taboo really never meant a damn thing to me - but would it be worth it?  I doubt it would produce a terribly favourable mixture.”  
  
    Felida moaned quietly as she thought about what Spinneret said.  “You’re probably right.”  
  
    “I know I’m right, Felida.  That’s what gets me from night to night more often than not.  And eight times out of nine, it works for you, too.”  She let her slender fingers find purchase under Felida’s chin and lifted it slightly to look her in the eyes.  “I understand your frustration and your confusion, dear.  Just don’t let it cloud your judgment anymore, all right?  I’m here, you’re here and Porrim’s here.  I have everything I need and I’m giving you the very best that I have to give you.  Sometimes the scales get unbalanced and maybe you feel like you’re giving more than you’re getting, but know that you’re everything I could ever ask for in a friend and you could never be replaced.  By anyone.  Not even my matesprit.  She and I have a different kind of relationship and you have no reason to be jealous.  None.”  Mindfang smiled warmly and added, “Did you know Porrim is actually a little bit jealous of you and me?”  
  
    “Re-really?”  
  
    “Mm-hmm.  She’s feeling a bit like a grub out of cave because she’s in a new place and then she sees how we get along since we’ve known each other so long and she wishes that she and I were like that.  In time we might be, but that will never change the relationship that you and I have.  Some nights it will be you I greet first, some nights it will be her, but never think that one of you is more valuable to me than the other.  You’re both wonderful and I can’t imagine life without your love.”  
  
    Oceleo nodded lightly and reached up to wipe her tears, clonking herself in the face in the process.  “Shit… You know, I do so much better with this when I’m not thinking about it.”  
  
    “Then maybe you need to stop thinking about it?  I have a feeling that would apply to the rest of your concerns as well, my sweet.”  
  
    “You’re probably right.”  
  
    Mindfang snorted.  “No ‘probably’ about it!”  She kissed Felida on the lips, which was returned softly at first and then more hungrily a few moments later.  “That’s more liiiiiiiike it.”   She briefly contemplated the idea of helping Felida forget about this conversation, much like she did as they prepared to leave the island Horuss Zahhak currently inhabited and her moirail first confessed her poorly hidden red desires.   This time, however, Spinneret thought it might be best to let her keep her memories of it.   _Maybe now she can move forward and be happier in her place as my moirail.  I think she deserves that._  “Now, how about you and I spend some quality time together, hmmmmmmmm?”  
  
    “Yes, Mistress!”   As she went to pull her blouse off over her head, Felida was struck by a thought.  “Mistress?  I have one more question for you…”  
  
    “My, my, aren’t you just chock full of questions this morning!  Are you asking if you can help me take my boots off?”  
  
    “Well, that wasn’t it, but I can certainly do so, Mistress!”  As Mindfang sat down on the edge of the bed, she extended one of her long legs and let the now-shirtless oliveblood slide the long scarlet boot from her.  A moment later, she repeated the action for her Mistress’s other leg and set the footwear carefully at the foot of the bed.  
  
    “Thank you, love.  Allow me to assist you with the rest.”  In a fluid motion, Spinneret slid her leggings off and used her left leg to fling them away.  “Finally!  I’ve wanted those off since I put them on.  A few grains of sand still in there... which reminds me, I really ought to use the shower or the trap first.  Would you mind waiting or would you like to join me?”  
  
    A smile graced Felida’s face.  “I would love to, Mistress!  It’s just…”  
  
    _Hoo boy._  “Yes, Felida?”  
  
    “Errr… well, there’s a couple of things…”  
  
    “I have all the shooshpaps you could ever ask for, my sweet.”  
  
    Felida bit her lip.  “Oh, nothing like that necessary, Mistress.  Remember that drink I had that kinda went… airborne?”  
  
    Mindfang was puzzled.  “Of course.  What about it?”  
  
    “It… ended up somewhere.”  
  
    “Of course it did.  I’d be far more concerned if it didn’t!  The last thing I need in my base of operations is a space-time anomaly.”    
  
    “Again, Mistress, it’s not like that.  I think you better come here…”  
  
    Spinneret padded over to where Felida was standing in the doorway to the leisureblock.  “What seems to be th- ohhhhhhhh.  I see.  I’m not sure the droids are going to be able to help with that one.”  The bottle had come to rest on Porrim’s black and jade gown and spilled its viscous green contents all over it.   “I think you better ask her about it in the evening; I’m pretty sure that particular garment is hand-wash only.”    
  
    Felida cringed at the idea of having to tell her.  She picked up the bottle like it was a dead animal and carried it gingerly to the counter beside the thermal hull in hopes that she wouldn’t wake Maryam, lest she have to explain the mess any sooner than she had to.  
  
    “Tell you what,” Mindfang said, “grab it and let’s see if we can’t get the worst off in the shower.  From there hopefully Porrim can clean it in whatever manner she does so.”  
  
    “If you say so, Mistress…”  The oliveblood carefully lifted the elaborate garment from the floor and carried it towards the gaperblock to set on the edge of the ablution trap.  
   
    Mindfang chuckled softly as an idea occurred to her.  “You know, this might just be the motivation for darling Porrim to finally adopt a new and more practical style of clothing.   Perhaps you could assist her in finding something she’d like to wear that not only suits our way of life, but also speaks to her evidently well-developed sense of style?”  
  
    For the second time in as many minutes, Felida swallowed hard.  “I can try, Mistress…”  
  
    “I’m sure you’ll succeed just fine.  Providing she doesn’t gouge your good eye out for getting her dress dirty in the first place.”  
  
    “You’re not helping, Mistress…”  
  
    “Yes, yes, I know.”  As soon as she watched Felida finish setting the dress down on the lip of the trap, Mindfang reached out and undid the olive sash that served as her public token of moirallegiance for Oceleo to wear.  She draped it around the oliveblood’s neck and began to kiss her just under her jawline; Felida responded by slipping her hands under the waist of her shorts and letting them fall to the floor.    
  
    As Spinneret reached into the shower to turn on the water, Felida asked, “Mistress?”  
  
    “Yes, my sweet?”  
  
    “I haven’t asked you my other question yet.  May I do so now?”  
  
    “Water’s still warming up.  No time like the present, I suppose.”  
  
    Felida still hesitated for a moment, but finally found the courage.  “Have you ever told me your real name, Mistress?”  
  
    “Of course I have.  The night we exchanged tokens.”  Spinneret reached in and found the water temperature much more to her liking.  “Would you kindly help me with my blouse?”  
  
    “Yes, Mistress.”  As she unlaced the soft white shirt that Mindfang liked to wear under her jacket, Felida asked “Why don’t I remember what it is?  Did you help me to forget it, Mistress?”  
  
    For a moment, Spinneret felt something like what she would have called a twinge of guilt.  “Yes, I did, but please understand I did so solely for your benefit.  If something ever went wrong and you were captured, they couldn’t torture you for information you didn’t have.”  
  
    Once she had Mindfang in as complete a state of undress as she herself was, Felida took a deep breath.  “Does Porrim know what your name is?”  
  
    Mindfang nodded and stepped into the steamy shower, beckoning her moirail to join her.  “She does.”  The sound of the water hitting Felida’s metallic arm caught Spinneret by surprise until she realized the source of it.   So many changes.  I sense another one about to happen.  
  
    “Do you make her forget it, too?”  
  
    “No.  I… took quite a while to tell her, but she knows it.  It’s what she calls me when there’s no one else around.”  
  
    Felida moved slightly to reduce the sounds the shower made on her metal limb.  “Would you tell me again if I asked?  I mean, if Porrim and I are equals in your eyes, don’t you think I should know it, too?  Mistress?  Please?”  
  
    Mindfang sighed.  “You’re right, of course.”  She pulled Felida close and whispered “Araneaaaaaaaa…” into her sponge clot as the steam from hot water continued to envelope them like a gossamer caress.  
  
    Oceleo smiled brightly.  “It’s beautiful.”  
  
    “Thank you, my sweet.”  
  
    A longer pause.  “Will I get to remember it this time?  Aranea?”  
  
    She nodded.  “Yes.  This time I never want you to forget it.”    
  
    “Thank you, Mistress.  I won’t.”  
  
    “Today you can call me Aranea all you want, dear.”  Their embrace ceded to a long, deep kiss, which continued after they stepped from the shower and back into the respiteblock.    
  
    “Mistr- I mean, Aranea, aren’t you worried that if we, you know, start making too much noise that we’ll wake…”  
  
    “I, personally, am not worried at all,” Aranea replied in a whisper.  “Porrim is sound asleep… at the moment, anyway.  Your challenge, on the other hand, is to keep as quiet as possible, no matter what I’m doing to those lovely olive-coloured bits of yourssssssss…”  
  
    As blue-painted fingertips caressed one particularly olive place of Felida’s anatomy, she inhaled involuntarily.  “Yes…”  
  
    “And if you make so much as a single sound louder than that gasp, she might just wake up and then what will you do?  Do you think you’re up to it, my dear?”  Aranea raised her eyebrows and waited to see if Felida would reply audibly; she was pleased to see that she did not but instead opted to nod excitedly.  “Gooooooood.  Then let’s see if we can discover just what pleasures can be found in silence…”

 


	9. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim awakens to discover Aranea is not there and her black and jade dress has been involved in a mishap. In return, Felida offers to help her find a new and much more practical wardrobe. Porrim finds not only a clue as to what happened to a pair of lost jadeblooded Sisters but also discovers that blackrom in the right hands can be quite interesting...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Porrim's introduction to caliginous relationships is a fun one, with a heavy dose of humour. It doesn't get overtly sexual yet but consider what strange new situations she's in. All things will come in time... including jadebloods. :::; )
> 
> Soundtrack songs: #12 is another cover and it's a gooder. Start at “Once inside, any protest Porrim could have come up with …"
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**8.**  
  
    Porrim opened her eyes slowly as she slipped from the grasp of sleep.  She opened them much wider as she came to realize she wasn’t at all certain where she was.   _What is this place?  Where am… oh, right.  Different ‘coon, different block.  Aranea’s other base, or one of them,  anyway._  
  
    Light filtered in to the block from the doorway to her right, bathing it in a faint  glow and shadows.   _Okay, now it’s coming back to me.  I was going to get a couple of drinks for Felida  but sleep started whispering in my sponge clots._  She rose from the sopor slime and let her eyes adjust.   _I ought to go and wash this off… there is a shower in that gaperblock if I recall correctly._  Porrim peered over to the side of the recupracoon in search of her black and jade outfit and found it absent.   _Tell me I’m not still wearing it…_  A quick scan of her body answered that question quickly.   _Nope… so where is it?_  
   
    She stepped onto the small green mat in front of the ‘coon and wiped the excess from her body before making her way into the adjacent block where a figure  was quietly sleeping in the large bed.   _Maybe Aranea can fill me in.  I must’ve been SO tired and – oh!_  Porrim was so shocked to see that it wasn’t her matesprit asleep but the oliveblood she met the night previous.   _Great.  I almost climbed in with her.  Still need to get this slime off of me, though._  She continued on to the gaperblock to do just that.   _No Aranea , no dress… At least I’m not chained to something._  
   
    Porrim entered the room to see her dress on the edge of the ablution trap and felt herself relax at least slightly.   _Excellent.  One mystery solved, but the next one is why is it in here?_  She picked up the garment and looked it over; as her eyes alit upon the large green stain, Porrim couldn’t stop the shout that escaped her lips.  “AIEE!  What happened to this? ”  Without even thinking about it, she turned on the shower and once it reached an acceptable temperature, she climbed in with dress in hand and began frantically scrubbing it.  
  
    After what felt like hours to Porrim, there was little left of the green splotch and she sighed with relief.   _I’ve repaired and cleaned this dress countless times.  The last thing I need it to have it ruined by somebody’s… somebody’s… well, whatever that was._  She racked her thinkpan for an explanation.   _It was green but not green like mine which suggests… Felida?  She wouldn’t have done anything too gross with it; that’s not part of blackrom… is it?  I’m thinking she could be a rather vengeful woman, especially considering what she’s been through, but that seems like a bit much.  I better just ask her flat out._  
  
    She opened the shower door and draped the wet dress over the edge of the trap before continuing to clean herself.  Once she was finished, she stepped out and grabbed one of Aranea’s blue towels.   _Smells just like the ones back… home…_  Porrim was taken aback by her own thought.   _I’m actually starting to think of that hive as home.  The bars aren’t even gone from my respiteblock and yet… it really has become home, hasn’t it?_  A flood of emotions both wonderful and awful wrestled in her mind, causing tears to form in her eyes; although they were quickly washed away by the warm water, she let them flow from her as she silently dealt with her feelings.  
   
    _Aranea has given me far more than she’s taken.  She gives me her love and she’s literally saved my life.  I know that life is forever changed but she’s been more than willing to share hers with me.  Maybe it’s time I fully embraced it._  Porrim wiped herself down, hung the towel up on a nearby bar and then grabbed a dry one to wrap around her body.   _Even if I’d rather the only water I had to deal with was that in the shower or the ablution trap, maybe I should try a little bit harder to get used to life spent a good deal at sea._  She opened the door and let the cooler and drier air swirl in to take more of the excess moisture from her skin.    
  
    “I’m sorry about your dress.”  
  
    Felida’s voice startled Maryam into almost dropping the towel.  “Oh!  You’re awake!”  
  
    “Yeah… Your scream there kinda woke me up, but I can totally understand why you did it…”  Felida sat on the edge of the bed, dressed in her white blouse and brown shorts, the olive sash around her waist.  “In case you’re worried, and you probably are, it’s not what you think…”  
  
    Porrim let her shoulders slip just a bit.  “I am glad to hear that.  Wait, you don’t have… abilities like Ar-Spinneret does, do you?”  
  
    This made Felida laugh.  “Who, me?  No!  No, nothing like that at all.  I just thought that you might’ve thought that… you know… I made a mess of your dress intentionally or with something you might have found kinda nasty.  I save that sort of stuff for people I really, REALLY hate , and not in that way.   I’m trying to interest you in a little blackrom, not turn you right off of it.”  
  
    “Again, that’s actually rather close to what I was thinking…”  
  
    “Really?  Wow… Let’s try it again!” Felida bubbled.  “Think of a number between one and five hundred billion.”  
  
    “Er… Okay…”  
  
    “Now tell me what it is!”  
  
    Porrim was about to open her mouth when she realized what she was about to do.  “Felida… I don’t think it works like that.”  
  
    The tiny oliveblood grinned deviously.  “You’re as sharp as those fangs of yours!  I’ve caught more than a few people with that one.  Anyhow,” she said as she hopped up from the bed, “were you able to get it clean?”  
  
    “I was, thankfully.  What was that stuff?”  
  
    “Remember those bottles of Squirm  you brought halfway to this respiteblock last night?”  
  
    Porrim blushed.  “Oh… yes, sorry about that.  I was just so tired and that ‘coon was calling to me.”  
  
    “No hard feelings!  Totally understand.  I found the bottles where you left them – thank you for getting them that far, by the way – and had a drink.  When Mistress got back, I was showing off for her a bit and my new arm here kinda… malfunctioned and I launched the Squirm across the block.  Of course, with my weird luck, it landed on your beautiful dress.  I was so worried; I didn’t want you to think that I really hated you like that.  It was a complete accident, I swear!”  
  
    “It’s okay,” Porrim explained, “I was able to get it all out in the shower.  The only problem is that I honestly have nothing else to wear until it dries.”  
  
    “Actually, that’s one of the things that Mistress wanted me to talk to you about when you woke up.  She says she knows how rare  and special that dress is and that you probably should save it for special occasions.  Something like that isn’t exactly practical aboard a Gamblignant ship, trust me.  How’d you like to pick out a new wardrobe?”  
  
    Porrim could feel her pusher pick up just a little bit of speed.  “That actually sounds kind of fun!  I’ve never owned any other clothes than these, save for a hivecoat Ara… Spinneret gave me.”  
  
    Felida grinned.  “Then let’s do that!  And don’t worry, you can call her Aranea around me.”  
  
    This caught Porrim slightly off guard.  “Wait, you do know her name?  I was under the impression that she… kept it from you for your protection.”  
  
    Oceleo took the jadeblood by the hand and led her towards the exit.  “Well, once Mistress got back, she and I had a pusher-to-pusher discussion about you and our own moirallegiance and many other things.  We tried our best to keep quiet so as not to wake you.   Anyway, I actually asked her if she’d tell me and she did; said that I deserved to know if you knew.  Because of our arrangement, I’ll still be calling her Mistress most of the time but you and I can call her Aranea when it’s just us together and I think this qualifies as one of those times.”  
  
    Porrim smiled.  “Fair enough.  Where is Aranea, though?”  
  
    “She’s fine.  She just had to… step out for a bit.  I promise I’ll explain later, but there’s something I really need you to see!  Come on!”    
  
    “But… all I have on is a towel!” Porrim protested, clutching even harder at the bunch of soft blue fabric that wound around her.  
  
    “No biggie!  Trust me, Porrim, even if that towel went flying, the guys and gals here have seen it all before.  When you live in such close quarters with your crewmates, a little bare skin is no big deal.”    
  
    A moment later, they were both out on the catwalk and Felida was dragging Porrim back toward the hidden door.  Porrim looked out over the ships in their docks; their various crews were busy cleaning and stocking but as far as she could see, none of them were paying her any mind at all.  Before they reached the end of the platform where the panel behind the hologram was located, Felida turned to face the last door available and entered a code.  The door panels slid aside and Oceleo hauled her in before she could protest.  
     
    Once inside, any protest Porrim could have come up with evaporated as she laid eyes on something she found far more fascinating than Mindfang’s hoard of gold and jewelry:  racks upon racks of clothing in virtually any colour one could think of.  “What… is this?”  
  
    “It’s not only gold that Mistress plunders.  We take all kinds of supplies as well.  You never know when you’re going to need something and since the people we’re taking it from usually don’t need it anyway,  why not keep it and put it to use?”  Felida walked up to the racks; one alone was dedicated to various shades of red, most of them in darker hues and very little of it ornate.  “We’ve added a lot of new crew members lately; many of them came to us with only rags on their backs or worse.  Being able to outfit them is important.”    
  
    “I suppose it’s better than just letting them sink to the bottom of the ocean.”  Porrim extracted a skirt that looked almost black but showed hints of red in it when the light hit it a certain way.  There were hints of gold trim to it as well.  “This is lovely…”  
  
    Felida cocked her head in surprise.  “You would wear red?”  
  
    “Certainly!  Let’s just say I have a particular fondness for the colour,” she replied with a wistful smile.  When Oceleo didn’t reply, Porrim wondered just how much Felida knew about her past.    
  
    “To each their own, I guess.  The oranges and bronzes share a row with the yellows and golds, some olives, greens and teals here, and you’ll notice that what we do have for blues and purples tend to be rather fancy.  Not a whole lot of need for them here, but Mistress keeps them for some reason.”  Felida moved further down.  “This whole rack is browns and beiges, the next blacks with a few greys and finally whites and off-whites.  Lots to pick from!  Although…”  
  
    “Although what?” Porrim inquired as she made her way down the rack with the green coloured clothing.  
  
    “I don’t believe we have a whole lot in jade and what we do have isn’t in too good of a shape.”  
  
    Maryam nodded her comprehension.   _Makes sense, but I’m curious as to what they do have…_    
  
    The answer to that question made Porrim gasp so loudly it startled Felida.  “What?  What is it?  Did you find fuzzy-feelered flutterby larvae in here?  We really have to watch out for them.”  
  
    “These… These dresses… Felida, do you know who these belonged to?   Or where Aranea obtained them from?”  Porrim held up a pair of ornate jade dresses, but both were torn horribly in some places and far beyond repair.  
   
    The oliveblood shook her head.  “I wish I did.  She’s had those as long as I’ve been with her.  I kind of hoped that I could have put part of them to use but it’s not even close to my shade of green.  Did you know who they belonged to?”  
  
    “Yes!  Motina and Eadnii!  They were Sisters who disappeared a hundred sweeps before I was born!   They left the Mother Grub caverns and were never seen or heard from again.”

    “So… how would you know what their dresses looked like?” Felida asked.  
  
    “We were shown many pictures of them, just in case we ever happened across them in our travels.  We were always curious if they’d just simply found matesprits or kismesises and chose not to return or if they encountered a premature demise.  Sadly, I’m suspecting this answers that question rather definitively…”  She turned the dresses around in her hands, feeling the smooth fabrics of the gown and the designs embroidered into once-crisper mantles.   “There’s no fixing these.  They’re too badly damaged.”    
  
    Oceleo hung her head.  “Sorry to hear that.  I’m sure Mistress wouldn’t mind if you kept them, though.”  
  
    Porrim stretched one of them out and examined it.  “Actually, I think I have an idea of how to use these and honour my sisters at the same time.  You sure she wouldn’t mind?”  
  
    “Are you kidding?  The fact that there’s a jadeblood in this block is pan-blowing enough.  It’s all yours!”    
  
    “Thank you.”   _The lower bell of one dress is mostly intact,_ she thought as she draped the remnants over her arm, _and I think there’s enough intact on the other to make some kind of a top; if not a full one, then a vest or something along those lines._  “Let’s take a look at the reds again for a moment.”  
  
    “Sure!”  Felida accompanied Porrim over to the long stretch of red clothing  where the jadeblood began searching through what was there, but hardly lingering over anything at all.  “Um, what exactly are you looking for?”  
  
    “An accent piece.  Something a lot like what you’re wearing around your waist, actually.  Is there anything here like that?”  
  
    “You mean a sash?  Hmm…”  Felida pursed her lips.  “I don’t think those would be in here and most of the crew who uses them instead of belts usually just use torn up clothes to make their own.  Mine is a custom made woven one that Mistress gave me as a token.”  
  
    Porrim’s eyes returned to the olive sash.  “That’s your moirallegiance token?  What a novel idea!  You both must think along the same lines as she mentioned your token for her was that jacket.”  
  
    “It was actually a fairly easy choice.  Her previous one had just been wrecked not long before we decided to make it official, so when we did some shore leave, I found one that would fit her and had it customized.  You like it?”  
  
    “I couldn’t picture her without it!”  
  
    Felida laughed.  “You mean she wears it to bed with you?”  
  
    “Ha ha.  Not literally.  Now, about the red sash?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “Oh, right!  Come with me.”  She led Maryam to the corner where a few boxes of material were stacked.  “Feel free to go through these.  We found a few of them not that long ago and figured we might use these to repair clothes  we didn’t want to have to give up. Problem is there’s no one around here who can do more than just mend rips.”  
  
    Porrim smiled.  “Then the good news is that just changed.”  She grabbed the first box and opened it:  numerous remnants and bolt ends of fabric were inside; some soft, some coarse, some plain, some patterned.  She rummaged through it and, after failing to find what she sought, opened the next.  
  
    Felida gave her a look.  “Wait a minute… You mean you can sew?”  
  
    Without so much as looking up, Porrim said, “My dress that’s drying out on the trap?  I made that from scratch when I was ten sweeps old.  We Solemn Sisters are taught to sew from a very early age.  Making our jade dress is a rite of passage.  Every one is unique.”  
  
    All Felida could reply with was a quiet “No way…”  
  
    “Nothing to it, really.  Given the right materials I can – aHA!  Here we go!”  Porrim extracted a long piece of red satin from the box with a flourish and twirled around with it.  “This is what I’m after!”  She gathered the fabric up and surveyed it.  “I may need to trim it somewhat to make it more practical but that’s easily done.”  
  
    “Or you could just tie it up a little differently than mine,” Felida offered.  “If you gather up the excess at the back like a bow and have either Mistress or myself tie it for you, or even tie it yourself at the hip and turn it, that would work just fine, no?”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “That’s a really good idea.”  As Oceleo smiled about being able to contribute, Porrim asked, “I suppose I should probably start wearing boots of some kind as well.  Where do you keep those?”  
  
    “Through this door here.”  Felida opened a hatch against the far wall and stepped inside.    
  
    Once Maryam decided that Mindfang’s First Mate was unlikely to do anything resembling what she did to her the night before, she followed Felida into the next block and was almost as awestruck as she was upon entering the one with the clothes:  rows upon rows of boots and shoes lined the walls and racks before her.  “I must admit that while I’m not as enamoured with footwear like I am fabrics, this is quite a collection.”  
  
    “Isn’t it?  Again, when you can’t exactly go shopping whenever you want, it’s important to keep boots and shoes whenever you find them.  I gather you’re a big fan of being barefoot?”  Porrim nodded her confirmation.  “That wouldn’t be a smart choice on a ship.  These leather boots of mine have stepped through some pretty awful things.”  
  
    “I’d say ‘I can imagine’ but I have a suspicion I may be about to find out firsthand in the near future,” Porrim replied without a lot of enthusiasm.  She picked up a boot that was rather ornate but sported a lengthy heel.  “I can’t say that this seems terribly practical.”  
  
    Oceleo chuckled.  “No shit.  I don’t know how Mistress is so agile in her red boots, but I’ve never been a fan of that style.  I just wear a low heel and ankle-high ones myself.  They’re not flashy but they’re super durable!”  She extended her right leg to show it to Porrim and then said, “Oh… I should be practicing with this leg, I think.”  A moment later, Felida presented her half-metallic left one, the foot of which was ensconced within an identical brown leather boot with no trim or adornments.  She concentrated on turning her cybernetic ankle from side to side; both women could hear the soft hum of machinery as she did so.  
  
    “Can you feel that?” Maryam asked.  
  
    “Uh huh!  The sensors in the leg have nanoconnections to the nerves left behind.  At least, that’s what Horuss told me.”    
  
    _Horuss… where have I heard that name before?_  Porrim wracked her pan for an answer but couldn’t come up with one.  “I find the idea that metal could actually feel something absolutely fascinating.  However, I best focus on the task at hand.  Is there any rhyme or reason to how these are sorted?”  
  
    “More or less by size,” was the reply.  “I can’t say that everyone who comes in here is as interested in making sure things go back where they came from if the shoe doesn’t fit as others, so you may find something out of place.  If you have a rough idea of your foot size, then you can try to find something close and work outward from there.”  
  
    Porrim thought for a moment.  “I have absolutely no idea what my shoe size is.”  
  
    “Well, let’s do this, then.”  Felida kicked the boot off of her organic foot, stood right beside Porrim and placed her arm around the jadeblood’s waist for balance.  She then placed her bare foot right up alongside Porrim’s and said, “I wear a size four boot but my feet are tiny.  Like my boobs, apparently.”   She shot Maryam a mocking look which made her smile bashfully.  “So, those gigantic walkpaddles of yours are obviously bigger than a four.   Quite a bit, actually.  You might want to start at six and go up from there till you find something that fits.  Like clown shoes.”  
  
    Once Felida let go, Porrim studied her oliveblooded companion:  the top of Oceleo’s head almost came up to her own shoulder and her horns only added a few centimeters to this.  “I have to ask this because I’m still trying to get the hang of it all, but are you trying to insult me?”  
  
    “Ooh!  That’s a good one!  Making like you’re too aloof to be insulted by the likes of me!  Keep going!”  
  
    Porrim puzzled over what to say next so she opted for honestly.  “I actually wasn’t really trying there…”  
  
    “Yes!  This is what I’m talking about!  You’re a natural!”  
  
    “I am?   Honestly, I’m a little confused.”  
  
    Felida sighed.  “And into the ditch.  That was a good start; we’ll keep building on that, okay?  Now let’s find you some skis…  I mean, shoes.”  
   
    Porrim rolled her eyes in resignation and took a boot from the rack.  “The size number is worn off…”  
  
    “Try inside the boot.”  
  
    As she brought the long brown boot to her face, the smell made her eyes water.  “Ugh.  This one’s obviously used.  Let’s try a different one.”  She took a shiny black boot and turned it over in her hands.  “This is a five, so which way should I go?”  
  
    “Keep moving right along the wall,” Felida encouraged.  “Sixes and sevens are only a couple of steps thataway.”    
  
    “All right.”  Porrim set her fabric down and starting picking out a few to try on.  After going through a few pairs of boots in various states of repair, she took to a set of ankle-high black boots with a pair of gold buckles on the sides and no heel.   “These are comfortable… and they look new, too.”  
  
    “I’ll say!  And they do go oh-so-well with that towel,” Felida quipped.    
  
    Numerous responses flowed through Porrim’s thinkpan and she tried to pick one that would produce the effect Felida was seeking.  “Of course they do.  Anyone with a modicum of fashion sense would know that black boots go with anything.”  She shot a disproving glance down at Felida’s footwear, even though she knew full well that the brown boots worked perfectly fine with the woman’s brown shorts.  
  
    Felida raised her eyebrows.  “Really!  I didn’t know that!  I guess I learned something today!”  She took a few confident steps closer to the jadeblood.  “Of course, that’s only one lesson from you; I’m WAY ahead in the ‘teaching’ department right now.”  With that, Oceleo reached up and tapped Porrim’s nose.  “Don’t forget who the real teacher is today, girl.”  
  
    Porrim crossed her arms in front of her.  “Who are you calling ‘girl’?  If anyone is to be mistaken for a schoolgrub, I suspect it would be you based on your rather miniature stature.”  
  
    “Wait, did you just try to make a ‘short’ joke there?”  Oceleo laughed.  “Seriously, that’s the lowest.”  
  
    “It is?” Porrim gasped, legitimately worried she’d done something wrong.  “Sorry about that.”  
  
    “No!  I mean, it’s not literally… just… keep going!  You’re doing great!”  
  
    Maryam relaxed.  “Oh!  Okay, then.  Well, when it comes to lowest, you’d know all about it from down there.”  
  
    That earned her a squinty glare from Felida.  “I would say ‘don’t make come up there’ but then I’m not sure you’d know how to make me come anywhere yet, rookie.”   She stood on her toes in order to try and get her face closer to Porrim’s.    
  
    Despite her earlier experiences with Mindfang, Porrim still found this degree of brazenness put her slightly off-balance.  “I… might, but…”  She looked quickly to her right and found some inspiration.  “I think you’d need those gaudy elevator shoes over there to get up here first.”  
  
    Felida looked in the direction implied and laughed loudly when she saw the multicoloured stripes that ran not only up the sides of the boots but the massive platform heels as well.   “You know what?  I’ll show you who’s boss.  You just wait.”  She pulled back from Porrim and strode over to the corner where the boots lay.  Felida kicked her brown ones off and then sat down as she attempted to pull the colourful footwear up over her legs.    
  
    “Is it just me or are you finding putting shoes on a difficult task?  I don’t know how someone who couldn’t figure that out could possibly be the boss of anyone, really…”  Porrim chided.  
  
    “Yeah, you just keep on talking.  I’m totally loving this.”  The shoes themselves were blatantly too large for her by a couple of sizes but with some effort, Oceleo managed to get them up past her knees where her thighs widened enough to hold them in place.  “Okay, here we go…”  Felida rolled over onto her knees, and then used the racks to pull herself up.  “Ha!  It is SO on now, bitch!”  She went to take a step and tottered forward, arms pinwheeling in a desperate effort to stay vertical.  “Oh shit…”  
  
    Before Porrim even knew she had chosen to do it, she was over there catching Felida before she could completely fall over and injure herself.   In one deft motion, she swept her arms under Felida’s and set the oliveblood upright once more.  Once she realized she had done it, Porrim breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Blackrom or not, I couldn’t just stand by and watch that happen.”  
  
    Oceleo grinned.  “No, you totally got it, don’t worry!  Some people never quite figure that out.”  
  
    “Figure what out?”  
  
    “That you’re not supposed to let your partner get badly hurt or just watch them hurt themselves.  It’s a romance just as important as matespritship; I mean, we fill buckets over it!  A little bit of pain here and there is part of the fun, but sometimes people lose sight of what kismesissitude really means.  I learned that the hard way…”  
  
    Porrim had to actively resist an urge to shooshpap the poor woman.   _What would Aranea have to say about that?  I gather it’s not cheating if it’s in a different quadrant but papping her would definitely be out of line.  But what can I do?_  An answer came to her then; before she could overanalyze it, she quietly said, “Some people just can’t learn any other way…”  She placed her hand on Felida’s face, which was now almost parallel to her own, and her lips against Oceleo’s.    
  
    What Porrim received in reply was a much fiercer kiss and two hands clutching at her back.  The intensity was much more than she was prepared for but she stood her ground and tried to grip onto Felida’s body as best she could while she let the tension pour out of her and into this strange kiss.   _Exciting… the same and yet so different…_  
   
    Porrim even considered baring her fangs a bit more and maybe trying a bite like Aranea would sometimes do, but the thought faded rather suddenly.  As the oliveblood’s fingernails dragged across the scars on her upper back, she yelped and pushed back involuntarily.  Felida tottered on her heels and again grabbed onto Maryam’s shoulders for balance.  “What was that?  Was it too much?”  
  
    “It was… I… There was just... I have some scars…”  
  
    “Yeah, don’t we all…”  
  
    Porrim wanted to smile at that.  “Of course, but… mine are still rather fresh.”  She turned around to show Oceleo who gasped in surprise.  
  
    “Ohh… gotcha.  Sorry I didn’t see those there; I know Mistress can get kind of excited sometimes.”  
  
    This time Maryam winced at the memory.  “It wasn’t Aranea that did it…”  
  
    Felida’s hands flew to her mouth.  “Oh shit!  I’m so sorry…”  
  
    “It’s okay,” Porrim said, putting her hands back around Felida’s waist so that she wouldn’t stumble around in her horribly impractical footwear.  “You didn’t know.”  No sooner had she said this when the knot she made in the blue towel she was wearing came loose and dropped to the floor.  “Drat!”    
  
    As Porrim bent down to pick it up, Felida tried her best not to sneak a glance or two at the jadeblood’s curves, but failed miserably.  Once the blushing Porrim was once again standing up in front of her, she asked, “So… do you want to try again?”  
  
    Maryam wasn’t sure what to say; she was too busy trying to rearrange the towel on her body.   _I guess I’m still not quite over my modesty yet…_  “Um, I… really did like that, actually… but maybe just not right now?  I need to think about all of this, and I kind of want to get started on making my dress.”  She chewed at her lip as she thought about what else to add.  “But, I would like to do some more of this with you, yes!  Maybe tomorrow?”  She could see the disappointment on Felida’s face dissipate when she spoke that last sentence and relaxed.  
  
    “Sure!  Tomorrow would be fine.  Besides, I’m sure the crews are probably wondering where I am, waiting for me to do my inspections tonight.  You’ll find the sewing kit is on a shelf just beside where you found the fabric boxes; it’s got a few needles and lots of thread in it.”  
  
    “Glad to hear it!” she answered, genuinely happy that she’d have something far easier to work with than stripped bedsheets and surgical thread this time.  “So, I’ll just be in Aranea’s block working on it for the next couple of nights if you wanted to, you know, stop by?”  
  
    Oceleo grinned widely.  “I think you can expect me to stop by, yes.  Something tells me you could use a bit more ‘blacktice’  before things get really interesting!”  
  
    Porrim audibly snorted with laughter at Felida’s choice of word.  “I’ve never thought of calling it that before!”  
  
    “First time for everything!  Now, before you go, could I ask one small favour of you?”  
  
    “Sure.  What would you like?”  
  
    Felida looked down.  “Can you help me out of these idiot boots?  This was your idea after all, Jadebutt.”  
  
    Porrim covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head.  “You’re just full of fun names tonight, aren’t you?”  
  
    “Yep!  And I really don’t feel like breaking my ankles, either.”  
  
    “I suppose I should assist you with that.”  She came over and knelt down beside Felida and unzipped the boots.  A moment later, Felida was stepping out of the long, rainbow striped footwear, her organic foot first for balance while her prosthetic one followed.  “Better?” Porrim inquired.  
  
    “Much!  I don’t know how Mistress wears those red ones even on deck.  She’s so perfectly surefooted; they’re almost like a second skin to her.  I’m just so glad the one time she wasn’t wearing them was the best time.”  
  
    This piqued Porrim’s curiousity.  “What do you mean?”  
  
    Felida picked up the boots and pitched them back into the corner she found them in; Porrim suspected the oliveblood would have been just as happy pitching them into the ocean the next opportunity she got.   _Maybe I ought to keep her from doing so; might make good use of those later…_    
  
    “Well, has Mistress ever told you about her dice?”  
  
    Porrim searched her pan for an answer.  “You mean dice, like one would gamble with?”  
  
    “Er, kinda.  Except these ones have eight sides.”  
  
    “Of course they would.  Octahedrons.  That sounds like Aranea, all right.”  If there was one thing that was ever predictable about her matesprit, she thought, it was her obsession with that particular number.  
  
    “These aren’t any ordinary dice, though,” Felida continued, “They’re made of fluorite.”  
  
    Maryam’s eyebrows went up.  “Does this have anything to do with your skill at finding it?”  
  
    Felida began to walk around as though she was thrilled to not have to worry about falling off of her own shoes anymore.  “Not this time, no.  We did make a major score of it not long ago, but that’s another story.”  She began to caress her metallic fingers for a moment before remembering herself and carrying on.  “Anyway, we were being boarded by a rather ambitious young Gamblignant who wanted to make a name for herself by stealing the _Fool’s Gam8it_ and attacked during daylight.  To this night I still don’t know how Mistress heard them on board but I’m glad she did;  all she had time to do was grab her jacket and the weapon nearest to her before the attackers reached the helm.  This meant she left her sword behind but her other weapon was her Fluorite Octet, which she put in her front pocket.”  
  
    “Weapon?” Porrim asked.  “How could dice possibly be a weapon?  What did she do with them?  Pelt the attackers in the eyes until they left?”  
  
    “You keep snarking like that, lady, and you and I will do just fine,” Felida purred.  “You must know that fluorite, in the right hands, has very special qualities.  Those who have a natural gift for wielding it can access its vast powers.”  
  
    “Powers?  What kind of powers?”  
  
    Oceleo rested her arm up against a rack of blue shoes.  “Strange interdimensional ones, or so it seems.  Fluorite can draw on unseen energies.  Thing is, they can be incredibly powerful, but also extremely unstable.  Whenever Mistress bonds with the dice and then rolls them, the results are often erratic, but almost always spectacular!”  
  
    Porrim thought about this.  “Can I safely assume that she doesn’t use them terribly often?”  
  
    “You assume right.  As far as she knows, she can only use them about once a night; the most she’s ever dared to try was three consecutive nights, but the roll she came up with wasn’t the best, so she didn’t try again for a long time after that.  Judging by what happened with this attempted boarding, I’m not sure it mattered…”  Felida’s voice trailed off uncertainly.  
  
    “Dare I ask?”  
  
    “Heh.  You wouldn’t believe it.”  
  
    Maryam put her hands on her hips.  “I’ve seen some things.  Try me.”  
  
    “You haven’t seen anything like this before, I assure you.  I was a few seconds behind her on reaching the deck, and I see her and the other Gamblignant captain facing each other.  The invading woman had a long blade and here’s Mistress without hers.  I’m this close to running back below deck to fetch it but I knew there was no way I’d make it back in time.  All I see is Mistress open her jacket, which distracts the opponent because she’s not wearing anything underneath, and the distraction is enough for her to pull out the dice, charge them and hurl them at the deck.”  
  
    Porrim was absolutely rapt.  “So what happened?”  
  
    Felida put a finger in between her teeth and chuckled softly.  “Even from where I was I could see the glowing dice, fluorescing away, the top faces displaying a bunch of ones and twos.  There might’ve been a three in there somewhere but I doubt it.  A split second later, a blinding light…”  
  
    “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on,” Porrim interrupted, “You mean to tell me that the outcome of rolling the dice is actually predicated on the result of what numbers come up?”  
  
    “Well, yeah…  I mean, what else would you expect?  This is what I meant by erratic, Porrim!  Mistress never knew what she was going to come up with, but most of the time, her natural luck produced a favourable roll.  This was the first time I’d ever seen the dice come up with a roll so utterly awful!”    
  
    “Eep.  So, what happens on a good roll?”  
  
    Oceleo thought how best to explain.  “I’ve seen entire ships suddenly float out of the water and off into space, never to be seen again on this world.  I’ve seen the head of every single assailant suddenly explode in a shower of sparkles.  I’ve seen a man’s sword spontaneously turn into lavender grubsauce.  And Mistress has told me of many more rolls that were even more spectacular!”  
  
    Porrim wasn’t sure if she could believe what her sponge clots were hearing.  “And the one you mentioned wasn’t so good?”  
  
    “Prior to this one, the worst roll I’d seen resulted in pies falling from the sky.  Every step anyone would take, they’d get hit with a pie.  And it was sopor slime pie.  Fucking terrible.  There was green shit EVERYWHERE.  And Mistress did NOT take well to that one.  I recall there being an awful lot of casualties that day once the falling pie thing finally wore off after a few minutes, and not all of the wounds she inflicted were on our enemies…”  
  
    “Oh.  I’m almost afraid to ask what happened this time!”  
  
    “It was… strange,” Felida began, “A moment after the dice hit the deck, every single article of clothing worn by both our side and the invaders’ suddenly transformed into yellow and purple pajamas.  One piece fuzzy pajamas, complete with attached feet and buttflaps and everything.  Mistress and the other Gamblignant took one look at each other as best they could in the sunlight and just sorta stood there for a few moments, trying desperately not to crack up.  A minute later, everybody on the ship just sorta went back to where they came from and no one said a word to anyone else.  They sailed off and we went back to our blocks.  Mistress hoped against hope that her pajamas would turn back into her jacket after a while but a week went by and it appeared as though the change was permanent!  She was so beside herself, she wouldn’t leave the respiteblock for another week.  I can’t imagine how distraught she would have been if she’d have lost her boots, too!  Once we pulled into a port, I was tasked with finding clothes for everyone who still needed them and I also found Mistress a new leather longcoat, which I had customized and presented to her as a moirallegiance token that night.”  
  
    Porrim thought for a moment and then asked, “Why were you sent out to get new vestments?  Did your clothes not change?”  
  
    “Well, no… I came on deck naked as it turned out, so…”  
  
    “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me,” Maryam said, chortling.  “Probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do in the daylight, though.”  
  
    “Now that I think about it, probably not,” Felida agreed.  “Sure wish I had sunglasses; I remember it being so nasty and bright!”  
  
    Maryam smiled.  “It’s not so bad, you know.  Once you get used to it.”  
  
    “What isn’t?  You mean the sun?”  Felida looked at the jadeblood, incredulous.  “You sure you didn’t take a blow to the thinkpan at some point?”  
  
    “I’ve always kind of liked it.  Aranea tries to understand it, but I have a feeling she’ll never quite appreciate it the way I do.  I can’t really explain it, but the sun’s light is soothing to me.   It’s nice to see the world in light sometimes.”  
  
    “Oooookay…  You sure you’re not a Rainbow Drinker or something?”  
  
    Porrim heard whispers of the stories people would tell behind her back about jadebloods being Rainbow Drinkers and Daywalkers.  “Even in all my sweeps in the Mother Grub caves, I never once heard anyone say anything about that being true or false.  I think our eyes must just be more easily adapted to it because we needed to be able to greet the lusii who carried the buckets back to the caves during the day before the drones took over that job.  You ever wonder why lusii are white?”  
  
    “I never really thought about it too much,” Oceleo admitted.  
  
    “It’s because they originally worked during the day while we slept.  White has the highest albedo or reflectivity of any colour and it helped them stay cooler in the hot sun.”  
  
    Felida started as though she were slapped.  “That’s amazing!  I never thought about that!  Learn something new every night!”  
  
    “The drones are black, of course, which absorbs heat, so buckets are now collected at night  and the lusii have no reason to visit the caves anymore, save for selecting a new grub.”  
  
    “Well, I’ll be.  You’re full of all kinds of interesting things, Porrim Maryam.  I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”  Felida walked up to stand in front of her, went up on her tiptoes and gave Porrim a quick kiss.  “Now grab your goodies and head back to Mistress’s respiteblock before someone comes in here looking for boots or something.  You can find your way back I take it?”  
  
    Porrim thought for a second.  “I believe so.  Past the clothing racks, out the door, take a right at the battleship and the first door after that, correct?”  
  
    “Damn, you’re good.  But not as good as me,” Felida said with a wink.  “Don’t forget to take the sewing kit, too!”  
  
    “Never in a million sweeps!”  Porrim picked up her fabric and clothing and then turned to leave the block.  She made a mental plan to grab the kit on the way by, but as she did, a mischievous thought crossed her pan and she dropped the red sash she had chosen on the floor.  “Drat.  Better pick that up…”  With deliberate slowness, she bent over, giving Felida an eyeful of what was under her towel.  Once she was standing fully again, Porrim looked over her shoulder to see that the manoeuver had the desired effect; she didn’t think the oliveblood’s eyebrows could possibly be any higher than they were now.  “See you soon!”  
  
    “Yeah,” Felida responded, “The sooner the better!”

 


	10. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindfang meets up with her former bodyguard, Aurana Zashyl, in order to conduct a dangerous first strike against the plans in motion against her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first actual appearance of Aurana in the story, a character courtesy of my friend Vrisky8its. This is a quick chapter, one that needed to take place to help establish some backstory with these characters. Not sure what else to say here; been a bit preoccupied the last couple of months dealing with my impending separation from my wife. It's quite amicable and we will remain friends; I'm moving forward and still writing away. So, if any of you are interested in a 37 year old writer dude with a good job and two kids who lives in Canada, drop me a line... :P Anyway, here's the latest; more with Porrim and Felida next week.
> 
> Soundtrack songs: #13 is a cool instrumental that I thought would work quite well here. Start it from the start!
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**9.**  
  
    Mindfang had only been waiting for about five minutes when an all-terrain hovercar came screaming over a nearby hill and turned sharply to pull up beside her.  Aurana Zashyl hopped out and climbed into Spinneret’s vehicle as quickly as she could.  “Never did have much use for the beaten path, did you, pet?” she said as she tipped her head up slightly in anticipation of Aurana’s greeting.    
  
    The turquoiseblood leaned in to Mindfang’s long exposed neck and took a couple of gentle nips under her jawline before sitting back and buckling in.  “Nope!  Let’s roll!”

  
    Spinneret couldn’t help but smile.   _Eight sweeps since I’ve seen her and still the same old Aurana.  Comforting in a way, really._  She recalled the first time Aurana made to do that shortly after she and Felida offered to join the crew of _Fool’s Gam8it_ ; the number of swords that were drawn made the feral girl jerk into a flight-or-flight stance  but Mindfang bade them to hold their ground and asked Zashyl if this was something her wolf-like lusus had taught her.  Aurana nodded excitedly and hoped that she hadn’t offended her new “alpha” by doing so.  The Captain explained to her crew that this was how wild wolves greeted their superior and their newest member had been raised far from the urban centers under the care of a lusus who knew little of the trappings of troll civilization.    
  
    Aurana adjusted her long shaggy hair as Mindfang pulled out of the parking lot and set a direct course for the mountain range to the east that housed her own lusus.  Seeing her do this set a different set of memories spilling through Spinneret’s pan, some she hadn’t visited in many moons.   _Gods, how long ago…_  The submissive elements of Aurana’s personality manifested themselves in a different manner not long afterwards:  before Felida had ever set foot in Mindfang’s respiteblock, the wild girl had offered herself to her “alpha” in a completely different manner; one that the Gamblignant Captain, who was always interested in a new experience, certainly didn’t turn down.  She found Aurana to be an eager lover, willing and able to please, but Mindfang wasn’t sure whether it was Zashyl’s difficulty in relating to the things in their day-to-day society that Spinneret took for granted or whether it was questioning if keeping someone she couldn’t outright mentally manipulate in such close quarters was a smart idea that led her to limit the sexual side of their relationship to occasional visits.  Spinneret didn’t suspect Aurana had a “heat” period like a real wolf but knew that she, like the rest of the crew, benefited from physical and emotional release during longer voyages.  
   
    Mindfang noted that Aurana didn’t object at all when Felida had taken up much more frequent residence in those quarters, and when Oceleo was promoted to First Mate and often joined her Captain in pleasuring the crew, the two of them almost seemed to fight over who would provide for their leader first.  In what served to be as much auspisticizing as Spinneret was willing to provide, she mentally convinced Felida that Aurana was no threat to her new role as the Captain’s sub and permitted them both ample means of fulfilling their respective needs to serve.  With Felida now second-in-command, Zashyl was more than content to take up the role of personal bodyguard to her Captain, a position that allowed her to satisfy her desire to serve in a manner that she found even more fulfilling.  
  
    Although there was no outright animosity between the two of them that Mindfang could detect, it took a couple of sweeps and a moirallegiance declaration before Felida truly felt comfortable with Aurana’s presence.  The result was a friendly rivalry that would often manifest as practical jokes or the occasional tossing overboard of the other.  Spinneret knew full well that Felida was keeping count of the number of times she got wet versus the turquoiseblood and was reasonably sure that if she were to ask Zashyl right this instant, she would hear the exact running total from her as well.    
  
    It was Aurana who had the questions, though, which didn’t surprise Mindfang at all.  “So, tell me all about her!”  
  
    “Ever to the point with you, eh?  What exactly do you want to know?”  
  
    “Oh, everything!  Where you found this person you finally felt you could fill a red bucket with, what she looks like… you know, all the good stuff!”  
  
    Mindfang hammered down the accelerator pedal and blew past the traffic in her way.  “Well, we’ve got an hour before we reach our destination; I’m pretty sure I can fill you in adequately before we-”  
  
    “Look at that RING!” Aurana exclaimed before Spinneret could finish.  “Is that jade?”   The implications hit her like a ton of bricks.  “Is she a jadeblood?”    
  
    Mindfang grinned knowingly.  “Would you believe me if I said yes?”  
  
    Zashyl nodded excitedly.  “Of course I would, Captain!  Somehow, I’m not even a little surprised you’d end up with someone exotic.”  
  
    “Oh, she’s exotic all right.  One of the most unique people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, and as you know, I’ve met a lot of people…”  
  
  
  
  
    “…and so there we were, just nicely settling in at Base Two when your message came in.  I left Porrim in Felida’s capable hands; I do hope they’ve found something a little more practical than her Sister’s robes for her to wear by the time we get back.”  
  
    Aurana was dumbstruck by the time she’d processed all of what her Captain had told her about Porrim’s origins, her life as the Dolorosa, her role in the Signless’s life and death, and how she ended up not only as Mindfang’s captive but eventually her lover and matesprit.   “Wow… that’s… something else!”  
  
    “She is exactly that, pet.  I never thought in a thousand sweeps I would ever encounter a heart so pure, a jewel so precious that it would have no equal.”  Spinneret felt a pang in her pusher about leaving her behind yet again.   _She’s coming next time whether she likes it or not.  I can’t keep leaving you, Porrim, not after all this.  This mission was just way too dangerous for you, though._  “We’re coming back from this, Aurana, just so you know.  There’s no way I dare to leave her alone after all we’ve been through in such a short time.”  
  
    Zashyl laughed through her nose with a series of huffs as she often did.  “I don’t blame you; leaving her alone with Felida for any period of time would probably weird her right out.”  
  
    “Now, now,” Mindfang chided, “You seemed to get along with her just fine for the most part, even if it was a little odd at first.”  
  
    “Just a good-natured poke, Captain.  I’m actually kinda looking forward to seeing her again just so I can give her an occasional reminder that someone can own her now and then.”  
  
    “Tell me again why you two aren’t kismesises?”  
  
    Aurana raised an eyebrow.  “Because you wouldn’t let us, remember?”  
  
    Spinneret smiled, exposing her fangs.  “Ah, yes.  Even though I have little patience for auspistism - it’s one of the few things I will ever admit to having no skill at – when it comes to my crew’s wellbeing, I will do it if I must.  I honestly don’t think I could have seen you two coming to blows over me, mind you.”  
  
    “Felida is what she is.  Her skill in battle is far better than I would have ever believed when we were captured.”  
  
    “In no small part thanks to your tuition!  Felida’s greatest asset is that she learns very quickly.   I suspect you will find Porrim to be as gifted, but much more reluctant to take to the martial arts.”  
  
    Zashyl perked up.  “You want me to teach her combat?”  
  
    “Oh, I’ll have my role to play there as well, but if what we’re about to do here puts us on the run, my focus will have to be on naval operations versus training my matesprit how to swing a sword.  I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have instruct her.”  
  
    “Thank you, Captain!  I shall do my best!”  
  
   “Of that I have no doubt, Aurana.”  Mindfang eased back slightly on the vehicle’s speed as they took a hill and a blind curve; sheer red cliff faces sped past as they entered the mountain passes.  “When the time comes, I have a feeling we’re going to need to get the hell out of here in a hurry.”  
  
    Aurana chuffed again.  “You’re that confident we’ll get out of this alive, Captain?”  
  
    “Hey,” Spinneret began, “it’s me.  I know these roads like the back of my hand.”  
  
    Considering the speeds Mindfang was still traveling at, Aurana was reasonably certain that her Captain wasn’t boasting.  “I don’t doubt you for a second!”  
  
    “I’m thrilled to hear that, pet.  Now, how about you fill me in on how you and that Kaerah of yours are getting along?”  
  
    Aurana put her hands behind her head and reclined in the seat.  “Well, aside from the fact that her employer is about as useful as nipples on a bonebulge,  it’s been good.  Real good…”  
  
  
  
  
    “Well, remind me that I do owe your matesprit one for her willingness to risk her position by sending you and, in turn, me that message,” Mindfang said as she negotiated the winding road that was carved into the side of the cliff.  There was only one way in and out of the area where her lusus lived and the roadway, while wide enough to accommodate a giant spider, was not for the faint of pusher as falling rocks and other hazards littered the path.  “I can only hope my luck will permit us to arrive in time to be a factor.”  
  
    Aurana was unaccustomed to hearing such a fluctuation in confidence from her Captain; she assumed it stemmed from her concern for her lusus, even though what she had heard from Mindfang suggested not only was her guardian massive and insatiable but also not exactly warm and friendly either.   “I’m sure we wil-oh my…”  
  
    The shadow that covered their vehicle blocked out any light that was visible from the risen green moon for a few moments, certainly long enough to call attention to the creature that created it.  Spinneret looked up for a split second before returning her focus to the road.   _Damn it all… it would have to be a dragon, wouldn’t it?_  “Are you seeing what I’m seeing, pet?”  
  
    “If you’re seeing a gigantic white dragon lusus, then yes,” she replied.  “There’s someone riding inside its claws, too.”  
  
    “That’ll be your Neophyte Legislacerator, I’m certain.”  Mindfang permitted herself another glance at the winged shape cutting through the night in search of its prey.   _Magnificent… It’s a crime to have to destroy something so majestic but I can’t let it kill my lusus, which I know full well it’s planning to do._  She accelerated the hovercar as quickly as she dared, knowing that life and death hung in the balance.  “Hang on…”    
  
    Aurana did just that, watching as the last of the winding road melted away behind them until they came to a wider spot.  The cliff faces here were covered with gossamer threads, thick pods hanging in clusters here and there from the more sturdy ones.  
  
    Wondering what was inside of those made Zashyl shiver and she tried not to think about it, instead focusing her attention on the sleek white shape that was banking around and descending rapidly.  A gout of red flame burst forth from it’s maw as though to underscore what its intentions were.  “What’s the plan, Captain?”  
  
    “Plan?” Spinneret said as she brought the hovercar to a sudden halt and leapt out.  Once she noticed that Aurana had done the same and was now brandishing her silver cutlass, she made her way towards the rear of the vehicle and opened the trunk.  “The plan is this:  keep that Legislacerator occupied until I can take out that lusus of hers.”  
  
    Zashyl didn’t question Mindfang terribly often; it just wasn’t the natural order of things in her world, but this time she couldn’t help but wonder if her Captain had seriously underestimated what it was they were dealing with.  “Take out that lusus?  Did I hear you right, Captain?”  
  
    Spinneret said nothing, instead retrieving a long violet weapon  from the recesses of the trunk.  She slung it over her shoulder and pressed a button that caused the weapon to start glowing and humming gently.    
  
    “What… IS that?” Aurana asked with a combination of horror and awe.  
  
    “This?  Let’s just call this little toy a parting gift from my ex-kismesis.”  She pressed the butt of the weapon into the hollow of her shoulder and began to line up the sweeping white form in its sights.  “How kind of him to give me something I can use to even the odds… maybe even tip them in my favour.  Get ready, Aurana; I have a feeling that Neophyte is going to be rather unhappy about this.  Can’t blame her, quite honestly.  And no matter what happens to her lusus, take her alive.  Understand me?”  
  
    Zashyl nodded.  “Yes, Captain.”  
  
    “Gooooooood.”  Mindfang squeezed the trigger.  Blue light lanced forth from the barrel.

 


	11. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim attempts to complete the construction of her new outfit - when her new black lover gives her time to work on it, that is. Felida's methods of instruction become increasingly "hands on". Aranea's return spurs the crew to a hurried departure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I teased you with this blackrom long enough? Hopefully you enjoy this side of the story as much as the Porrim/Aranea redrom (don't worry, I haven't forgotten about that; there will be much more to come)! 
> 
> Soundtrack songs: #14 is from my favourite album of last year (yes, even above Daft Punk's): Goldfrapp's "Tales of Us". I just thought the music suited this scene wonderfully; the hint of dissonance fits well with blackrom, even a paler version like this one.
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**10.**  
  
    If there was a god or goddess responsible for attending the needs of people who sewed,  Porrim was sending silent thanks their way after two nights of successful work on her new outfit.  She was back in her jade and black dress now that it was dry and busily throwing stitches into her newest project.   _Almost feel like I’m ten again, making the dress that I’m wearing now._  She remembered how satisfying it was to work with her hands, the feeling of the needle piercing the cloth again and again and watching a garment forming before her very eyes.   _And the work is flying by in comparison to the last dress I made.  Having the right needles and better thread make a world of difference._  
   
    Porrim laid the outfit out on the bed in front of her to gauge her progress:  all she had left to do was to add a decorative trim to the hemline and the cuffs and she figured it was finished.  She was most thankful that there was enough of one of the jade dresses to create the upper portion of the vest while the simple skirt below was fashioned from a soft black material with panels created from what was left of the second Sister’s garments.   _And while the finish in the waistline isn’t perfect, the red sash will cover that up so no one can tell.  
   
    Of course, I would have been done by now if I wasn’t so pleasantly distracted,_ she lamented as she thought of Felida’s interruptions of her work, _or is that how I’m supposed to think of it?  This blackrom business is so confusing._  Just before suppertime, her matesprit’s moirail would saunter in with a plateful of loaf and start chattering about this and that, occasionally slinging good-natured barbs in an effort to get under Porrim’s skin.  Porrim would meet those with witty disdain and before long, they would end up on Aranea’s bed, watching a movie and touching each other.  The first morning, Porrim backed off again, citing a sore back and shoulder; this excuse bore some legitimacy as she had been sitting in one position so long sewing without a break that she felt so stiff that  only a soak on the recupracoon would ease it.  She had a feeling Felida was disappointed: the sounds that came from the bed in the other room before Porrim nodded off suggested Oceleo was frustrated enough to attend to her own needs (the high-pitched howl that followed also suggested that she was trying to do so with her cybernetic hand, but with mixed results).  
  
    The second morning, after a particularly rousing “blacktice” session, Porrim found herself being held down by Felida in a manner not unlike the restraining devices that Aranea employed.  At least, her arms were being held; Felida’s feet barely came anywhere near Porrim’s ankles in this position but it was the thought that counted.  As they kissed, Felida was having a hard time figuring out how to get a hand inside of Maryam’s dress, so Porrim sat up, removed the mantle and undid the top, allowing her black lover access to her breasts without risking damage to her cherished clothing.  
   
    _Felida has such a different scent,_ Porrim thought; where Aranea smelled of leather and sea salt and the floral notes of her soap, Felida carried the scent of the sea but to a much lesser degree considering she’d been on land for so long.  Beyond that, Porrim couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was Oceleo reminded her of, but the closest she could recall was a spice called cinnamon she enjoyed as a treat in her youth that was served on grub puddings on special occasions.   All of this was tinged with a hint of something metallic, the source of which was obvious, but she still found it quite pleasant for the most part.  
   
    It was when Felida was sucking and lightly nipping at her neck when a sound began that startled them both.  Porrim had asked as to what it was and where it came from, but without a word other than a low growl, Oceleo rolled off of Porrim and stomped over to the console under the large screen.  She muted the movie and punched a button.  “What is it?  Is the Captain back?”  
  
    A voice came over the speakers, “No, Ma’am, but we’ve had an issue in the ordinance storage bay on _Head8reaker_.   We really need your assistance; a couple of the missiles have shifted and there’s no one here strong enough to move them.  I thought maybe your new arm might be able to do so?”  
  
    “It’s worth a try.  I’ll be right down.”  She closed the channel and pulled her blouse back down; their chest-to-chest contact had left her most obviously aroused and this was visible through the white fabric of her shirt.  “Sorry about this,” she pouted.  “Duty calls.”  
  
    “Don’t worry,” Porrim said, “It’s certainly not the first time that’s happened to me.”  
  
    Oceleo nodded knowingly.  “I suspect Mistress shouldn’t be away much longer.  She figured about three nights or so.”  
  
    Porrim had already pestered the oliveblood a couple of times for more details of her matesprit’s whereabouts but both attempts came up empty; she suspected that Felida might actually not know what was going on.  All that they both knew was that it involved a rather dangerous set of circumstances.  “I hope you’re right.  I’m worried about her.”  
  
    “As am I.  But then, everytime she’s left, she’s come back in one piece.  No reason to suspect she wouldn’t this time around, right?”  Felida slipped her boots on and adjusted her sash.  “As for you, Jadebutt, you stay right there; I’m not done chewing on you yet.”  
  
    “Well, maybe I’m not done being chewed on, either?”  Porrim sat up on the blue-sheeted bed and began to try and fix the comforter which was bunched up in a few places due to their activities.  Felida had replied with a wink and a smile but Porrim found that she couldn’t stay awake long enough to await her return.  
  
    When evening came, Porrim awoke to find that while Felida wasn’t there, she had been not that long ago:  the sheets on the other side of the bed were in complete disarray and there was still a head indent in the pillow.   _It was kind of her to let me sleep, but I do feel badly that I couldn’t stay awake any longer._  After a soak in the ablution trap and a visit to the thermal hull for a bite to eat, she sat down on at the foot of the bed and began the final stages of completing her bodice.  As she recalled the events of the last two nights, Porrim stitched the last of the lace trim to the garment and laid it on top of the white ruffled shirt she’d chosen to go underneath.   _Yes… that looks good._  She then tossed the skirt on the bed under it and put the red piece that would serve to tie it all together on top.   _Damn good.  I can’t wait to hear what Aranea thinks of this!_  She looked it over again.   _I best try it on again just to make sure…_  
  
    No sooner had she let her jade and black dress hit the floor than the door opened and Felida strode in.  Porrim yelped and made to pick her dress up off of the floor to cover herself up but halfway down, she changed her mind.   _You know what?  Maybe it’s time to change things up a bit._  She straightened back up and looked slightly away from Oceleo while attempting to put on a façade of indifference.    
  
    “Well!” Felida exclaimed.  “Is this an invitation, then?”  
  
    “What, do I look like a card to you?”  
  
    “Weak, Porrim.  Try again.”  
  
    The jadeblood sighed with indignation.  “Fine.  Um… let’s see… Okay, how about this:  Invitation?  Do you see a party here?”  
  
    “A bit better,” Felida encouraged as she took in Porrim’s bare form.  “Actually, I do see the potential for one.  And if it is a party, I’m totally overdressed.”  
  
    Porrim could feel her pusher pick up a bit as Felida kicked her boots off and then removed her top in as smooth a motion as she’d seen Oceleo make with her metallic arm.  “Well aren’t you getting handy with that!”  
  
    “Get your new clothes off the bed and I’ll show you just how handy.  It’s time, dammit.”  Once she had her sash off, Felida hooked her thumbs into her waistband and quickly slipped her shorts down before saying, “You know what?  Fuck the bed; this is happening right now.”  
  
    “Fuck the bed?  That doesn’t seem like a terribly smart ideEEEEEE-”  The next thing Porrim knew she was on the floor with Felida astride her, sucking hungrily on her lips.  After a few moments of this, she asked, “Is it normally this quick?”  
  
    “Sometimes it can be.  This is one of those times.  Now how about we get this going before someone calls about an exploding load gaper or something?”  
  
    Before Porrim could even voice a reply, an olive tongue was in her mouth, and then those olive lips began making a trail down her chest.  Felida’s hands had Porrim’s wrists contained within and she offered no resistance as the tiny woman took her full breast into her mouth this time  and very lightly brushed her teeth against her nipple.   _Aranea usually has to avoid this for fear of her fangs doing damage… this is actually rather hot!_  She watched as her partner broke away for a moment, put two fingers in her own mouth, withdrew them wet and dragged them down Porrim’s stomach with such antagonizing slowness that Maryam thought she would spasm violently, but through force of will was able to keep herself from doing so.  Those wet fingers arrived between her thighs and began to sweep down along her lower lips; Porrim wanted to desperately to clutch at the carpet but only one hand was free to do so now so she anchored herself as best she could.  
  
    “No, no,” said Felida, “You want to grab at something, you grab at something on me.  My back, even my hair or my horns.  It’ll just get me more excited.”    
  
    “Your horns?  Seriously?”    
  
    “Yeah.  Fuck yeah.  I’ll stay up here and let my right hand do the work.  You maul me with your left.  Then we’ll swap.  Sound like a plan?”  
  
    Porrim released her grip on the carpet and let her hand rest on Felida’s tapered horn.  “Sure.”  
  
    “All right, then.”  Oceleo slipped one of her moistened fingers into Porrim’s seedflap, followed shortly thereafter a second, and let her thumb rest alongside the jadeblood’s engorged nub.  With each pulse her hand made, it rubbed up against her most pleasurable place and Porrim began to involuntarily squeeze at the woman doing such a delicious thing.  “There you go…  That’s what I’m talking about.  Now take what’s coming to you…”    
  
    As the tempo of what Felida’s hand was doing picked up, Porrim realized that her pleasure was completely at the mercy of her new black lover and she found it to be far more exciting than she thought it could be.   _Aranea’s restraint required trust and so does this.  It’s not as soft or romantic, but… it does feel pretty damn good!  There’s something almost primal about it…_  “Then give it… to me…” she panted.  Porrim wished she knew how to clamp down on Felida’s fingers the way her matesprit did but decided she would make it her mission to find out.  
  
    Felida’s smile was somewhere between seductive and sneering.  “Maybe I will.  But you just remember who’s giving it to you, girl.”  She paused to place her mouth on Porrim’s firm nipple and sucked hard on it, letting her teeth lightly drag across the skin of her breast again when she released her grip.  “As much as I love pleasing Mistress, it’s kind of nice to have a bit more than a mouthful to play with again!” </i>  
  
    “Glad… you approve…  Just keep doing that…”  Porrim was outright shivering each time she did and she could feel the now familiar swell of sensations starting to build between her legs, but it was charging like a wave this time, fast and strong.   _She’s almost pulling it from me and my body wants to hurry and give it to her… and there’s no stopping it!_  Her teeth started to chatter as she almost helplessly began her climax; Porrim grabbed onto Felida’s metal hand and her horn tightly and wailed as the wetness flowed forth in a violent surge that made her eyes pop open.  Even when Porrim was starting to find her focus again and was sure that she was done, Felida kept pressing fingers inside of her, but focused more on what her thumb was doing.  Despite her best attempts, Porrim couldn’t speak and found herself enjoying it with only soft keening sounds that she couldn’t prove were even coming from her own voice.  A second wave of shuddering rocked her and she pulled her legs up once the shockwave hit, which set Felida’s hand free from her seedflap.  Her grip on the oliveblood loosened and she let her arms fall back over her head as she let herself wallow in the strange, emotionally draining afterglow.  
   
    “Congratulations, Jadebutt!  Welcome to blackrom!  You survived!” Felida remarked.  
   
    Porrim opened her eyes to see the tiny woman sitting beside her, the fingers of her right hand now showing a green tinge as she let one come to rest inside of her mouth.  “It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted that bitter note,” Felida continued, “although it’s pretty mild here.  Not that I’m complaining, though.”  
  
    “What do you mean?” Porrim asked as she sat up on her elbows to look at Oceleo.  
  
    “The body can sense the tension caused by mating hate and the resulting expulsions have a slightly different chemical composition.  If they didn’t, what would stop someone from filling their black buckets with red emissions?  But then, I figure you already knew that part; I’m just guessing you didn’t go sticking your fingers into other people’s pails to taste the difference.”  
  
    Maryam grimaced at the idea.  “Uh, no.  Admittedly, that never did cross my pan.”  
  
    “Thank goodness for that!  Anyway, the greater the tension, usually the more bitter taste associated.  It’s a sign of a potent combination.  Since you and I are just getting started and planning to keep it pretty pale, yours isn’t that bitter at all.”  Felida leaned forward and put her nose up against Porrim’s and gave her a quick kiss.  “But that doesn’t mean you didn’t enjoy it, I bet?”  
  
    “You bet correctly.”  Porrim returned the kiss and said, “So, this is where I should be returning the favour, right?”  
  
    Felida smiled in anticipation.  “Uh-huh.  I’ve wanted some part of you on some part of me since that first night where I thought you were blackbaiting me.  Let’s make this happen.   Now, here’s your chance to learn how to take the lead.”  
  
    This got Porrim’s attention.  “Okay… So what do I do differently?”  
  
    “When it comes to blackrom, the orgasm often builds quickly because sometimes the partners have upped the intensity to such a degree that they need to get it out right-fucking-now or else it could escalate into violence.  However, since I know you’re not gonna beat the tar out of me, do what you would normally do, but frame it so that I don’t have much of a choice in the matter; we’re doing what YOU say!  I may backtalk a bit, but just put me in my place and take the olive right out of me.  When it comes to doing this with the Mistress, it’s more about the ‘I’m in charge’ part that you need to focus on versus trying to get a blackrom climax out of her, which I think would be a potentially dangerous idea!  She would probably clue in pretty quick about what we’re up to…”  
  
    “Wait… You think we should keep this a secret?” Porrim asked.  “Why?”  
  
    Oceleo thought for a moment.  “Let me put it this way:  one, she’s just lost her kismesis and I don’t think it would be cool to wave our black love in front of her nose right now, no matter how pale it is.  And secondly, I’m not sure what she’d make of it!  Let’s just keep it between us for a little while, hm?”  She gently tapped Porrim on the nose; the jadeblood was pleased that her control with the metal finger was getting better as the gesture didn’t hurt at all.  “We might be able to get away with a few verbal barbs in front of her, just to tease each other, but we’ll have to meet on the sly now and then… which I think is pretty hot, too.  Now,” Felida said as she rolled over onto her back, “it would be perfectly acceptable for me to put my flap in your face and make you work some magic on it, but I want to get you used to running the show so how about you come over here and show me what you’ve got.”  
  
    Porrim swallowed and wracked her pan for ideas.  “Well, I did learn from one of the best…”  
  
    “That’s the thing, Porrim:  so did I, so I’ll be the judge of that!”  
  
    “Oh, that’s right.  Good point.”  
  
    Felida smiled invitingly.  “Hey, don’t worry.  Just be confident!  Confidence is sexy; it’s what I think makes Aranea as sexy as she is.”  
  
    Maryam nodded.  “I believe you may have a point there as well.  All right…”  She tried to think of some of the things that Aranea had said to her and how she set the scene.  “I think you need to lay down.”  
  
    “Um… I think I already am?  Keep trying.”  Felida grinned as she said this so as to try and set Porrim at ease.    
  
    “I’m going to do a lot more than try, catgirl,” Porrim said, barely believing the words coming out of her mouth, “I’m going to make you beg for it!”  
  
    “But I’m already begging for it?”    
  
    Porrim sighed with as much exasperation as she could muster.  “Maybe I should just find a way to get you to stop talking.”  
  
    “Yeah, good luck with that!” Felida taunted.  “The more you keep screwing around trying to figure out what to do next, the more likely I am to flip you over like a shellbeast and make you lick me silly!”  
   
    _Then I better think fast… maybe in both senses of the word?  It feels rushed compared to the red romance, but I’m betting she’s more than ready._  “I swear this, you chattering brat, if you say one more word…”  
  
    “PPPPPpPPpPPBBBbbbbbthhhhhh!!!!!”  
  
    Porrim smiled tightly.  “Close enough.”  She locked eyes with Felida as long as she could as she very deliberately stood up, walked over to Felida’s feet, kicked their clothes out of the way, and then knelt down and parted Oceleo’s knees to gain access to her decidedly moist seedflap.  Without saying another word, she placed her lips on a spot just beside Felida’s lower lips and sucked, which created a sound somewhere between a gasp and a moan to emanate from the oliveblood.  Feeling emboldened by that response, Porrim repeated the same on the other side, just adjacent to her prominent little nub, which created the same sound but louder.  “Now, that’s more like it!”  
  
    Felida went to say something but Porrim placed her pursed lips directly over that olive protrusion and sucked; whatever attempt to say evaporated in an instant and came out as inarticulate sound.  “Music to my sponge clots,” Maryam quipped and continued nursing away at Felida’s nub while she let her fingers explore the aroused seedflap below.  As Porrim slipped a digit into the holes she found, Oceleo pounded on the floor as she whimpered something completely incomprehensible.  She pulled her mouth away for a moment to add, “Something tells me Aranea likes to use a gag with you; I bet that’s a thing you might like.”  
  
    All Felida could do was moan her acknowledgement and grab at Porrim’s head in an effort to encourage her to continue her oral ministrations.  Maryam got the message and resumed licking and caressing her most pleasurable place, just as Aranea had taught her a couple of perigees ago.   _She certainly has a different taste as well, but it’s quite pleasant; I don’t think she’s far from her release at all…_  
  
    Porrim’s assessment was accurate:  it only took a couple of minutes for Felida’s noises to take on a decidedly higher pitch and volume; the only decipherable sounds were vulgarities and words of encouragement, which spurred Porrim on further.  She broke away for a moment to add, “You know, you’ve got a bit of a ‘gaper mouth’ on you…”  
  
    “FUCK’S SAKE!  YOUR TURN… SHUT UP… LICK ME!  FUCK!"  
  
    “I suppose, since you asked me so nicely…”  
  
    The response was more flustered swipes at her head, so Porrim returned her tongue from whence it came and focused on one spot, swirling it around and around Felida’s nub in anticipation of giving her black lover the release she was so desperately begging for.   _Oh, you’re about to go off, aren’t you?_ Porrim thought.  She used her fingers to push up ever so slightly harder inside Oceleo’s seedflap and let her tongue do the rest.   _Then let go…_  
  
    The noises Felida made just before her release were quite unlike anything Porrim Maryam had ever heard before in her twenty sweeps.  The volume and intensity startled her but she managed to keep her focus enough to give Oceleo her climax and pull back; Felida’s wails hit a crescendo just as her olive-tinged emissions squirted forth all over Porrim’s chest… as the main viewscreen behind them flared to life.  
  
    “Felida!” Ianrad’s voice suddenly boomed.  “We need you on the bridge in five min-OH!  SHIT, I’M…”  
  
    In a fury, Felida reached over and grabbed her boot, screeched “ _FUCKOFF!!!!!_ ” and hurled it at the screen with all her might.  
  
    The next sound Porrim heard was a loud crack and a smash.    
  
    “Oh, shit,” Felida said.  
  
    “Oh, shit,” agreed Porrim, almost afraid to turn around and look.  She looked down instead to see Felida’s seedflap still pushing out liquid.   _Poor girl… I hope she at least enjoyed it?_  
  
    “Sorry to use the emergency channel like this,” came Ianrad’s voice again, this time from the smaller screen in the adjacent block, “but the Captain just called the ship; she’s inbound hot and wants us on the water in five minutes, ma’am!”  
  
    Porrim slid over to let Felida stand up and make her way into that block; the lights were off in that one so that she didn’t bother throwing a shirt on, not that Porrim would have suspected she would have anyway.  “What’s going on?  Define ‘us’?”  
  
    “ALL of us, ma’am.  Her words, of course.  I’m helming _Head8reaker_ and Wexlin has _Aces High_ ; everyone else has their assignments.  We’re all out the door in five, and please make sure the Captain’s matesprit is in tow.  She insisted on that as well, ma’am.”  
  
    Felida could see him squirming on the other end, both from the sudden stress load just dumped on him but also from his trying to unsee what he saw.  “We’ll be there.  Don’t worry about _Fool’s Gam8it_ ; I had everything loaded this evening before I came back to the block.  See you out there.”  
  
    “Yes, ma’am,” the orangeblood replied.    
  
    “And Ianrad?”  
  
    “Yes, ma’am?”  
  
    “You didn’t see anything there, right?”  
  
    “No, ma’am.”  
  
    “Good.  I’ll let you know when you did.”  
  
    “Aye, ma’am.”  
  
    Felida came back into the respiteblock to see Porrim sneaking a quick taste of her finger.  “Couldn’t resist, eh?  Don’t blame you; I’d be curious, too.”  She then dared to look up at the main viewscreen:  her brown leather boot was completely and utterly embedded in the middle of it, the glass smashed and cracked throughout.  “‘Oh shit’ was right.  Don’t walk over here until you get your boots on, Jadebutt; the floor’s covered in glass.  And you’re gonna need to get your boots on real quick!”  She offered Porrim her metallic arm and helped her to her feet.  
  
    Porrim looked down at her chest, still a decidedly olive shade.  “What about this?”  
  
    “Oh, wow… you did awesome!  Look at all that!” Felida exclaimed and gave Maryam an intense but brief kiss.  “That was fucking amazing, just so you know, but you really need to get into the gaperblock and wash up fast as hell; we need to be out the door in two minutes tops!  Can you do it?”  
  
    “On my way!”  Porrim was no stranger to quick departures;  she’d had her share in her time with the Signless’s crew and she made for the gaper post haste.  By the time she’d washed most of Oceleo’s emissions from her breasts, Felida had already cleaned up in the other sink, was fully dressed and in the process of trying to pull her boot from the viewscreen.  “Figures I’d throw it with my left arm… FUCK!  Come ON!”  
  
    “What about all that glass there you warned me about?” Porrim inquired.  
  
    “It was my left boot; my metal foot won’t pick up glass, thankfully.  Now hurry up and get your new kit on!  We’ve got a minute before we need to be on the catwalk!”  
  
    Porrim didn’t waste time arguing; she gathered the clothing that was so hastily tossed to the floor and hurriedly pulled it on.  By the time she had her black boots on, Felida had successfully retrieved her own and slipped her synthetic foot inside.  “You ready?  Oh, right, let me help you tie that sash and then we’re outta here!”  
  
    “Okay… but what about this mess?”  
  
    Felida wrapped the red fabric around Porrim’s waist and tied it into a solid bow.  “The droids will take care of it, don’t worry.  Let’s move!”  
  
    “But what about my other dress?”  Porrim wasn’t comfortable with the idea of leaving it behind.  
  
    “Don’t worry, it’ll be safe here.  We need to move!”  
  
    Just then Porrim noticed the carpet beside the bed was covered in streaks of olive and green.  “OH NO!  What do we do about that?” she asked, pointing to the telltale signs of their hatemaking.    
  
    “Droids!  Come ON already!”  Felida grabbed Porrim’s hand and hauled her out of Aranea’s block.    
  
    They ran down the metal catwalk, their boots clacking out a rapid staccato as they hurried towards the docks.  Porrim noticed the battleship was already on the move as the doors that lead to the open ocean slowly slid apart.  “Where’s Ara- I mean, Spinneret?”  
  
    “As long as we beat the Captain onto the ship, we should be good.”    
  
    Thirty seconds later, they were taking the ramp onto Fool’s Gam8it and on the wooden deck.  “Prepare for immediate departure as soon as the Captain is onboard!” Felida shouted to the crew, most of whom were already on the move, completing their preparations as quickly as their hands and feet would allow.    
  
    “Good news, Felidaaaaaaaa… The Captain IS onboard!”  
  
    Both women spun around to see Mindfang quickly walking up the ramp, a large roll of some kind slung over her shoulder.  “Captain!  Welcome back!” Felida greeted.  
  
    Porrim so desperately wanted to run over to her matesprit and hug her, but the urgency of the situation and the peculiar cargo she was holding prevented her from doing so.  “Good to see you both.  Just let me deal with this and I will fill you in properly.  Get us out the door as soon as you can, Felida!”  
  
    “Aye, Captain!”  They watched for a moment as Mindfang carried the long tube of what looked to be fabric down below deck and then Felida bellowed, “Captain on deck!  Immediate departure authorized, standby for course, all hands to stations!”  
  
    Maryam didn’t think it was possible for the crew to move any faster, but they suddenly appeared to.  She watched them move like an organic machine, manning consoles and arming deck-based weapons.   _Such teamwork!  I can only hope to be a part of something like this somenight._  
  
    “Felida!  How long until we clear the gates?” Mindfang asked from the stairwell.  
  
    “About thirty seconds, Captain!” came the answer.  
  
    “Gooooooood.  You and Porrim come down here; I have something to show you.”  
Porrim couldn’t guess for the life of her what was in that roll, but she suspected she was about to have an answer.  As she approached the stairwell, Felida slipped past her and made a quick grab at her backside.  Porrim managed to stifle a yelp but also had to resist the urge to slap Felida’s ass in response as Aranea would likely notice it.   _She’s sneaky, this one… but I kind of like it!_ she thought to herself.  
  
    Once she was in the hallway, Porrim saw her matesprit standing in front of a door.  It wasn’t the one that lead to her quarters, but instead one that led to a block she didn’t really spend a lot of time in during her quick tour:  the brigblock.  She looked at Aranea who only smiled in response.  “Don’t worry, dear heart; everything’s fine, at least for the moment.  Let’s just say that my new cargo may attract a bit of attention, however.”    
  
    Maryam entered the block behind Felida and Mindfang came in behind them both.  “Well, I’ll be…” Oceleo remarked, “Who’s our new friend?”  
  
    “Friend might be too strong a word here, Felida… at least at the moment.”  
  
    Porrim took a look at the figure on the other side of the bars:  an unconscious woman lay on the floor of the brigblock, her outfit in tatters save for her red plastic boots which reminded her immediately of Aranea’s own.  A small trickle of teal dripped from her mouth which, even in her comatose state, appeared to be drawn up in a mocking smile.  “What’s this about?” she asked of Spinneret.  
  
    “My dear, sweet, innocent Porrim…” she replied, placing an arm around Maryam’s waist, “You look absolutely smashing, might I add.  Wow.”  Once she was done enjoying Maryam’s smile, she continued, “Let’s just say I stepped out to run some errands.  Bringing home a tealblood legislacerator wasn’t exactly on my list to start, but she ended up making that list in a biiiiiiiig way.  The shackles you see on her wrists and ankles aren’t just for our protection but for hers as well; she’s rather unhappy about the recent passing of her lusus  and I’m worried she’s going to do something rash when she wakes up.”  
  
    Mindfang stepped away and strutted up to the bars.  “You see, I intend to enjoy her company for as long as I can.  She and I have oh so much to discuss, whether she knows it yet or not.”  She noticed Felida was completely fascinated by their new shipmate, but Porrim looked absolutely horrified.  “Relax, my sweet.  This isn’t me taking a prisoner for the sake of doing so; this woman was sent, along with her lusus, to exterminate mine.  Thanks to a tip from a friend of a friend, we were able to beat her at her own game.  Who knew that stupid toy of Ampora’s would actually come in useful so soon?”  
   
    Porrim remembered vividly the electroharpoon, Ahab’s Crosshairs, being aimed in her direction not all that long ago.  “What… what did you do with it?”  
  
    “I’d rather spare you the gory details, Porrim, but let’s just say it was very effective against airborne lusii.  So, instead of delivering the same fate to this poor young woman, I chose to bring her aboard instead so that there can be an exchange of information.  After all, I would love to know who was behind the whole thing, other than the Grand Highblood himself, that is.”  
  
    This time Porrim visibly shuddered at that name being mentioned.  “I see…”  
  
    “Fear not, love; with such a skilled and lovely team around us,” Mindfang began, putting her arm around Felida this time, “I think we should be able to repel any attempts to re-obtain their lost legislacerator.  At least, I believe we should get a reasonable amount of time to talk of many things with her before we need to part company.  Besides, I’m certain you and her will have something to discuss, judging by the sigil around her pretty neck…”  
  
    Porrim looked to the part of the tealblood’s anatomy that Aranea suggested and gasped:  on a silver chain around the unconscious woman’s neck was a shape that resembled a pair of special wrist shackles; a symbol she knew had become the sign of the Signless.

 


	12. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Fool's Gambit sets sail with a tealblooded Legislacerator in the brig, Porrim is introduced to Aurana Zashyl in a rather startling fashion. In the middle of a day spent in the Captain's quarters, Aranea asks her matesprit if she'd consider some additional training, much to Porrim's relief as she fears Mindfang may discover her new black secret sooner than she'd hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a bridging chapter before things start getting quite interesting again; always nice to see Aranea and Porrim enjoying some moments to themselves as well, no? 
> 
> Soundtrack song: Song #15 to start at "Porrim carefully rested her head..." A lovely song for this scene.
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**11.**  
  
    Porrim stood on the stern of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ , watching the other ships close around in a defensive formation.  She gripped the railing as hard as she could for support, uncertain whether it was the ship’s movements or her discomfort with the idea of her matesprit taking prisoners that upset her protein chute more.   _What have I gotten myself into?  This isn’t-_  
  
    “Isn’t what, love?  I told you that she meant to harm someone I cared for,” Spinneret said, placing her arm around Porrim’s waist.  “If I hadn’t stopped her then and there, she would have surely made her way towards harming others, such as you, for instance.  I’m holding her here for safe keeping where she won’t be able to do any further damage.”  
  
    Maryam looked into Mindfang’s eyes, searching for any signs of falsehoods or duplicity.  “I need to know this is really the case, Aranea,” she whispered, “I was a prisoner once myself not all that long ago, remember.”  
  
    Spinneret gave Porrim’s waist a subtle squeeze.  “I know, I know.  Worry not, dear heart; I swear not to make this one a matesprit, too.  I’m told you can only have one of those at a time, after all.”  
  
    Porrim just shook her head and tried not to match Mindfang’s smile.    
  
    “All kidding aside, I will ensure she’s treated well,” Spinneret added.  “I’m not out to torture or hurt her, no matter what she was told to do to me and mine.”  
  
    “Can you promise me you won’t kill her?”  Porrim fixed Aranea with a stare accompanied by a quiet desperation born of hope that her lover wasn’t as cruel as some had suggested.  
  
    Spinneret took a few seconds to answer; she began by moving her hand from Maryam’s waist to her face.  “Dear, sweet Porrim, I shall do my very, very best to see that doesn’t happen.  Don’t ask me to promise that, however.  What if she breaks free and tries to rob me of you?  I can’t prepare for every eventuality, but if you’re worried about me interrogating the Legislacerator and then running her through before hurling her into the arms of the sea when I’m done with her, you can stop worrying about that.  If anyone’s taught me the value of life, it’s you, love.”  
  
    Porrim exhaled and pressed her cheek into the cup of her lover’s palm.  “I’m glad to hear it.  Really, I am… but what becomes of her?  I can’t see you handing her back over or setting her free.”   
  
    Again, a delay before an answer came.  “I honestly don’t know.  A lot of it will have to do with this Redglare.  Right now, she may be a hostage in exchange for information or amnesty, but I think that might be asking a bit much, especially for a Neophyte.  Maybe we can even talk some sense into her?  Get her to realize that the society she serves isn’t what she believes it to be?   Who knows?  For now, I say we talk to her and find out what she hoped to accomplish by killing my lusus.  Will that work for you, my sweet?”  
  
    “I suppose…”  
  
    “Excellent.  Now, come, love; there’s something else that needs taking care of.”  
  
    Porrim didn’t inquire as to what that entailed, but fell in behind Spinneret as she headed for the bridge.    
  
    “Felida, are we within range of Brokespar Point?” Mindfang asked.  
  
    “Yes, Captain,” came the reply.  “It’s about five kilometers ahead.  I have to tell you the captains of the ships closest to shore are getting a bit antsy about being so close, especially with the tide being out.”  
  
    “Tell them not to worry.  Reduce speed to one-eighth until further notice and advise the fleet to match velocity.”  
  
    “Acknowledged, sending command now, Captain.”    
  
    “Excellennnnnnnnt.  Felida, would you pass Porrim those sight-enhancers?  I want her to look for something for me.”  
  
    “Yes, Captain.”  Oceleo did just that; if Porrim hoped to find any explanation on the oliveblood’s face, it wasn’t forthcoming.  
  
    “Okay, Porrim, let’s step outside.  I need you to look for something for me.”  
  
    “Sure,” she replied.  Sight-enhancers in hand, she took up behind Mindfang again and followed her to the bow of the ship this time.    
  
    Once there, Spinneret pointed out ahead of the ship’s current course.  “Do you see that outcropping there in the distance?”  
  
    “I do.”  
  
    “Use the sight-enhancers and tell me if you see a vehicle there.”  
  
    Maryam furrowed her brow.  “What kind of vehicle?”  
  
    “You’re looking for a non-descript brown hovercar.  Should be sitting out there on the point somewhere,” Mindfang said.   
  
    A moment later, Porrim was making adjustments to the sight-enhancing glasses and scanning the protrusion.  It didn’t take her long to discover it.  “I have the vehicle, yes!  There’s no one in it, though.”  
  
    “That’s what I was hoping to hear.  Let’s head back to the bridge and return these from whence they came.”    
  
    As they walked, Porrim offered her hand to Aranea, who took it.  “Is this okay?” she asked meekly.  
  
    “Quite.  You’re my matesprit, dear.  You can show whatever display of affection you see fit.  I insist on it.”  
  
    “All right.  I’ll try to ensure it doesn’t slow you down in any way, though.”  
  
    Spinneret chuckled.  “Selfless as always.  This is why I love you, Porrim Maryam.”  She raised their entwined hands and gave the back of Porrim’s a kiss.    
  
    Once she stopped smiling, Porrim asked, “So… am I supposed to call you ‘Captain’ now, too?”  
  
    “That, dear heart, is entirely up to you.  Again, as my matesprit, you have the freedom to do as you wish; we are equals.  As a member of my crew,  however, you could address me as ‘Captain’ and you would not be wrong to do so.  You may even wish to do that in time as you become more comfortable with your new surroundings.  Either way, the choice is yours.”    
  
    As they turned the corner to enter the bridge, Porrim handed the sight-enhancers back to Felida with a word of thanks and started to watch the piece of land they called Brokespar Point intently when a voice cried out, “Captain!  Someone’s climbing the side of the ship!”  
  
    “Perfect,” Mindfang said.  No one on the bridge was quite certain if she was saying this facetiously or not, but watched through the windows as the Marquise strutted out on deck towards the crewman who shouted the alarm.  Just as she got there, a soaking wet and well-armed woman leapt over the rail and proceeded to make like she was going to bite Spinneret’s neck.  
  
    “WAIT!  NO!” Porrim shouted as she made for the exit, but a very strong grip halted her in her tracks.  She looked at her left shoulder to see a metallic hand resting there, keeping her from running out.    
  
    “Settle down, Porrim,” Felida grumbled.  “This is supposed to happen.  Well, more or less, anyway.”    
  
    Maryam wanted to ask Oceleo what this was all about but instead opted to watch and listen to the First Mate mutter something to the effect of “why can’t the stupid bitch get with the times and just shake a paw or whatever?”  The strange women lightly nipped under Mindfang’s jawline; what struck Porrim as odd, but oddest of all was that her matesprit was smiling happily about it.  “What’s going on here?”  
  
    “That’s that Aurana I was telling you about earlier.  She used to be the Captain’s bodyguard – not that she really needed one – but she’s been living in Capitol with her matesprit the last few sweeps.  She was literally raised by wolves; that’s how wolves greet each other.  She keeps doing it, even though I’m pretty sure the woman knows what a fucking hug is by now.”  Felida’s eyes narrowed as she contemplated a thought that suddenly appeared in her thinkpan.  “Wait here.  I think I should offer a greeting of my own.”  
  
    Porrim didn’t question why the oliveblood dropped into a low crouch and shuffled to the edge of the doorway, waiting until Mindfang and the newcomer started walking towards the bridge.  Once there, she watched Felida roll forward onto the balls of her feet, wiggle her bottom and lunge out.  In what looked to Porrim’s eye to be an olive blur, this shaggy haired woman walking beside Spinneret was launched upwards and outwards with a yelp. A moment later, Felida was hugging the rail, watching gleefully until a definite “sploonk” noise was heard.   
  
    “FORTY TWO!!!!!”  Felida shouted.  
  
    “Felidaaaaaaaa.  Really.”  
  
    Oceleo shrugged.  “What?  She was greeting you, so I figured I should greet her before she greeted me first!”  
  
    Spinneret sighed.  “You realize she’s not going to take this well.”  
  
    “So what?  Even after that I’m still down by two.  You know Aurana; gotta catch her when she’s not expecting it!”   
  
    “She certainly wasn’t expecting it!  I was just bringing her over to meet my lovely matesprit…”  Mindfang slipped into the bridgeblock and took the hand of a still-incredulous Porrim and added, “And she was, in fact, looking forward to seeing you.  Whether she would have hurled you into the sea or not I can’t say but that being said, I applaud you for your initiative.”  
  
    Felida grinned deviously.  “Thank you, Captain!”    
  
    “Just be prepared that you may need to be on your toes – flesh, metal or whatever else yours are made of now – for the duration of Aurana’s stay.”  Spinneret used her other hand to sweep slowly down her moirail’s cheek, causing her to purr audibly.  “I have my suspicions that, unless we find ourselves in a constant combat situation, she’s not the only one who may be taking an unscheduled dip in the ocean.”    
  
    “Not this time, Captain.  I’m ready for her.”  
  
    “Are you, nowwwwwwww…”  Mindfang gave Felida a quick kiss between the horns and led Porrim up to the helm controls where a goldblooded fellow was sitting, trying his level best not to chuckle at the exchange going on around him.  “Keep in mind it was Aurana that put our tealblooded guest into the state you saw her in.  While I don’t suspect she will do the same to you, my sweet, don’t underestimate her just because she’s been away for a few sweeps.  Now, while we’re waiting for Aurana’s second entrance, let me show you how the controls work, Porrim.  This is Hyvare Chelte, helmsman without equal.”  
  
    The lean fellow looked up at Porrim and smiled warmly.  “Hey there.  She’s told us lots about you.”  
  
    “Oh…” Porrim blushed, which made Spinneret laugh.    
  
    “It’s all good, love, have no fear.  Now, would this be a job that might interest you someday?  I find goldbloods have a knack for navigation, but maybe this is a task you might consider taking up?”   
  
    Maryam thought about Mituna Captor and how he was always able to help her and Kankri and Meulin find their way, even at sea on a leaky boat.   _He certainly did have a natural talent for it._  She looked at the console and was immediately baffled by most of what she saw there.  “I don’t know; I haven’t exactly driven a lot of vehicles and certainly not a ship before.”  
  
    “Well, I do make it look kind of easy,” Chelte chuckled, “but it’s not so bad.  Sometimes I even throw control over to that wooden wheel on the deck there and steer it like the sailing ships of old.  Feeling the sea breeze on my face… there’s nothing quite like it.”    
  
    “I’m sure!  I’m just not sure it’s something I can pick up quick enough, though.”  
  
    Mindfang squeezed her hand reassuringly.  “No worries, Porrim; there’s no rush.  Once you know what it is you want to do, you can take your time in learning it.  In the meantime, Hyvare, as soon as Aurana is back on deck, set course zero-four-five, full speed.  About an hour or so out, set us due west.  We need to put some space between us and the shoreline.  I have a feeling we may be seeing some company in the nights ahead.”  
   
    “Aye, Captain.  Setting course zero-four-five, full speed, pending Aurana’s ret-”  
  
    “HERE KITTY KITTY!”     
  
    “That would be now,” Spinneret said.  “Inform the fleet of the course and let’s get underway.  We have many tasks to tend to in the nights ahead, ladies and gentlemen.  Some of them may be more productive than others,” she continued, giving Felida a look that spoke of shenanigans to come, “but we must prepare for the possibility that we’re going to be very busy in the near future.  I need everyone pulling in the same direction when the time comes, understood?”  
  
    A “Yes, Captain” came from the crew members in the small bridgeblock with the exception of Porrim who was still taking the whole scene in, especially the sopping woman who was now propping herself up in the doorframe, a wild glint in her yellow and turquoise eyes.    
  
    “WHO’S A BAAAAD KITTY?” Aurana panted.  
  
    “Pfft,” Felida answered, “It’s not like you weren’t wet already.”  
  
    “Felida, if you’d care to take your discussion with Aurana outside, Porrim and I would like to visit my quarters.” Mindfang grinned as she forcefully nudged her First Mate towards the bridgeblock’s only entrance.  “I need to ensure she’s entirely debriefed.”  
  
    Porrim gave her matesprit a confused look.  “But I’m not wearing any br…”   
  
    A blue tipped finger found its way to her lips.  “Shhhhhhhh… Don’t ruin the surprise, dear heart.  Let me find out for myself, hmmmmmmmm?”  
  
    Before Maryam could open her mouth to reply, she was overridden by the sounds of a scuffle and a loud remark concerning how much heavier “Kitty” was these nights, shortly followed by a quiet splash and the number “FORTY FIVE” being shouted.  “On second thought, Hyvare, belay that order for a couple of minutes.  I’m curious to see how long it takes our First Mate to get out of the water with those new limbs of hers.  See, Porrim?  Every opportunity is a learning opportunity.”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “I’m inclined to agree.  I’m reasonably certain I’ve heard about three new euphemisms for ‘seedflap’ in the past two minutes that I’ve never heard before.”    
  
    Spinneret led the jadeblood from the bridgeblock towards the stairs that led below the deck.  “That certainly counts.  Keep those lovely sponge clots of yours open, my sweet, and your language will soon be as colourful as those new clothes.  Now, how about you come and take those off for me and show me how you made them…”  
  
    “Something tells me you’re not really that interested in my handiwork,” Porrim teased.  
  
    “Oh, quite the opposite, darling Porrim,” Aranea purred, stroking her slender fingers down Maryam’s elegant neck, “It’s what you do with your hands that definitely separates you from the lovers I’ve known beforrrrrrrre…”  
  
  
  
  
    Porrim carefully rested her head on Aranea’s heaving chest, being mindful of her long horns, and regarded her now blue-tinged fingers fondly.    
  
    “I don’t… know how you… find those… spots… with your fingers…” Mindfang panted, “but it’s… a gift…”  
  
    Maryam smiled and debated what to do about the mess, and then decided not to worry too much about it for a change.  It took everything she had not to think about whether or not the droids would do an adequate job on tending to the carpets after what she and Felida did in the respiteblock earlier that evening for to do so in Aranea’s arms would give away their secret.  It was hard enough trying not to let on that she was still a bit sore from that; despite her desire to be with her matesprit, her body was still recovering from her first blackrom experience.  Porrim briefly considered feigning an upset stomach but she knew Aranea could not only soothe that if need be, but might also discover that which Porrim didn’t want discovered yet.  
  
    “Any gift I can give you, I will,” Maryam whispered, shifting her head up to where Mindfang’s chest met her shoulder and kissing her ear, the same one she sucked on while her fingers danced inside of her lover.    
  
    “And I will… take them… with pleasure.”  Aranea tipped her head to the side and kissed the horn nearest to her mouth.  “Soooooooo… what inspired you to do that, anyway?”  
  
    Porrim smiled innocently.  “Whatever do you mean?”  
  
    “You know full well what I mean, Maryam.”  
  
    She did know exactly what Mindfang meant but she continued to dodge the question for the sake of her own entertainment.  “I thought you wanted me to use my fingers to pleasure you.”  
  
    “That’s not what I’m talking about, you little grubshit disturber!” Aranea laughed.  “Who put it in your pan to tie me up?”   
  
    Porrim slowly reached up over her head and grabbed the edge of the red sash that was currently employed in binding Aranea’s wrists together and then anchored to the posts of the bed, forcing Mindfang to endure Porrim’s digital ministrations with her arms over her head.  “What if it was my own idea?  I did have a most capable instructor when it came to restraints.”  
  
    “Surrrrrrrre…  It was Felida, wasn’t it?”  When Porrim opted to keep silent, she added, “Definitely Felida.  Okay, next time I get her in here, I’ll tie HER up and give her a fingering she won’t soon forget.  Maybe I can wrap that olive sash of hers around her mouth, too; that girl gets so vocal sometimes…”  
  
    It took a conscious effort for Porrim to avoid verbally agreeing with Aranea and saying “No kidding!  She caterwauls like nothing I’ve ever heard before!”  It took an even greater effort to stop thinking of saying it and instead Porrim forced herself to contemplate Aranea’s rapidly softening cerulean nipples instead; she idly touched one in an effort to get it to stiffen again, which caused Mindfang to squirm around.  “I’m sorry, you were saying something?”  
  
    Aranea inhaled as Porrim placed her lips around the blue peak and lightly sucked at it.  “Yessssssss... have I told you you’re a brat lately?”  
  
    “Not lately, no.  Would you like to do so now?”  Porrim’s fingers stroked the twin of the nipple in her mouth with her sticky blue fingers in concert with what her mouth was doing.    
  
    Mindfang’s eyes rolled back as her eyelids shut.  “Maybeeeeeeee… You keep that up, though, and I’ll have you put your mouth where your fingers were.”    
  
    “Are you telling me to stop, then?” Porrim asked.    
  
    There was a pause while Aranea considered something.  “Maybe I should, simply because we have something we need to talk about first.  It’s rather pressing.”   
  
    _Oh no.  See what happens when you try to keep secrets from an empath?_ Porrim thought and then quickly banished the thought from her pan.  “If you like.  Nothing saying we can’t do this again later, right?”  She sat up and gave the fabric a tug in order to loosen it from the bedposts first and then started to unwrap the weave she created between her lover’s wrists.    
  
    Once she was free of the fabric bonds, Aranea sat up, stretched her arms out in front of her and beckoned for Porrim to come sit beside her.  As her matesprit sat down and snuggled in with her, Aranea put an arm gently around her shoulders and said, “This is a dangerous game we play, dear heart…”  
  
    Porrim did everything she could to think about anything but her new pale-black romance.  “So I hear…”  
  
    “You hear correctly.  This is why I need to ask something very important of you.”  
  
    _Here it comes…_  “And what would that be?”  
  
    Mindfang drew a breath and let it out in a huff.  “I’d like you to start combat training with Aurana first thing tomorrow evening.”   
  
    Maryam did her best to mentally quell the sudden surge of emotional relief.  “Oh!  Well, that’s… unexpected.  I mean, in a way…”  
  
    “Don’t worry, love; she’ll be gentle… to start.  She taught Felida just about everything she knows and what she didn’t, I taught her.  I’d teach you myself personally, but I’m going to be rather tied up – but not literally this time – with preparations.”  
  
    “Preparations for what?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “Let’s just say that having our guest on board is going to attract some attention, especially when they find out what happened to their assault on my lusus.   There’s a good chance we’re going to see combat.  The question remains whether it will be in the form of close-range skirmishes with the Navy or whether they’re just going to try and blow us out of the water.”  
  
    Neither of these options really appealed to Porrim at all.  “I’m not sure if training me to fight is going to help in that case.  I don’t think my punching a missile in the nose is going to stop it.”   
  
    Aranea laughed and Porrim relaxed a bit more.  “I suspect not.  However, the other possibility may be just as likely, and while I don’t expect you to be on the deck swinging a sword at the invaders’ vanguard, I do need you to be able to defend yourself if one of them catches up to you.”  
  
    Porrim swallowed at the thought of being overrun again and she suspected that this time there would be no orders to take her alive.  All she recalled about her last encounter with Imperial soldiers was that she had in fact done fatal damage to a few but in the end, her resistance was completely ineffective, the outcome never in doubt.  “I have… killed before.  I don’t even remember doing it.”  
  
    “Considering the circumstances, it’s probably for the better that you don’t, my love.  However, you and yours were in mortal danger and sometimes that survival instinct kicks in.  What I need is for you to be able to protect yourself capably without that having to happen.  Does that not sound like a reasonable proposition to you?”  
  
    “I guess so.  Just know that I’m not completely incapable of fighting back; we Solemn Sisters were taught some ancient techniques for defense just in case some fools tried to grubnap us for ransom… or worse…”  Porrim’s eyes flicked to her new outfit, which was now strewn across the floor of the respiteblock.   _Apparently that training didn’t do Motina or Eadnii much good._    
  
    “As far as I’ve heard,” Mindfang said, “those techniques are little more than simple exercises used for meditation by the general populace.  They’re named for the jadeblood who taught them on her sojourn thousands of sweeps ago, Taichi Maryam.”  
  
    “They’re more than just exercises,” sniffed Porrim.  “I’m sure I must have employed them when I was fighting off the Imperial troops.”  
  
    Aranea smiled and patted Porrim’s thigh.  “No, that technique is called ‘Blindly Tearing The People Who Are Attacking Your Son And His Matesprit Into Bloody Pieces’.  It’s rather effective in that particular circumstance, but I’m trying to give you some other options to choose from.”  
  
    Porrim let her shoulders slump forward.  “I suppose.”  
  
    “That’s the spirit!  I’ll wake you when I’m up and around tomorrow evening and then set you up with Aurana and possibly Felida if I don’t have her occupied while I attend to what I need to.  Will that do?”  
  
    “Okay.  I can do that.”  
  
    “Superrrrrrrrb.”  Mindfang turned her head and kissed Porrim’s horn, which made the jadeblood tremble happily.  “Now, I don’t think we’re going to go back above deck again before the sun comes up, so how about you bring that beautiful new ensemble over here and tell me about how you made it.  I see you put that jade fabric I found to good use!”  
  
    Maryam stood up and went to gather the shirt and skirt into her arms.  As she did so, she took a quick peek over her shoulder to see if Aranea was watching her do so and was pleased to see Mindfang was doing just that.   _I don’t know why everyone is so obsessed with my posterior but I suppose I shouldn’t complain._  “See something interesting?” Porrim asked, wiggling her hips suggestively.    
  
    The laugh that came from Aranea was music to Porrim’s sponge clots.  “You remember that, do you?”  
  
    Porrim turned on the ball of her foot with a slight flourish and then glided over to Aranea where she sat back down and placed the garments on her matesprit’s lap.  “I will never forget it, Aranea, nor could I.”  Her hand returned to Mindfang’s bare chest as her eyes did the first time that part of Aranea’s anatomy was shown to her.  “Now, what would you like to know?”  
  
    “How you could be anything but beautiful, dear heart…”  A moment later, the clothes were back on the floor and Porrim was back in Aranea’s loving embrace. 

 


	13. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim commences her combat training under Aurana's supervision, with Felida providing support both above and below deck. Mindfang begins spending some quality time with her new tealblooded prisoner in an effort to learn the motivation behind her deployment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter continues to introduce Aurana's character and definitely picks up with Porrim and Felida's developing black relationship. You'll also notice Aurana is fairly perceptive... If you enjoyed the banter between Mindfang and Redglare in "Condemnation", you're in for a treat here; I really had a blast revisiting these two. There will be much more to come between them, but be assured that this story will differ rather distinctly from the middle chapter of the original trilogy!
> 
> Soundtrack songs: Song #16 begins at “My pleasure…”; it's probably one of the newer songs that I've used and as soon as I heard it, I knew I wanted it for Porrim and Felida. Song #17 fits the Mindfang/Redglare dynamic wonderfully. Start it at the start of this section of the chapter!
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**12.**  
  
    Porrim wasn’t quite certain what to make of having a woman she’d laid eyes on only once before gently nipping at her chin, but she was willing to permit it if Aranea said it was all right.  “Nice to meet you, too, Aurana!”  
  
    “She doesn’t do that for just anyone, you know,” Mindfang said, watching Porrim’s reaction to Zashyl’s greeting.  “She sees you as the ‘Alpha’s Mate’, so she’s affording you the same honours she gives me.”  
  
    “Calling getting your face gnawed on an ‘honour’ is a bit much, if you ask me,” Felida grumbled sourly nearby, her arms crossed as they stood on the deck, waiting to begin Porrim’s combat lessons.  
  
    “Jealous I don’t do it for you, kitty?”  
  
    “I like my face the way it is, thank you very much.”  
  
    “Looks like something’s been chewing on it in my absence,” Aurana retorted.  
  
    “Aurana… let’s not go there, if you please,” Mindfang admonished gently.  “The task at hand is, of course, getting Porrim here capable enough of defending herself against either a naval-trained crewman or a Gamblignant raider.  Think you’re up to it, pet?”  
  
    Zashyl nodded.  “I think so.  I hope your matesprit can say the same!”  
  
    Porrim forced a smile.  “I’ll try my best to be a good student.”  
  
    “I can tell you that she’s a quick study,” Spinneret added.  “Now, I have something to attend to, so when you’re done for the evening, grab some chow and wait for me if I haven’t already returned.”  She was about to turn and go when she stopped herself.  “Oh yes, I almost forgot.  Since you don’t have your earring, dear heart, you should at least have your sword.”  In two fluid movements, Mindfang had drawn her hooked blue sword and tossed it towards Maryam, who deftly caught it by the hilt.  Both Aurana and Felida watched, eyebrows raised, not only at Porrim’s catch but at the fact that the Captain had given the jadeblood one of her most prized possessions, something neither thought they’d ever see.    
  
    “Well, that’s your first lesson completed:  which end do you hold a sword by?” Aurana said, still surprised by her new student’s reflexes.  
  
    “The not-pointy end, right?” Porrim replied, turning the long blade in her hand to a more comfortable position.    
  
    Mindfang chuckled.  “Told you she was a quick learner!  Carry on, then!” she added, turning this time to head towards the stairs to the lower decks.    
  
    “Aye, Captain!” both Felida and Aurana replied.  Porrim said nothing but instead smiled a bit more genuinely at her matesprit, who answered with a wink.  Once she had disappeared, Aurana said, “So, all kidding aside, that was the correct answer.  Now, let’s talk about bladed weapons first.  The sword is only as dangerous as the person wielding it.  That means I’ll be teaching you how to fight with a sword as well as without one.”    
  
    “Do you know how to swim, Porrim?” Felida asked.  “I’m sure she could teach you that, too.”  
  
    “Hey!  Who took a dip last, you or me?” Aurana taunted.  “Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…”  
  
    Felida blew a raspberry back in response.  
  
    “Just for that, kitty, my new student gets to use you as a tackling dummy later.”  
The oliveblood raised an eyebrow at Porrim, who grinned in reply.    
  
    “All right, Porrim,” Zashyl said as she moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder beside Maryam, follow my lead.  Make like you’re drawing the sword from your hip.”  
Porrim turned her grip on the sparkling blue blade and placed it as she was told.  “Like so?”  
  
    “Like so.  Now, draw it with your left hand and point it outward while you step out with your left foot while keeping your weight on your back foot.  This will make your body a smaller target.  Do as I do.  Ready?  Go!”  
  
    She mimicked Aurana’s movement as closely as she could.  “How was that?”  
  
    “Very good!”  Zashyl’s own short sword was fully extended; she bent her arm at the elbow to draw it upwards slightly and raised her right hand, nails extended.  “Focus your eyes on your target; watch their every move.  I will teach you how to read them and how to counter any attack they come at you with.”  
  
    “BORRRR-innnng…” Felida yawned.  “Why do I have to be here again?”  
  
    Aurana refused to let Oceleo get under her skin.  “You get to be Porrim’s first victim once I’ve taught her a few basics.  You sit still, kitty.”  
  
    “Woof,” replied Felida, who caught a couple of the crew watching the proceedings.  “Don’t you boobs have a deck to swab?” she asked them, with just enough of a laugh in her voice so that they knew she wasn’t legitimately upset about it.  They carried on about their business in short order nonetheless.    
  
  
  
  
    “…and block, and block again then strike low!  Good!  The Captain was right; you ARE a quick learner!”  Aurana was genuinely impressed at how easily Porrim took to her lessons, especially once it was suggested to her to move to a rhythm in her head.  “Pretty soon you’ll be throwing olivebloods in the drink with the best of them.”  
  
    “You have GOT to be kidding me,” growled Felida, who had spent much of the previous hour sharpening her blade.  “Are you encouraging this sweet, innocent jadeblood to such vile acts?  I thought better of you, Zashyl.”  
  
    Aurana snorted.  “No you didn’t.  Now come here and get involved.  Our new friend needs to try these new moves out against a moving target.”  
  
   “My pleasure…” Felida purred as she took up a stance a meter or so away from the jadeblood, who quickly fell into the opening stance she was just taught.  “I’m actually glad to see you didn’t choose a long or loose sleeved shirt, Porrim; you’ll find they get in the way.”  
  
    Porrim looked at her blouse and vest, then to Felida’s white peasant shirt and Aurana’s simple top that exposed her shoulders and the turquoise wolf’s head tattoo on her bicep.  “But Spinneret wears a coat with long sleeves and she does quite well, yes?”  
  
    “The sleeves on it sit her fairly snug but there’s enough give that she can move unimpeded,” Oceleo explained.  “It was one of the things I looked for when I picked it out for her.  It’s form fitting but it won’t slow her down at all.”  
  
    “You done beating your gums yet, kitty?” Aurana asked with more than a hint of exasperation.  “Put your sword up.”  
  
    “You want me to start beating your ass next?  Keep it up, poochie.”    
  
    Porrim couldn’t help but wonder if she was actually getting more of a tuition in blackrom than anything from listening to their banter, but she was distracted by a new and far more pressing concern.  “Are we actually going to use real swords for this?  Don’t you think we should start with something a little less… dangerous?  Like broomsticks or something?”  
  
    “No time to screw around with toys, Porrim.  When you use real weapons, you learn quickly what you can and can’t get away with.  It also helps you focus that much more on what you’re doing.  Now, Felida here is going to attack you; use your defensive stance and counter her clumsy assault.”  
  
    “Hey!  If my assault is clumsy, it’s your fault,” Felida retorted.  “And it wasn’t that clumsy last night, was it, bitch?”  
  
    “I just wasn’t expecting you to be half machine now.  Once I knew about your new body bits, I was still able to toss you in the bath, wasn’t I?”  
  
    Porrim was about to start chuckling at their exchange when Aurana shouted, “Focus!  Here she comes!”  
  
    Felida had her long curved blade in her metallic hand and she swung it in a slow, wide arc in front of Maryam, who deftly stepped back to dodge it.    
  
    “Good start!” Zashyl encouraged.  “Now counter that!”  
  
    Instead of bringing her sword up for a jab attack, Porrim used her blade to deflect Felida’s returning one and threw a quick punch into the oliveblood’s stomach.    
  
    “Oof!  What the fuck was that?”  
  
    “Oh, crud… Sorry about that!  I was supposed to be using my sword mostly, right?”  Maryam stepped back and looked at both Aurana and Felida uncertainly.    
  
    “That was awesome!” shouted the turquoiseblood.  “I never even showed you that!  Pure instinct!  Nicely done!”  
  
    “Says you,” sulked Oceleo, who clearly wasn’t expecting a shot in the gut.  “You could warn me next time, jadebutt!”  
  
    “Never mind her; you wouldn’t warn your foes what you’re planning to do next unless you want them to think you’re doing something and then you do something else.”  Aurana adjusted Porrim’s stance slightly as she spoke.  “That’s another lesson, though; let’s keep on with the basics but if you want to use your hands or feet, by all means do so!”  
  
    “All right…”  Porrim rocked back onto her right foot and awaited Felida’s next charge.  She didn’t have to wait long; this time, Oceleo faked an overhand blow and used her metal arm to easily knock Mindfang’s blue sword from Porrim’s grip before sending her own sword running parallel to Maryam’s ribs and slicing a hole in her white shirt.  The cut fabric suddenly took on a jade tinge as well.    
  
    “OW!  What was that for?” Porrim asked, splitting her attention between Felida and her cut.    
  
    “That was to show you that you’ve got a lot to learn yet.  Don’t get cocky,” Felida admonished.  “And the same rules apply to your attackers as they do to you; not many of them will use just their swords.”  
  
    “She has a point, Porrim, literally and figuratively,” Zashyl agreed.  “These are hard lessons but vital ones.  Now, what are you going to do about it?”  
  
    Porrim picked up the hooked blue blade and bared her fangs in a smile.  “Return the favour.  You know how long it took me to sew this, Felida…”  
  
    “Yeah, yeah.  And you can sew it back up again when you’re done.”  Oceleo narrowed her eyes and grinned.  “You’re no fighter, girl.  Go back downstairs and play with your sewing kit; this is no place f-”  
  
    She never got a chance to finish the sentence when Porrim was on her, swinging.  Felida was forced back a few steps across the deck at the force of Maryam’s charge but she matched Porrim’s simple feints without much difficulty until she went to jump to the side and her bionic leg launched her just a step farther than she wanted to be.  It put her in the way of the cobalt sword and the hook on the end of it scratched across her bare midriff, leaving an olive cut in its wake.    
  
    Felida gave Porrim a look that reminded the jadeblood an awful lot of the one she received in Aranea’s respiteblock at Base Two the night she arrived there and the First Mate made a black move on her.  “Yeah?  You think so?  Let’s see how you do without that damn sword in your hand!”  She reached out with her cybernetic hand and grabbed the blue sword’s blade.  Although Porrim could plainly see that it hurt her to do so, she watched almost helplessly as Oceleo wrested Mindfang’s weapon from her and threw it clattering across the wooden deck.  “Now… disarm me if you can!” she challenged.  
  
    Porrim gathered herself and looked first at Felida’s face and then the arm she used to take the blade away.  “If I didn’t know better, it looks to me like someone already did…”  
  
    “THAT MEANS TAKE MY SWORD AWAY, DIMBULB!”  
  
    Maryam could see that Felida was actually still grinning and visibly enjoying this exchange; she had to admit that the surges of excitement were almost intoxicating.  Let’s see, what else do I have on hand… aha!  “As you wish…”  Since Felida had to switch her sword to her right hand in order to strip Porrim of her weapon, she stepped inside of Oceleo’s stance, grabbed her organic right arm and bit down on her wrist.  Aside from making Felida howl, it had the desired result as her curved sword hit the deck.    
  
    “FUCK!  You wanna get nippy, Jadebutt?  Okay, two can play…”  In a flash, Felida was literally on Porrim, her legs wrapped around her waist, her arms around her torso and her teeth nipping away at her exposed neck.    
  
    “I don’t think she’s saying hello, Porrim!” shouted Aurana.  “What are you going to do about it?”  
  
    While she didn’t find Felida’s biting kisses to be all that savage, for which she was thankful, Porrim decided she ought to come up with a solution for her instructor.  She opted to spin on the ball of one foot and fall forward.  Keeping in mind that she wasn’t trying to knock Felida unconscious, she let her hands catch most of the momentum so that Oceleo didn’t have her head hit the deck at full force, but only had the wind knocked out of her.  Porrim leaned in and whispered “You’re right; I rather like this,” into Felida’s sponge clot before kissing it and lightly biting it which made the oliveblood moan, but it was obviously not one born of pain.  
  
    _Oh no… we can’t start into that right here and now!  Think fast…_  Porrim untangled herself from Felida as best she could and stood up before offering a hand to her training partner.  “Sorry, Aurana, I need to… um… hit the gaperblock and tend to this cut of mine and then… use the gaper… might be a couple of minutes if that’s all right?”  
  
    “Yeah, I need to… er… use the gaper, too!” Felida added.  
  
    Aurana’s expression suggested that nothing out of the ordinary was occurring.  “Sure, might as well take a break.  Come on back when you’re done, okay?”  
  
    Both nodded and headed below quickly without trying to make it look like they were heading below deck quickly.    
  
  
  
  
    Porrim was about to make a left turn into Aranea’s respiteblock when Felida touched her on the shoulder and said, “No, let’s go to mine.  The door on the right.”  
  
    She stepped aside and let the now slightly battered oliveblood pass her so that she could unlock her door.  Porrim followed her in; she could see that Oceleo and Aranea had one trait they shared:  an ability to live in a space in complete disarray.  Felida’s bag that she brought from Base Two was still sitting at the end of her bed, hardly unpacked; Porrim noticed the fuzzy green tail hanging out from it like some kind of bizarre scarf.  She didn’t have time to look at much else before an olive tongue was in her mouth and she felt her skirt being hurriedly hiked up.    
  
    “Can you pinch it under your arms to hold it up and still use your fingers on me?” Felida asked, “Or do you want me to just pull it down?”  
  
    “I think I best just step out of it,” Porrim said between kisses.  “I’m actually a little surprised… that I’m this turned on… considering what happened during the day…”  
  
    “Quit bragging,” Felida grumbled as she pulled her shorts down and kicked them off.  “Go stand in the ablution trap once I get this skirt off of you.”  She grabbed at the fabric but her hands brushed against the cut on Maryam’s side as she did which made the jadeblood wince.  “Was that what got you excited?”  
  
    “Not so much,” Porrim answered, helping Felida slip the handmade skirt from her hips.  “It was more the grabbing and biting part, although your taunts really got me going there, too.”  
  
    Felida grinned as she took Porrim’s hand and led her into the gaperblock.   _The gaper itself is clean at least, Porrim thought, and so is the trap.  She’s a slob like Aranea but she’s also not completely without some sense of hygi-_  
  
    “Hey, no time for nightdreaming!”  Felida snapped her metal fingers to get Maryam’s attention; it made a strange hollow clicking sound echo in the room.  “Hop in!  Two in the trap, two in the flap, let’s go!  We gotta hurry!”  
  
    As Porrim stepped in, she realized both of them were still wearing shirts.  “We can’t turn the shower on if we’re still dressed, though…”  
  
    “We’re not turning the water on; we’re turning each other on.”  A moment later, she slipped two cool silver fingers in between Porrim’s thighs and started them lightly vibrating.    
  
    The sensation was initially peculiar but she found it intriguing.  “Oh… that’s all right…”  
  
    “Here, come closer and I’ll slide them in…”  
  
    Porrim did as she was asked, although the shape of the bottom of the ablution trap forced her to end up lifting one leg slightly.  “I’ve never done it standing up before…”  
  
    “Sweet.  I love first times,” Felida said through clenched teeth.  “Now get your fingers in me quick, while I can still feel the ache from your little body slam there; my back and my nub are throbbing in time with my pusher and it’s fucking hot.”  
  
    As she did so, Porrim noted the stinging from her cut and while it didn’t exactly thrill her, it didn’t distract her from the pleasure of having two metal vibrating digits working around inside of her seedflap, pressing and stroking the front wall and creating that insistent surge that accompanied this sort of black romantic activity.  She closed her eyes and as she did so, she felt tiny sharp teeth on her neck again and she cried out.  
  
    “Thought so.  Okay, if yours is coming first, just stop working on mine and go over, then pick up where you left off when you’re done.  You might even wanna put your leg up on the edge of the trap… less messy.”  
  
    Porrim tried to say “okay” but the sound that came forth was without form, which only encouraged Felida to accelerate her digital stimulations.   _Sore be damned, this is happening right nooooOWWWWWW!!!!!!_  The fingers of the hand not inside of her black lover dug into that woman’s shoulder just above where the flesh met metal and she released all over the floor of the trap while she tried to stifle the howl that wanted to escape her throat.  The bliss of relieved tension flowed out of her along with her jade fluids and she almost collapsed on Felida, who was able to brace herself against the wall.    
  
    “Easy, Jadebutt, I got ya.  Hate to shake you out of your afterglow, but I need you to bring me home, too.”  She lightly chewed on and then kissed Porrim’s ear one more time and then lifted her own organic leg and placed it on the lip of the trap.    
  
    Once she collected herself, Porrim nodded and let her fingers quickly brush up and down against the slight swelling inside of Felida in hopes of giving her ebon lover the same sweet releases she just experienced herself.    
  
    “Mmmmm… that’s right…” Felida purred as she gritted her teeth in anticipation. “You’ve got me so twisted up inside… Help me get it out… before… someone gets in… the way… again…”  
  
  
  
  
“Latulaaaaaaaa… Really.  We’ve been sitting here for nearly an hour and you still haven’t said a thing.  I can wait all night if you like.  All day, too.”  
  
    Mindfang sipped her Greyleaf tea and watched as her tealblooded prisoner sat propped up against the back wall of her cell, unmoving and unwilling to speak.  Until now.  
“I have nothing to say to you, so you might as well leave.”  
  
    “Well, wellllllll!  There’s that vaunted teal tongue I’ve heard so much about.”    
  
    Spinneret put her crimson boots up on her ironwood desk and placed her now-empty cup down upon it as well.  “Please, Neophyte, this is your chance to speak your piece.  As of right now, I’m your Tyranny, your judge and jury, so let’s hear it!”  
  
    “I suppose you’ll be my executioner as well,” Pyrope spat.  She ran said tongue over her teeth; while most of them were still as sharp as they were a couple of nights ago, a few of them were now cracked; one was even split and throbbed away in concert with the pain in her head.    
  
    Mindfang slowly rose from her seat behind her desk and strutted over to the bars.  “As it turns out, Redglare, I have given my word to someone that I will not kill you…”  She dragged a long fingernail down the bars, making a clink sound as it passed over each one.  “Provided that you behave yourself and try not to kill anyone else here.  Should you attempt that, all bets are off.”    
  
    “Rather hard for me to do much of anything to anyone with these shackles on,” Latula growled.    
  
    “Those shackles, my dear guest, are there for your own protection.  I couldn’t risk you harming yourself after what unfolded there the other night.”  
  
    Redglare grimaced.  “Now I remember why I have nothing to say to you.  Thanks for reminding me.”  
  
    “Come nowwwwwwww…” the Marquise said, returning back towards her desk, which she lithely hopped up on and proceeded to cross and uncross her legs.  “It’s not like I was hunting for YOUR lusus or anything.  You and yours were trespassing and you got caught.  There’s no denying it.  Tell me, Neophyte, how does your sense of justice explain that?”  
  
    “The difference,” she snarled, “is that I’m a court-appointed Legislacerator trying to do my job and bring my target in to face the justice that was prescribed to her!”  
  
    Mindfang chuckled quietly.  “I see.  Do tell me, Neophyte,” she continued, making sure to lay on Pyrope’s title just a little bit longer to reinforce its designation of inexperience, “what crime was my dear, sweet, innocent lusus being accused of?  Oh sure, she’s been known to snack on a few trolls that happened to wander her way, but can you blame her?  She’s just doing what’s in her nature.  Some lusii fly, some… eat people.  But trolls like you and I, we’re a different breed.”  
  
    “I’m nothing like you!”  
  
    “Quite the contrary… you and I are much more alike than you believe.  I mean, we do share impeccable taste in footwear.”    
  
    As Mindfang began kicking her feet in and out to show off her long red boots, Pyrope looked at her own feet:  her boots were about the only article of clothing to emerge from the battle relatively unscathed; the rest of her teal and red outfit was torn to shreds and concealing very little.   _What’s weird is if I didn’t know better, this crazy woman isn’t exactly wearing a whole lot under her coat!  The notes I got from Dualscar’s files were a little disjointed and I didn’t get long to study them, but I gather she’s not too tightly wrapped and is the definition of the word ‘brazen’…_  “Seriously?  You think that makes us sisters or something?  Well, why don’t you let me out of this damn cage and we can go shoe shopping!”  
  
    “As appealing as that sounds, I’m going to have to pass for now, but I will take you up on that offer later on if all goes well!”  
  
    Redglare wasn’t sure how seriously to take her captor.  “Are you completely out of your thinkpan or do you just act that way?”  
  
    “Ah ah ahhhhhhhh…”  Mindfang wagged her finger.  “I’m the Tyranny here, recall.  The questions are mine to ask and yours to answer.”  
  
    “I hope you like uncomfortable silence then, bitch, because that’s what you’re going to get from me.”  Pyrope shuffled back as far into the corner as she could.    
  
    “Latulaaaaaaaa…  It doesn’t have to be like that.”  
  
    “And why not?”  
  
    With a high kick, Mindfang slipped gracefully from the desk and returned to the bars.  “Because I know you can’t resist a good conversation.  See, this is another of the ways that you and I are alike:  there are few things I enjoy more in life than a good chinwag.”  
  
    Redglare snorted.  “I’m starting to think there’s nothing you enjoy in life more than the sound of your own creepy voice.  Tell me if I’m wrong about that.”  
  
    “You’re wrong about that,” Spinneret answered swiftly.  “There is nothing creepy about the sound of my voice whatsoever.  I’m the one who has to listen to it night in and night out so I should know.”  
  
    “So why don’t you go talk to yourself then and leave me the hell alone?”  She turned her head to look at the wooden wall.    
  
    The Marquise grabbed the bars in both hands and leaned in as closely as they would possibly allow her to.  “Because I need to know why you thought bringing your lusus in to kill mine was a good idea!  That’s why!”  
  
    Pyrope sighed.  “And if I tell you, will you let me go?”  
  
    “Maybeeeeeeee… No promises if you don’t give me an answer I like.”  
  
    “Then how about I give you the finger,” Redglare said as she extended her middle digit at her jailor, “and you can go fuck yourself.”  
  
    Mindfang leered at Latula through the bars.  “Realllllllly!  I think you’d need to come a bit closer if I’m to fuck myself with that finger, dear.”  
  
    Pyrope shook her head in confusion.  “If you’re waxing black for me, you can stow it right now, lusus killer!”  
  
    “Takes one to know one…” Mindfang retorted.  “If I hadn’t have intervened, if would have been my lusus killed instead of yours.  There’s no denying that’s what you had in mind.  Turned out you got outsmarted.  Oh-for-one in the Legislacerator game, Neophyte.  You sure this the right profession for you?  Maybe you should take up something a little more suited for your personality, like ditch digging… or floor scrubbing… you know, things that would be a lot harder to fail so miserably at.”  
  
    “The only thing I’m failing at is understanding how your pan actually functions.  Let me spell this out for you:  You.  Are.  A.  Criminal.  My job is to bring you to the justice you so plainly deserve.  The sooner you let me out of here, the sooner I can set about that.  You’re just delaying the inevitable, you know.”  
  
    The Marquise gave her prisoner a strange look.  “You’re not exactly making a compelling argument here, Neophyte.  Tell me again how it was you managed to graduate from your class and the rest of your classmates are naught but ash in the breeze?  Was it your killer instinct?  I can’t see how that would be the case.  Did you happen to have other skills, perchance?  Was one of them entertaining clowns?”  
  
    Redglare shot her a venomous stare.  “Fuck you and everyone who looks like you!  I EARNED THAT.”  
  
    “Seems such a shame, then… that you ended up here… utterly unable to complete your first assignment.”  Mindfang returned to her chair and sat down.  “I wasn’t joking whatsoever about the idea that you should reconsider your chosen vocation, you know.  Did it ever occur to you that if genuine justice is your primary motivation that perhaps you’ve chosen the wrong side?”  
  
    Pyrope spat a teal-tinged wad from her mouth into the corner.  “No.  It hadn’t.  Last time I checked, you were the one destroying Naval property, the ships that you weren’t stealing for yourself that is, and murdering admirals in the process.”  
  
    “So they doooooooo know.  Thank you for that useful piece of information, Latula.”  
  
    The Neophyte’s embarrassment brought heat to her cheeks.  
  
    “No need to be ashamed about revealing something to me, dear; I already suspected that was the case.  All you did was confirm it.  What do you know of Admiral Cronus Ampora, anyway?”  
  
    “Nothing I care to share with you.  You knew him better than I did, obviously.”  
  
    “Obviously, girl.  The reason I ask is because I’d like to know what they’ve told you about him.  I can give you the true story.”  
  
    Pyrope frowned.  “I’m sure it would be a completely unbiased account.”  
  
    Mindfang’s eyes flicked over to her empty teacup.   _Drat.  May need a refill at this rate._  “No more biased than the one you received.  I’m not so naïve as to believe there’s such a thing as neutral tale; for every story, there’s an opinion.  Since I’m the one who had to fill a bucket with the fellow every now and then, I don’t think you’re more likely to find someone who could give you a clearer picture of the man than I, wouldn’t you agree?”  
  
    “If I had to… I guess…”  
  
    “See?  It only took an hour and we’ve found some common ground.”  Spinneret watched Latula roll her eyes and continued, “Now, let me tell you about Cronus Ampora:  the man was a self-obsessed prig who had a taste for being dominated in the respiteblock, a pan full of advanced naval tactics and a rather unfortunate predilection towards red-black vacillation.  He was the best kismesis a Gamblignant could ever ask for, but he wanted to take it a step in the other direction.  I told him no, he wouldn’t take no for an answer… which under most circumstances I can appreciate.  However, since I happened to have someone already in the process of filling my reddest quadrant, this made him most upset.  Upset enough, in fact, to break into my hive – which last time I checked also constituted a crime – and threaten my recently declared matesprit with a weapon… one which you’re now quite familiar with the degree of its lethality.”  
  
    Pyrope turned her head away again and swore to herself she wouldn’t shed a tear in front of this woman.  
  
    “Fortunately, I was able to arrive before anything unfortunate was to take place, but his plan was not only obvious, it was confessed.  I even offered the fool a chance to leave!”  Mindfang’s voice was starting to increase in volume now, her rage bubbling up audibly, which caused Redglare to turn and watch again with renewed interest.  “But he didn’t take it.  Instead, he chose to try and finish what he started.  He failed in every sense of the word.  And last time I checked, according to Section 6, Paragraph 9 of the Condesce Legal Codes, ‘Kismesicide shall be considered legal in the case where mortal harm to either the kismesis or any other person filling his or her quadrants is threatened, implied or attempted to be carried out in force, providing that unquestionable evidence can be provided to a healthtender, legislacerator, or…’”  
  
    “‘…Tyranny in a courtblock of law.’  Thank you for quoting legal code at me.  Well, that’s all well and good, Spinneret, which obviously isn’t your real name, nor does it even fit a proper eight letter handle, where is your ‘unquestionable evidence’, hm?” the Neophyte Legislacerator inquired in her most official sounding tone.  “Where, as the enforcers like to ask, is the proof?”  
  
    “Wellllllll, I’m pretty sure you’ve found the body.  Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here, would you?”  When Redglare didn’t reply, Mindfang added, “You will find a sword-inflicted wound through the midsection representing a complete perforation of the abdominal cavity but the mortal wound came from same sword being dragged through the neck, severing major blood vessels causing fatal trauma and eventual exsanguination.  Does that line up with what you read?”  
  
    “Of course.  You killed him.  Congratulations, you just admitted to the murder of a high-ranking admiral.  Now, what proof do you have that this is a legal kismesicide?”  
  
    “I have a witness:  my matesprit.”  
  
    Pyrope tried to throw up her hands in a mocking gesture but forgot that they were shackled together.  “Well la-dee-dah.  That and two caegars will get you on the hoverbus.  I’m sure she’d corroborate any story you concocted.”    
  
    Mindfang smiled knowingly.  “Actually, Latula, I’m reasonably certain that the hoverbus wants two-and-a-half caegars these nights and besides, I have a very strong suspicion that you would hold the word of my matesprit in as high of esteem as I myself do.”  
  
    “And what on Alternia would give you that idea?”  
  
    “That necklace you’re wearing.”  
  
    Latula narrowed her eyes.  “What about it?”  
  
    “Would it surprise you to know that not only am I quite familiar with the Signless’s message – or the Sufferer’s, whatever the grubs are calling him these days – but my matesprit is very much a believer in what he had to say.  More so than anyone I’ve ever met.  I suspect you’d say the same once you meet her yourself.”  
  
    “You?  A disciple of the Signless?  I never…”  
  
    Mindfang raised a finger.  “Hey, now; there was only one true Disciple and I am not she.”  
  
    “No shit,” Pyrope replied.  “I’ve actually seen the Signless and his followers at one of his sermons.  The Disciple was an oliveblood.”  
  
    “Correct.  You have sharp eyes.  Did you happen to notice anyone else around him?  A jadeblood, perhaps?”  
  
    She nodded.  “Of course.  She was the Dolorosa.  There was also a goldblood around working crowd control.  Believe me, I’ll always remember that night…” Pyrope said wistfully.    
  
    Mindfang began idly playing with a blue feather pen.  “So how were you able to reconcile the fact that these people were criminals in the eyes of the law, then?  How did you stop yourself from charging over and arresting the lot of them, hmmmmmmmm?”    
  
    “Sometimes there are concepts that are… above the law.  In my view, they never harmed a single person; they were only talking about a new idea.  It changed me… It was so amazing to think of the idea that maybe bloodcolour doesn’t have to divide us.”  
  
    Spinneret suddenly stood up from her chair.  “I couldn’t agree more, Latula!  Now, do you even think for a millimoment that you will EVER hear those words from a Subjuggalator?  Ask yourself that!”  She strode up to the bars once again and looked directly at her captive.  “Do you not recognize that perhaps we are not enemies?”  
  
    “YOU KILLED MY LUSUS WITH A FUCKING ELECTROHARPOON!!!!!!!” Redglare screamed.  “How in the blue hells do you think we could POSSIBLY be friends?”    
  
    Mindfang sighed dramatically.  “Oh here we go again with this.  ‘You killed my lusus.  Wah wah waaaaaaaah.’  Tell me, Neophyte, in the eyes of the law, is the intent to kill just as bad as the actual act thereof?”  
  
    “My actions were sanctioned by our governing body!”  
  
    “I don’t give a single fuck about our governing body!  I’m asking you, morally speaking now, what the difference is.  Can you answer that for me?”  
  
    Redglare stayed silent.  
  
    “I didn’t think so.  Like I said, Latula, you and I are more alike than not.  The only difference is that I have sweeps of experience under my coat and you have a lot to learn about the world we live in.”  As she said this, she turned and let her coat open for a moment before closing it up again and slowly sauntering back to her desk.    
  
    _She doesn’t have a damn thing under that coat… What the actual fuck is up with this woman?_ Pyrope thought to herself.  “Would you go put some fucking clothes on?  You’re kinda weirding me out.”  
  
    The Marquise grinned widely, letting her fangs show.  “But I thought it would make you more comfortable, considering how little you’re wearing at the moment.”  
  
    Latula was about to reply with something about her state of dress not being by choice, but her thoughts were interrupted by a rather loud growl from her stomach.  
  
    “My word, where are my manners?” Spinneret asked, turning to face Redglare once again.  “I haven’t even brought you anything to eat or drink!  I swear, I’m an absolutely terrible host.  Let me call my First Mate, Felida; she’s in charge of hospitality aboard my ship; she’ll take good care of you.”  She reached out and pressed a button on her desk console.  “Felida, I need you at the brigblock.”  
  
    As Mindfang released the button, Pyrope heard a sound coming from the other side of the wall that made her jump.  “What the hell was that?”  
  
    “What the hell was what?” Mindfang inquired.  
  
    “I could swear I heard someone yelling ‘for fuck’s sake’ somewhere.”  
  
    Spinneret offered her prisoner a disbelieving glance.  “I have my doubts.”  
  
    “I’m dead serious,” Pyrope replied.    
  
    Mindfang waited a moment and then pushed the button again.  “Felidaaaaaaaa…”  
  
    This time there was an audible response from the speaker.  “I’M COMIIIIINGGGGG!!!!!”  
  
    Latula said nothing but tried and failed to keep a smirk from her face.  Mindfang simply released the button again and sat down on the edge of her ironwood desk again.  “She’ll be along shortly.”  
  
    “I gathered.”  
  
    About two minutes later, a very sweaty oliveblood came running down the stairs and into the brigblock.  “Yes, Captain?  What can I do for you?” she asked sweetly.    
  
    “Ah, my dear, this time it’s not just what you can do for me, but what you can do for our guest.  Felida, this is Latula Pyrope.  Latula, meet Felida Oceleo, my moirail and my First Mate.”  
  
    Redglare eyed the newcomer suspiciously.  “First Mate, eh?  Well I got news for you, lady:  when I get out of here, you’re gonna swing, too, you noisy bitch.”  
  
    Felida wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked from the tealblood to her commanding officer.  “Wow, she sounds like a real charmer!  Can we keep her, Captain?”  
  
    “For a little while at least,” Mindfang replied.  “Anything beyond that will depend on how she behaves from here on in.”  She gave Oceleo a swat on the rump and said, “Our guest hasn’t had anything to eat or drink since she arrived, you know.  Would you kindly remedy that, love?”  
  
    “Yes, Captain.  I suspect her attitude might improve drastically with a little food in her.  I’ll be right back…”    
  
    As Felida scurried back up the stairs, Latula asked, “Are all of your crew members that eager to please?”  
  
    Mindfang nodded.  “Yes, but she most of all.  She derives great pleasure from serving a great cause.”  
  
    “Mm.  I could tell from the olive streak on her shorts.”  
  
    Spinneret went to look up the stairwell but Felida was already gone.  “You’re seeing things, dear.”  
  
    Latula shrugged as best she could.  “Hey, you were the one complimenting me on my eyesight a minute ago.”  
  
    “So I was.  We shall put that to the test upon her return, I suppose.  How about a little wager, then?”  
  
    “I don’t gamble with Gamblignants.”  
  
    Mindfang grinned.  “I wouldn’t blame you.  We do tend to have luck on our side.  But, how about we play a game of sorts.  It’s a rather popular one with someone I’m close to:  if you’re right about Felida, I will answer any question you ask of me with complete candidness.  If, however, there is no such stain as you describe, you must do the same for any question I ask of you.  Do we have a deal?”  
  
    Latula licked her cracked lips and nodded tersely.    
  
    “Gooooooood. I look forward to finding out more about youuuuuuuu…” 

 

    “You have no luck at all, you know that?” Porrim said as Felida came stomping back into her respiteblock.  She had just finished washing the remainders of both her and Felida’s emissions from her thighs and was drying that area off with a towel.    
  
    “You’d think some of the Captain’s would have rubbed off on me by now,” Oceleo groused.  “Insert ‘Captain rubbing off on me joke’ here,” she added before Porrim could open her mouth.    
  
    “Well, I was thinking of saying something like that until I saw the mess on your shorts…”  
  
    Felida’s attention turned from her half-undressed pitch lover to her own nethers.  “OH SHIT!  I HATE WHEN THAT HAPPENS!”  She pulled her brown shorts down as quickly as she could.  “That’s what sucks about getting interrupted:  you never know if you’re done or not.  Hey, speaking of which, you done with that towel, Jadebutt?  Can I have it?”  
  
    “Sure!  Here.”  Maryam went to toss it to her but Felida swept into the gaperroom before she could, gave Porrim a hard, fast kiss and grabbed it from her.  While she watched Oceleo vigourously rub the towel between her legs, Porrim sought her skirt from the respiteblock and set about pulling it up.  “Are you going to be able to clean that mess off?”  
  
    Felida tossed the towel in the ablution trap and went over to her closet.  “It’s not like they’re the only pair I have,” she said, extracting a virtually identical set from a shelf.  “Anytime we come across clothing, I make sure to find some new ones.”    
  
    “Well, this is the only outfit I own now,” Porrim lamented, “and the shirt has a cut in it!”  
  
    “No thanks to me, I know.”  Felida was grinning ear to ear.  “You can borrow one of mine until you get that one stitched up if you like.”  She tossed one of her white blouses to Porrim who caught it and looked it over.  
  
    “I’m afraid I wasn’t kidding about your clothes maybe not fitting me due to my chest being bigger than yours.”  
  
    “Pfft.  Just cram ‘em in there.  If there’s any spilling over, Mistress or the Capt… fuck it, it’s you and me… Aranea will just love it that much more anyway.  And don’t worry if it comes up a bit short; your vest will cover most of it, right?”    
  
    Porrim squeezed herself into the blouse; her breasts were spilling over the top as she expected they would.  “Probably.  Will I still be able to train in this?”  
  
    “Can you move your arms freely?”  
  
    She tried this.  “Yes.  No problems.”  
  
    “Purrfect!”  Felida grabbed another top for herself and pulled it over her head and horns.  “Then you’ll be fine.  You can fix your top up later tonight.”  
  
    “Felida…” Porrim began.  
  
    “Uh huh?”  
  
    “You know that scratch on your stomach I gave you?”  
  
    She gave it a glance as she tied her sash around her waist.  “Yeah, it was fair and square.  What about it?”  
  
    “Well…”  
  
    “Spit it out, girl!  I gotta get some loaf and water for out new ‘guest’ before I get my ass paddled and not in a good way!”  
  
    “Okay… Well, I gave you a cut and you gave me one, and we just kind of filled a bucket… the trap I mean… so does that make us… you know…”  
  
    Felida laughed but not unkindly.  “I can see why Aranea loves you: you’re fucking adorable!  I’d like to think that if we’re gonna be kismesises, we can make those scars intentionally, not to mention find WAY nicer buckets, but if you wanna consider us a black item, I’m totally down with it.  It’s just that…”  
  
    Porrim froze.  “Just that what?”  
  
    “It’s… nothing.  I just need to us to keep this quiet for a little while longer, okay?  There’s something I have to attend to first.  Someone I need to talk to, actually.”  
“All right.  It’s just that I want to… you know… make sure I’m doing this right.”  
  
    “Hey.  Jadebutt.  Never mind that I keep getting interrupted.  You’re doing AWESOME!  If I could’ve gotten away with it, I would’ve done it with you right there on the deck but they frown down on that sort of thing.”  
  
    “I wouldn’t have expected this crew to be shy about sexuality,” Porrim said.  
  
    “What?  Hell, no… Slivers.  You ever pull a two centimeter sliver out of your flap?  It SUCKS.”  
  
    Maryam crossed her legs involuntarily.  “Aiee!”  
  
    “Yeah.  Couldn’t have put it better myself.  Now come here and let me re-tie this sash of yours.  Let’s put a nice big bow on your back…”  
  
    “Okay.”  
  
    Felida stepped back and admired her handiwork.  “There ya go!  Now you look like the best Twelfth Perigee’s Eve present anyone could ever ask for!”  
  
    “Oh my… I never thought of it that way!”  
  
    Oceleo gave her backside another swat.  ‘Much as I would love to unwrap it myself, we better get back up there before anyone suspects.  You go back to Aurana and keep practicing; I have to sling some chow for a mouthy tealblood.  Fucking stuck up twat…”

     Porrim was a little shocked to see Felida this agitated about something.  “She can’t be that bad, can she?”  
  
    “You kidding?  First thing she said was an insult and not in THAT way, either.  Come on.”  She all but dragged Porrim out of the respiteblock and shut the door.  “Code’s five-six-nine if you ever need in.  Just wait for me, okay?”  Felida then headed for the simple cuisineblock behind the third door in the hall, muttering to herself the whole way.  
  
    Maryam was amazed that she was in and out in a matter of thirty seconds.  “That was amazing!”  
  
    “Nah.  Helps when you know where everything is.”  As they headed for the stairs that would take them back up on deck, Felida whispered, “Hey, you know what would show that nasty teal flap?  What if I peed in her water?  Just enough so that it would taste terrible but not enough that she would know I’m doing it.”  
  
    “Felida!” Porrim gasped.  “That’s gross!  Why would you do that?”  
  
    “I’ve been pushed around most of my life, Porrim.  I’ve learned that I have to fight back however and whenever I can.”  
  
    “I hardly think having an attitude constitutes a… well… response like that, though.”  
  
    Felida’s shoulders sunk a bit.  “I suppose you’re right.  I just get so… pissed off when people dismiss me before even getting to know me.”  
  
    As Porrim stepped out onto the deck, she said, “Well, I almost did in your opinion, even though I wasn’t trying to.”  
  
    “Nah.  I knew you weren’t a total cow as you were the Captain’s matesprit.  There’s no way in the blue hells she’d ever be matesprits with someone genuinely awful.”    
  
    “I’m glad you think so.  Now you better get going with that before you get a tongue lashing!”  
  
    Felida grinned.  “Maybe I should take my time, then?”  
  
    Porrim groaned and gave Oceleo a slight shove in the right direction, which set her off humming happily.   _What a peculiar little woman,_ she thought, _but I like her… a lot.  I best not get on her REALLY bad side, though…_  
  
    “Welcome back!  I wasn’t sure you were planning on coming topside again or not after suffering such a terrible wound!” Aurana teased.    
  
    Maryam turned around quickly, just in time to catch the shimmering blue blade that was being tossed her way.  “Sorry about that!  I just needed to… change my shirt.  From the cut and all…”  
  
    Zashyl just nodded.  “You’re not fooling anyone, Porrim.  How old are you again?”  
  
    “Um… I’m twenty two, but I don’t see what that has to do with anyth-”  
  
    “Twenty two.  And this is your first black romance?”  
  
    Porrim was starting to get defensive.  “I don’t know what you mean…”  
  
    Aurana put her sword back in her belt.  “No need to put up walls.  It’s just obvious to me what’s going on is all.  Trust me, I recognize it better than anyone else on this ship.”  
  
    “Okay, let’s say you’re right about what you think you’re right about.  What’s the problem?  I’m trying to figure out why she wants it to be a secret?”  
  
    “Oh, Porrim… It’s…”  
  
    The jadeblood’s hand flew to her mouth.  “Oh!  Wait… You still have black feelings for her, don’t you!  Listen, I’ll totally back off… I mean, the way you two were at each other was way blacker than I can get…”  
  
    Aurana laughed and put a hand on Maryam’s shoulder.  “No, no.  It’s not like that.  It almost was once but that’s part of the problem.”  
  
    “What do you mean?”  
  
    “There was a time, long ago, when it seemed like Felida and I were going to wax black for each other, especially because of our desire to please the Captain.  I was in the Captain’s respiteblock before Felida was, you know.”  
  
    Porrim face reflected her surprise at this.  “No, I didn’t know…”  
  
    “Not that it matters.  Thing was, Felida and I started playing at our rivalry a little more hotly once we were both established on this ship and right before it spilled over, the Captain took us both aside and said ‘no’.”  
  
    This time, Porrim could feel her protein chute drop.  “No?  As in…”  
  
    “As in no way would she let us become full-fledged kismesises.  She actually auspisticed in a way.  I say ‘in a way’ because it wasn’t an ongoing thing; it was just ‘no’.  The end.  The moral of the story?  Don’t smoke.”  
  
    Maryam’s thinkpan was in complete disarray now.  “But… I’ve never smoked before…”  
  
    “Then don’t start.  Terrible habit.  Anyway, she told us that she couldn’t run the ship properly if the hate suddenly spilled over into culling and she didn’t want to risk having one or both of her most valuable crew members getting killed if things went too far.  It had nothing to do with Felida’s history, mind you; I would have done far worse to that festering piece of shit than she did.  It’s just that the Captain wanted everything to go smoothly on board and we’d have to settle for a more friendly rivalry than a caliginous one.”  Aurana sighed and gave Porrim’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.  “I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t want to see you get your pusher broken when the Captain pulls you two apart.”    
  
    Porrim let her head hang; Aurana pulled back a step to dodge her horns.  “It’s different with us, though.  We really aren’t about the violence part of things.  I’m not sure how I feel about fighting, which is why I’m a little reluctant to do this sort of combat training, and you know Felida’s history as well, so she doesn’t want it to get that vicious, either.  She called it a ‘pale spade’; does that make sense to you?”  
  
    Zashyl was silent for a few moments as she looked Porrim over.  “It does, and I can tell you’re being honest about that.  If there’s anyone experienced in living two quads at once, it’s Felida… and the Captain, if she’d ever be honest with herself about it.  Although she might be more so now that you’re her official matesprit.”  Aurana put her hand on her lips while she thought again.  “If you could show her that you never plan to create tension with it or risk your life or Felida’s, I wonder if the Captain would consider it, because that’s all she’s honestly worried about.  Tell you what, if and when you two decide to approach the Captain with this, I will support you if it helps.  Just know that the Captain can be incredibly stubborn about some things.”  
  
    Porrim smiled with relief at that idea there might still be a chance.  “Thanks.  I would really appreciate that!”  
  
    “No problem.  Heck, I’ll even give you some pointers on how to get that little twit riled up.  I’ve been at her for sweeps; she’s probably gotten soft without me around to keep her on her toes.”  
  
    “I’d really like that, too, but… I don’t think she’s entirely incapable.  She’s thrown you overboard a few times herself, I gather.”  
  
    That earned a barked laugh from Aurana.  “Please.  I let her do it most of the time.  Now and then she gets one on me, like last night for instance.  I really wasn’t expecting that one, but then I had no idea she had a cybernetic arm, either!  Once I did, though, her advantage was shot and I chucked her overboard just to show her that.  You see, if the student doesn’t score a win now and then, they have no motivation to keep going.  Keep this in mind as we continue our training over the next few days.  Once I know you have something down and can do it without thinking, I’ll introduce the next move and challenge you to figure out how to beat it.  Sound good?”  
  
    “Sure!”  
  
    “All right!  And, while we’re at it, I’ll show you a few tricks that’ll make a certain oliveblood so crazy, she’ll be begging you to take her below deck!”  
  
    Porrim could still feel a little of the sadness at the thought of losing her newest romance but Aurana’s encouragement buoyed her spirits considerably.  “I’m all ears,” she said, adopting the stance she was just taught.    
  
    “That’s what I like to hear!  Now, this time, instead of pushing the blow aside, I want you to parry it with the lower part of your blade, like so…”  
  
  
  
  
    “And here she comes nowwwwwwww.  Thank you for being so swift, my dear; hearing poor Latula’s stomach rumble was just so pusherwrenching.”  
  
    “I’m sure,” Felida replied.  “Where shall I put this, Captain?”  
  
    “You can put it in your nook for all I care…” hissed Redglare.  “How do I know you didn’t put anything in it?”  
  
    Mindfang shook her head.  “Really, Latula.  If I wanted you dead, be assured you’d be dead by now.  Be grateful this is not the case.  Besides, my First Mate is far too kind to do something so rude… unless you invoke her ire.”  
  
    “Oh, woe.  I shall try not to irritate your little minion,” Pyrope mocked.  “Just give me the food and get lost, will you?”  
  
    Felida set the nutrition plateau and the water bottle down just inside the bars.  “You don’t have to be so miserable, you know.”  
  
    “And you don’t have to follow such a crazed lunatic.  Let me out of here and I’ll kill you first to save you the misery of watching your Captain get hauled away.”  
  
    Oceleo just smiled and backed away.  “Anything else, Captain?”  
  
    “Just one thing, my sweet.  Would you kindly turn around slowly?”  
  
    “Um… okay, Captain…”  Felida thought the request odd but did as she was bid.    
  
    “Thank you, love.  Carry on about your business and try not to mark up my matesprit too badly, if you don’t mind?”  
  
    “I’ll try my best, Captain, but no promises!”  
  
    “Nor would I expect any,” Mindfang answered.  Once Felida was back above deck, Spinneret rose and walked back to the bars.  “Soooooooo… Did you see what I saw?”  
  
    “A completely servile imbecilic sycophant?  Yes, I did,” Redglare answered, pushing the lid off of her plateau to find three grey slices of grubloaf.    
  
    “She just brought you a meal.  Show her some respect, lest you end up getting more than you bargained for.  Now, what I’m asking is if you noticed that her shorts were perfectly free of anything that you thought you saw.”  
  
    Pyrope put a piece of the loaf in her mouth and bit down, which made her wince.  “Yes.  I noticed.”  
  
    “Gooooooood.  Your eyesight seems to have recovered then.  So, tell me, because you’re honourbound to do so now, who was behind this attack on my lusus and what did they hope to achieve?  I’ll know if you’re telling me the truth; while I enjoy a good story as much as the next troll, I certainly prefer one with more than a grain of legitimacy…” 

 


	14. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea and Porrim enjoy a late night meal together in the Captain's Quarters,with Porrim receiving lessons in rum appreciation, slow dancing and much more...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the most romantic chapter of this story (at least, so far). I actually was done up to about Chapter 18 before I came back and added this one because our red lovers needed to spend some quality time together. For those of you who ship a red Dolofang (and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't), I hope you enjoy reading this part as much as I did writing it. :::: )
> 
> Soundtrack song: Song #18 is another piece by yours truly, but a cover this time of a classic slow dance. You can either download it in the Soundtrack link below or swing by [drhicks76 on Soundcloud](http://soundcloud.com/drhicks76) and looking for "Nights In White Satin" (I'm posting this at work and it won't let me go to Soundcloud from here. Grr). I intentionally chose some instrument sounds that were previously used in "Dear Heart" so you may notice that as you listen. Fire it up when they start dancing their second dance.
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

 

 

 **13.**  
  
    “So, my sweet, I’m most curious what you’ve made of your first couple of nights here,” Aranea said as she carried two plates over to the wooden table where Porrim was seated.  
  
    “Well,” Porrim began, “I must be feeling a lot better as I find the smell of that food most inviting.  Even with all of the exercise Aurana is putting me through, I haven’t had much of an appetite until now.”    
  
    Aranea delivered her matesprit’s plate first and then sat down across from her at the small square table.  “Good tidings, indeeeeeeeed.”  She was about to inquire about the progress of her combat training when she saw the smile spread across Porrim’s face when her matesprit looked down at her plate.  “I thought you’d appreciate that.”  
  
    Porrim felt a lump form in her throat when she examined her nutrition plateau to find four slices of warm grubloaf surrounding a puddle of reddish tuber sauce arranged into the shape of a heart in the center.  Memories ran through her thinkpan and she thought she might need to swipe a tear away in short order.  “I… I do.”    
  
    “I know,” Mindfang started smiling as well, “And it does warm my pusher to hear you say it.  I’ve asked an awful lot of you to have you join me here.  I can only hope now that you see how different ship life is versus trying to survive a storm at sea on a makeshift raft.”  
  
    Once she regained her composure, Porrim replied, “It is different.  There’s certainly no question about that.  The people I’ve met here are quite interesting, to say the least.”  
  
    “It pleases me to hear you say so.”  Mindfang tucked into her meal and added, “Dig in, love.  If you can eat, then eat.  One never knows when one’s meal might be interrupted.”  
  
    Porrim eyes widened.  “Is that a distinct possibility right now?”  
  
    “Could be now, could be a week from now, a perigee from now… It’s just the way life is for a Gamblignant crew.  Hell, I’ve even had some other idiot Gamblignant actually try to storm my ship during the day, if you can believe that!”  
  
    “Would you believe Felida told me that story?”  Porrim dipped her loaf into the paste and found it to be deliciously sweet.    
  
    Aranea chuckled and picked up her cloth napkin to wipe a spot of paste from her lips.  “Did she now?  I don’t suppose she happened to mention something concerning a rather unfortunate series of wardrobe malfunctions?”  
  
    Porrim giggled.  “She did, yes.”  
  
    Aranea threw her napkin down in feigned disgust.  “Bitch!  Some moirail I have.  Well, while I make no promises, I certainly hope that it doesn’t happen again; I would hate to see such a beautiful dress end up the way my last jacket did.”    
  
    Maryam beamed at the compliment.  “You and me both.  Can I ask you a question?”  
  
    “You can allllllllways ask me a question, dear heart.  I’m your matesprit.”  Aranea picked up her next piece of grubloaf and waited to hear Porrim’s query.  
  
    “Where did you get the jade material?  This vest and the panels on my skirt are made from material that belonged to dresses fashioned by other Sisters.  These aren’t commonly found outside the caves.”  
  
    Aranea pursed her lips as she thought about this.  “Let me think… Oddly enough, I recall finding those on board a naval vessel belonging to Admiral Fishfood.”  She  
offered Porrim a sly smile and got the toothy grin she sought in return.  “I haven’t the slightest where he would have obtained them, though.  I know that doesn’t solve any of the mysteries that I’m certain prompted you to ask, but perhaps we can work together and try and suss out an answer of some kind.  How’s that grab you?”  
  
    Porrim playfully looked at a couple of places on her body.  “Funny, I don’t feel like I’ve been grabbed at all…”  
  
    “That’s after supper, dear.”  Aranea gave her a wink.  “While it is unfortunate our best source of potential information is now tentacle chow, perhaps we can gain access to an Imperial computer terminal somewhere and I can nose around in his dealings a bit.  I’m aware of many of them, but I really hadn’t paid much thought about the jade dresses until I saw you wearing this.”  
  
    “No worries.  I was just… curious.”  
  
    “And curious is quite all right.  Without curiousity, there’s no learning, and without learning, there’s no new knowledge.  And there is no knowledge that is no power.”  
  
    Porrim’s brow furrowed.  “What if power wasn’t my intent?”  
  
    Aranea finished her mouthful before continuing.  “I don’t necessarily mean ‘ruling power’, Porrim.  I mean power in the broadest sense of the term:  something that can give you an advantage.  It doesn’t have to be applied to conquering one’s enemies, but also to empowering oneself to be able to accomplish a goal or even learn a new skill.  Are you done eating?”  
  
    “Mm?  Oh!  Almost…”  Porrim popped the last morsel of loaf into her mouth and swept any crumbs from the table into her hand and back onto her tableau.  “What do you have in mind?”  
  
    “A demonstration of sorts, my sweet.”  Mindfang accepted Porrim’s offered plate and stacked it on top of her own before turning to carry them back to the cuisineblock down the hall.    
  
    “How do you survive without droids, I wonder?” Porrim asked, with just a trace of snark slipping into her voice.  
  
    Aranea looked back through the doorway.  “Who says I don’t have droids?  I’ll have to show you the droidwashers later on.  A gift from a friend of mine that makes my life a lot easier.”  
  
    Porrim shook her head and stood up in search of her drinking cup.  It was in the covered sink in the back of her respiteblock where Aranea tended to put things that were used more than once (covered because loose objects tended to make a mess in rough seas, Aranea had told her); she gave the glass cup a quick rinse and filled it.  She drank two glasses worth and was just finishing a third when Aranea returned, humming a tune Porrim wasn’t familiar with.  “Have I ever told you that seeing you happy lifts my spirits?”  
With a quick spin on her red boot, Aranea swept up to the jadeblood and put her arms around her waist.  “I wasn’t aware that your spirits needed lifting, dear, but allow me to try and raise them to levels previously unseen!”  She guided Porrim to the open space in the center of the respiteblock; it wasn’t terribly wide open but there was some room to manoeuver.  “Tell me this:  did the Solemn Sisters teach you how to dance down there?”  
  
    At this, Porrim felt the heat rising in her cheeks.  “Um… I think I mentioned that we didn’t exactly experiment with each other in the caves, but I thought you were quite happy with my skills… you know… down there…”  
  
    Aranea simply looked at Porrim with no hint of expression save for a hint of a smirk at the corners of her lips.  “Porrim, if I didn’t have the empathic skills I do, I would sometimes find myself wondering if you were joking or not.  Contrary to popular belief, not everything I say is innuendo laced.   Eighty percent of it is, perhaps, but this time I was actually asking if you knew how to dance.  With your feet, love.  When I said ‘down there’, I meant the Mother Grub caves this time.”    
  
    “OH!”  Whatever heat she thought she felt before, it was a shadow of what she felt now.  “I’m sorry…  Just thought that…”  
  
    “I know you did.  It’s what makes you so damn adorable.”  She reached out with her left hand and gently ran her fingers through Porrim’s hair ; they came to rest it behind her head and she pulled her lover in close for a kiss.  “You can demonstrate those skills to me afterward  if you feel so inclined, but for now, I’d love to know if you can dance with a partner.”  
  
    Porrim just bit her lip.  “Er… actually, I’ve… never danced before.  Not the way you’re asking about, no.”  
  
    Aranea sighed but smiled as she did so.  “My dear, sweet, innocent Porrim.  How many more ways are you a virgin, anyway?”  
  
    “Well, um… I’ve never smoked greenweed before, either…”  Porrim recalled there being a few of the younger trolls at Kankri’s gatherings that would indulge in it; she found them to be rather mellow and wondered why there was such a stigma against the stuff, other than the odd smell.  
  
    This time Aranea laughed outright.  “My word, Porrim.  Should I be feeling remorse at sharing some rum with you back at the hive?  I shouldn’t make fun, though; I really do find your innocence refreshing.  Makes me wish I could be that way again sometimes.  Anyhow, if you suddenly have the urge to try the stuff, I can arrange it but it just won’t be here.  The less things on board a wooden ship that involve fire to function, the happier I am.”  
  
    “I’m in no hurry on that one, trust me.”  
  
    “Why not?  It is very relaaaaaaaaxing…”  
  
    Porrim just shrugged.  “No real desire to, really.  Besides, your rum did a fine job of that before.”  
  
    Mindfang beamed.  “Well, why didn’t you say so, love?  Perhaps a glass of rum might help loosen your legs a bit.”  
  
    “And are you talking about dancing or not this time?” Maryam asked wryly.  
  
    “That, my sweet, is for me to know and you to find out.”  Aranea opened a cupboard below and to the left of the sink to reveal an array of bottles.  She selected one, inspected it, returned it from whence it came and chose another.  
  
    “You don’t have to waste the best you have on me, Aranea.  I couldn’t tell a good rum from a bad one.”  
  
    “Pssssssssh.  As long as you’re with me, dear, you’ll never have a bad one.  Life’s too short to drink bad rum.  Yes, this will do nicely.”  Mindfang stood up and closed the cabinet, then opened the one above her head to procure a pair of metal chalices.  Moments later, she brought them over to Porrim and offered her one.  “Sip slowly, love.  Let it roll around on your tongue for a few moments, just long enough to start the burn, and then swallow.”  
  
    Porrim took a sniff of the contents.  “Whoof!  Are you certain this is rum?”  
  
    “Silly me… I must have poured gaper scrubber in your cup.  Yes, it’s rum, Porrim.  I even put a splash of water in yours to help tone it down a touch.”  Aranea touched the lip of her chalice to her matesprits.  “Here’s to you, dear heart.  Let’s see what lessons we learn tonight, yes?”  
  
    After she met Aranea’s toast, Porrim swirled the contents of the cup around a bit.  “All right, here goes.”  After the first sip, she thought she was going to be gasping for air, but to her surprise, it warmed her mouth as Aranea said it would and then that tingling sensation followed down her protein chute after she swallowed.  “That… wasn’t too bad, actually.”  
  
    “Told you.  You might even develop a taste for it in time.  This particular bottle is about two hundred years old and has a rather high alcohol content compared to many, but the wood casks it was aged in give it kind of a buttery taste, don’t you think?”  
  
    Porrim had a second sip.  “Kind of…  I’m not sure yet, but that’s why I said you shouldn’t waste the good rum on me, though.”  
  
    Aranea patted her on the shoulder.  “The only way you get better at tasting something is to keep tasting it.  In fact, I once had a lover who could tell what I had for breakfast just by going dow-”    
  
    “Are you sure I should hear that story right now, Aranea?” Porrim asked, only half-joking.  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm… Probably not.  We have far more interesting things to do, anyway.”  Mindfang strutted over to her daystand and entered a couple of keystrokes.  The lights in the chandelier above them dimmed and slow music began to play through unseen speakers.    
  
    “Have I heard that song before?” Porrim inquired.  
  
    “You did indeed.  I was humming it a few minutes ago.  Very perceptive of you, love.  Now, let’s start with this.” Aranea said, moving to stand in front of her lover.  She reached out and took Porrim’s right hand in her left and placed the other one on her hip.  “Put your free hand on my back somewhere,  wherever feels comfortable to you.”  
  
    Porrim took a breath.  “Okay.”  She reached around Aranea’s slim body and let her hand wander up and down the blueblood’s back.  
  
    “As wonderfully arousing as that is, dear heart, it’s not quite what I meant.  Just find a spot and let it rest there.”  
  
    “Sure.”  A moment later, Porrim’s hand came to a spot higher up on Mindfang’s back and stayed there.  “What’s next?”  
  
    “Do you feel the rhythm?” Aranea asked.  “Count it with me:  one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight.”   Porrim did so and asked what followed.  “Then, on ‘one’, I’m going to step towards you with my left foot while the foot of yours in front of mine takes a step backwards.  On ‘two’, they both stop in their new position.  On ‘three’, my right foot will step forward and you move your other one back, on ‘four’ those ones stop.  You can almost sliiiiiiiide your feet back when it happens; it looks so much smoother.”  
  
    Porrim’s eyes darted around the respiteblock.  “Do we have enough room for this?”  
  
    Aranea smiled.  “Only if you follow my lead.  We’ll be moving in a wide circle, making a point of dodging the furniture.  Ready to try?”  Maryam nodded enthusiastically.  “Excellent.  Here we go; just relax.  Five-six-seven-eight-and…”  
  
    “Ow!”  
  
    “Porrim…”  
  
    “Sorry… I’m not used to these boots yet.”  
  
    “It’s okay,” Aranea encouraged, “Why don’t you take them off?  That feels more natural to you anyway, doesn’t it?”  
  
    Porrim nodded and stepped out of her short black boots; the relief she got when her bare feet touched the floor and stretched out was exquisite.    
  
    “I felt that, love.  I should have suggested it much sooner.  You can take your boots off as soon as you enter the block, you know.  Not a whole lot of nasty things to step on in here.”  
  
    “Aside from your clothes scattered all over by the bed, you mean?” Porrim admonished.  “Does your friend happen to have a seafaring droid for that yet?”  
  
    Aranea replied by sticking out her tongue.  “Never you mind.  Okay, let’s try again.  Five-six-seven-eight-and…”  
  
    This time, Porrim’s foot moved backwards and Aranea’s leading foot took its place as Aranea counted ‘One’.  On ‘Three’, she moved her other one back and began anticipating her next move.  By the time Aranea was back at ‘One’ again, she felt Aranea trying to steer her in a slightly different direction, so she tried her best to follow that.  By the end of the song, they had completed a circuit of the available space in the respiteblock and Porrim was ecstatic.  “That was fun!  Can we do another one?”  
  
    “I thought you’d never aaaaaaaask…”  Mindfang wandered over to her daystand controls and cued up another song, slower but with a slightly different rhythm.  “This can be danced as a Walzer , which comes from an old mid-continental dialect meaning ‘to wander’, which is more or less what we’ll be doing around the block.  The time is Six/Eight but it counts just like a Three/Four.  Are you with me?”  
  
    Porrim frowned.  “So what you’re saying is we count to six instead of eight as we go?”  
  
    “That’s right.  Except I want you to move your feet back in groups of threes this time.  From your perspective, make one big step back on ‘One’ with your right foot, then two little ones, Left-Right, on ‘Two-Three’, big step with your left foot on ‘Four’, little steps Right-Left on ‘Five-Six’.  Make sense?”  
  
    “I think so,” she answered as she accepted Aranea’s hand into hers and returned the other to her matesprit’s back.    
  
    “Then let’s begin.  One-two-three, Four-five-six…”  
  
    Porrim concentrated on taking the steps and found that this particular count suited her far better for some reason .  “This is… really amazing, actually.”  
  
    “I’m glad you enjoy it, love!  Now just try not to think about what you’re doing and just let your feet move with the rhythm of the song.  Don’t look down, just look into my eyes and maybe even move a bit closer to meeeeeeee…”  
  
    She did as Aranea suggested and Porrim found that she felt like she was almost walking on air, letting her lover move her gently around the floor.  She was completely captivated by the music and Aranea’s exotic eyes; she could sense warmth inside of her and felt a touch light-headed.  Porrim wanted to speak and yet felt as though to do so might ruin the moment so she simply carried on, letting her feet fall back as Aranea’s advanced and enjoying the sweet smells of their supper and the vanilla notes of her matesprit’s soap, not to mention the faint scent of rum on her breath.    
  
    As the song continued, Porrim moved even closer to Aranea, almost cheek to cheek.  She was most grateful for this tune that counted six steps but more than anything else, she was simply enjoying the moment.  About halfway through their eighth lap around during this particular song, she whispered into Aranea’s sponge clot, “Thank you for this Aranea.  I love you…”  
  
    “And I love you, dear heart.  More than anything I’ve ever loved.  I wish you could know how much I’m enjoying this.”  
  
    “Show me…” came the reply.  Lips met; slow sucking kisses followed.  By the time the song ended and the next one began, they were on the bed, eyes closed, hands moving about in search of pleasurable places to touch.  Once she had Aranea’s coat and most of her undergarments off, Porrim noticed her red lover trying to return the favour; her red sash was already undone and she suspected her recently mended white blouse was next. _Felida still wants to keep our secret; best not to show off that cut._ “Aranea?”  
  
    “Yes, love?”  
  
    “Would you mind if we… turned off the lights?”  
  
    A brief pause.  “We coulllllllld… Why for?”  
  
    Porrim thought quickly.  “Well, I was wondering… Would a sense of touch be intensified in the dark?  I’d like to find out.”  
  
    Aranea nodded.  “All right.  That sounds like a grand idea.”  She reached over to the daystand and flicked a switch; the lights all went out at once.  “How’s that?”  
  
    “Perfect.  Let me slip out of what I’m still wearing and you can try it first.”    
  
    Porrim quickly shed what clothing remained and then returned to the bed.  She used her fingers to find Aranea and lay overtop of her, planting kisses first on her lips and then slowly downward to her breasts and stomach.  She could hear Aranea’s breathing pick up speed as those kisses began to draw nearer and nearer to her seedflap; another familiar scent was added to the mixture in Porrim’s sniffnodes and it drew her further on.    
  
    “Yessssssss… I love your lips on mine… You were right… this is delightfullllllll…”  
  
    Aranea’s vocal encouragement, both as words and sounds, made Porrim want to touch her, taste her even more.  She could almost see in her mind what her fingers felt:  the creases and texture of her soft skin both without and within; the places that became firmer or wetter under her fingertips and her tongue.  In time that wetness was expressed across her face and chest as her matesprit sang out but she didn’t mind at all; it only enhanced what her body told her was happening and the desire to have the favour returned sang out in both her sniffnodes and her own seedflap.    
  
    Once Aranea’s breathing slowed enough for her to speak, she placed a hand in Porrim’s hair and said, “I haven’t done… anything like this in… so long, but it was… never this good before…  Your dancing skills… are better than… you think, dear heart.”  
  
    “I’m glad you think so,” Porrim replied, kissing the inside of Aranea’s thigh before she sat up.    
  
    “Now, how about you come here and take what’s coming to you, my sweet.  I promise I won’t bite… at least, not too haaaaaaaard…”  
  
    Porrim rolled to the other side of the bed.  “How about you come find me?”  
  
    Aranea reached out and grabbed Porrim’s shoulder on her first attempt.  “Porrim, my love, I can sense you quite easily.  Besides, I have a feeling you wanted to be caught, yes?”  
  
    “Maybe…”  
  
    “‘Maybe, indeed,” Aranea purred as she hauled Maryam back down to the mattress.  “‘Maybe’ doesn’t cut it around these parts, you’ll find.  The only word that matters in my respiteblock is a resounding ‘yessssssss…’”  In the darkness, she leaned forward and kissed Porrim’s long horns and then began to suck on her sponge clot.  
  
    “Yes…” Porrim sighed.  
  
    “That’s more like it.  Now, let’s see how you like it when my fingers dance instead of my feet.  I’m sure you’ll find I can lead just as well with those, too; just relax and let yourself be led.  I’ll make sure to steer you right, I promise…”  
  
    Porrim knew how rarely Aranea spoke that particular word and so she simply let herself reply with the sounds that came from deep inside, letting those sensations Aranea’s fingers created walk across her skin and into her pan, where they delivered their lesson of love again and again.

 

 


	15. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since her matesprit and black lover decided to spend a morning together, Porrim opts to explore the ship a bit, which leads her to spend a bit of time with Mindfang's prisoner and Mindfang's former bodyguard, both of which prove to be quite eye-opening for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on posting this one; been rather preoccupied with many things ongoing around home. I am still writing new chapters, have no fear; just going a bit slower than expected and trying to decide just how... Mature Content I want this particular chapter I'm working on to be. This part, however, is the opposite: for those of you curious how Porrim and Latula would have interacted in this situation, here's how I pictured it.
> 
> Soundtrack song: #19 - Second of two A Perfect Circle tunes in short order. Fits this scene SO well.
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

   
** 14. **

 

 

    “Are you sure you’re all right with this, dear heart?”

    “I suppose I’m going to have to be,” Porrim replied, sitting on the edge of Felida’s bed. _If I’m not, then I’m a complete hypocrite especially where Felida is concerned.  What right do I have to want you for myself the whole time when I’m playing blackrom with your moirail?_

    Mindfang frowned.  “That’s not exactly the most rousing response, Porrim.  Please understand that it’s just once in a while.  You and Felida seem to be getting along famously; I’m sure you have no objections to sleeping in her quarters?”

    As quickly as the thought You have NO idea how famously entered her pan, she shut it down.  “Nope.  Her bed’s comfy enough, although I may have to hang my feet over the end.”

    “Listen here, Stretch, it’s not my fault you don’t have stubby horns like I do,” Felida jibed.  “You can totally slip into my ‘coon if you like, though!”

    “I don’t know,” Porrim said, looking it over, “the slime would probably only come up to my waist if I was sitting down…”

    “Shaddap…” Oceleo grumbled.  “You’ll fit.  Trust me.  Then again, we might have to grease up your hips to get ‘em in there…”  
   
    Mindfang sighed.  “We’ll need to figure something out for the future, though.  I’m not entirely sure what that will entail, but the answer will come to us sooner than later, I suspect.”  She moved forward and kissed Porrim deeply on the lips.  “Till tomorrow, love.”

    _I’m sure it will… I just hope I like the answer when it comes._  “Sounds good, love,” she replied, which made Spinneret smile.

    Spinneret and Oceleo departed the respiteblock for Aranea’s with no further fanfare.  Porrim noted that Felida didn’t look back to make any sort of mocking gesture or taunt, which she appreciated.   _There are some things that are too far, even in blackrom.  She knows her situation with Aranea is beyond what moirails do and she respects that.  We’ve been on this ship together three nights now and I know she hasn’t had Aranea to herself in almost a perigee.  So why am I so… jealous?_  
   
    Before she knew it, she was pacing a small circle in front of the bed, kicking loose clothing out of her way as she did so.   _Or maybe I’m agitated because Aranea feels she can enjoy multiple quadrants and she would likely prevent me from doing the same.  This is NOT fair.  But then again… neither of us have asked Aranea about it, either._  

    Porrim passed Felida’s fuzzy green tail, which was hanging up over the footrail of the bed.   _Oh, she forgot this… I’d take it to her, but I’m not sure I really want to do that at the moment._  She picked it up on her way by and smiled as the memory of what took place the night before snuck into her pan.  Aurana had, as promised, taught Porrim much about melee combat, but her lessons on how to get Felida riled up were equally useful.  Running this green tail-shaped machine up the mast like a flag certainly had the desired effect of getting Oceleo excited, especially when Aurana publicly claimed she wasn’t the one behind it, leaving only one possible suspect.  Felida paid her back with a particularly spirited romp during their following “breaks” in training, spanking the jadeblood with the tail until she opted to tease her to climax with it instead.  
   
    Porrim was most grateful that Zashyl was willing to cover for them when they disappeared for fifteen or twenty minutes; Aurana said that the Captain was mostly preoccupied with conversing with the prisoner and only once came by to see how the training was coming along when both participants were elsewhere.  “You two were present when the Captain came by every other time so I don’t believe she suspects anything out of the ordinary.  Of course, with her abilities, who knows what she knows, right?”

    She heard Aurana’s words echo in her thinkpan and lightly bit her lip.   _This is true.  But then, if Aranea was upset about it, she would have said something by now, I’m certain._  She wondered if Felida would let their secret slip this morning; Porrim was quite aware that her pitch lover had a tendency towards verbosity, but suspected she would do her best to remain silent on this particular subject.

    _On one hand, keeping this a secret kind of makes our meetings that much more exciting._  It wasn’t as though Porrim was lacking for excitement with her matesprit at all; both days previous were full of passion and touch; she worried that she wouldn’t have enough left in the tank for her matesprit after her black rendezvous.  Yet, somehow, she always did and she slept, fulfilled, beside her red mate, doubly grateful that Aranea would let her sleep a little longer than the rest of the crew.   _I don’t suspect anyone would complain too loudly about that to her.  Not if they didn’t want to get perforated, anyway._

_On the other hand,_ she thought, tossing Felida’s tail back over the edge of the bed, _this needs to be discussed sooner than later.  I wonder if the fact that I’m her matesprit and thus a little different than her standard crew members would make for a more acceptable situation in her eyes?  I can only hope so; I have no intention of harming Felida, nor would she harm me.  It’s just… how can I explain it?_

    Porrim lay down on the bed for a few minutes but found herself feeling more restless than ever.   _Sleep will not come easy for me, even in a ‘coon, I think.  Maybe it’s time I took a little walk in the sun.  Might do me some good._

    She left the respiteblock and walked past Aranea’s.  She couldn’t help but hear Felida’s noises, which were now almost as familiar to her as Aranea’s own exhalations.  She found herself feeling twinges of jealousy for both of them.  And yet, how must Felida have felt the last couple of days?  Porrim understood that Aranea’s relationship with Felida was considerably different than her own, but she almost felt pity for the oliveblood.   _Maybe that’s what ‘pale spade’ means.  Either way, I need to leave them be… for my own sanity._

    Once out on the deck, Porrim let her eyes adjust to the bright red sunlight.  It seemed even more intense than she was used to; she realized this was due to the reflection of the sunlight off the water.   _That even stings my eyes a bit…_  She looked over to the bridgeblock; the heavy sunshields were down and she suspected Hyvare was piloting during the day shift as was his custom, using the instruments on board to guide the ship to their next destination.   _Wherever that happens to be; sometimes I’m not even sure if Aranea knows where we’re going right now, but I’m certain she has her reasons._

    Instead of scaring poor Hyvare by knocking on the bridgeblock door, Porrim’s curiousity spurred her to take the other stairwell down that led not only to the crew’s quarters but also the brigblock.   _I have to admit, I’m curious to meet this prisoner Aranea has spent so much of her time with.  She tells me how valuable this woman is… I wouldn’t mind knowing why for myself._

    She crept quietly down the stairs to the door that led to the brigblock and peered around the corner.  There was a dim light on in the corner; she could see the shape of a figure behind the bars, curled up but still moving around.  Porrim heard soft sounds coming from the woman.   _Is she crying?  I shouldn’t bother her, th-_

    “Who’s there?” the prisoner demanded , bolting upright.  “I can hear you!  Show yourself!”

    Porrim approached cautiously.  She could tell that the woman had no shackles on her hands or feet, which didn’t surprise her.  Aranea mentioned before we fell asleep that she was reasonably certain the prisoner wasn’t going to harm herself now.  I can only imagine what they’ve had to discuss… maybe I can find out?  “Hello?” she called out.  “I won’t hurt you.  I’m just… here to talk.”

    “Great.  Another talker.  Just what I never wanted.”  The woman sat back down in the corner of her cell.  “Save your breath and shove off.”

    Maryam hesitated for a moment before walking forward.  “I’m sorry to bother you.  I just wanted to ask you a few ques-”

    The prisoner was suddenly at the bars again.  “Wait!  Are you a jadeblood?”

    Porrim nodded her confirmation.

    “Come closer… I want to have a look at you.”

    She did as she was asked.  “Can you see me all right now?”

    “Oh… oh my… It couldn’t be…”

    “What couldn’t?”

    The woman behind the bars put her hands to her mouth.  “You look like someone I’ve seen before, but you’re wearing such different clothes.  Are you… the Dolorosa?”

    Porrim wasn’t sure if she should answer at first, but opted to.  “Yes.  At least, I once was.”

    “Oh man…”  The tealblood stepped back from the bars.  “That sawed-off little flap did poison me.”

    “I’m… I’m sure she didn’t!  What makes you say that?”

    “I must be hallucinating; how else would Mother Maryam herself be standing in front of me?”

    She wasn’t sure what to make of the woman’s choice of title for her, but it was apt enough.  “Well, if it helps at all, my name is actually Porrim.  Porrim Maryam.  And I’m no hallucination.”

    “Then, if you don’t mind my asking, what the hell are you doing in a place like this?”

    Porrim was surprised by what appeared to be genuine awe on the tealblood’s face.  “It’s a long story, but one I’ll share some of with you if you like.  Would you tell me your name?”

    She smacked her dry lips a couple of times and cleared her throat.  “I’m Latula Pyrope.  I’m a recent graduate of the Academy of Legislaceration; a Neophyte.  My handle is Redglare.”  

    Pyrope extended her hand through the bars and Porrim took it.  “Nice to meet you, Latula.  I’m sure this isn’t the kind of place you’d expected to find yourself in.”

    Latula snorted.  “You aren’t kidding.  I don’t suppose you’d be able to do anything about that?”

    Porrim suspected the slight slump of her shoulders would speak louder than her words would.  “I’m afraid not.”

    “Are you a prisoner here, too?”

    “Not at all.  I’m actually quite pleased to be here,” she replied cheerfully.  “This isn’t a bad place to be under the right circumstances.”

    Redglare raised an eyebrow.  “Oh?  And what circumstances would those be?”

    Porrim thought carefully about her answer.  “Those where trust and willingness to see past what seems obvious can benefit someone greatly.”

    “Really.  Well, the only thing that seems obvious here is that this is not a good place to be and these sure as hell aren’t good people.  Not exactly followers of the Signless’s teachings, are they?”  Pyrope raised the silver sigil on its chain to show the woman she called Dolorosa.

    “I have to be honest… I’m not sure I could ever quite get my pan around that symbol being used to represent him, but it’s not like I have a say in the matter,” she said, softly.  

    “Oh.  I’m… sorry.  I didn’t know…”

    “No, it’s… all right.  I’m just happy that there are still people out there who care about his message.”

    “Yeah.  Too bad there aren’t any here,” Latula groused.  “This place is full of scum and villainy.”

    “What makes you say that?” Porrim asked, trying not to sound annoyed.

    “Gee, I don’t know… These people murdered my lusus, beat me into grubloaf and tossed me in a cell on a boat!  I don’t know how you got here, but this is not my idea of a good time!”  Redglare exhaled loudly and then asked “How did you get here, anyway?  You said you’re not a prisoner here, right?”

    “No.  At least, not anymore."

    Latula regarded her carefully.  “How do you mean?  What happened to you after they captured you, anyway?”

    Porrim couldn’t stop the sigh as waves of mixed emotions tore through her.  “I was sold into slavery.  The first person who purchased me was an Imperial admiral named Cronus Ampora.”

    Redglare said nothing and let her continue her story.

    “Ampora then sold me to a woman he’d had dealings with before, known as Marquise Spinneret Mindfang.  I’m sure you’re well aware that this is her ship you’re on.”

    “Oh, quite.  Keep going; I’m listening.”

    “Mindfang and Ampora, as I found out later, were kismesises, but he wanted more from her.  She took me in as a prisoner at first, but we started to develop a bond.  I found her to be far more than a mere Gamblignant, but someone who secretly despised the hemohierarchy and made it her business to rail against it.  Despite getting off to a rough start, she and I started having feelings for one another, but Ampora was also starting to feel flushed for her and he tried to interfere.  She chased him off but kept up her black dealings with him.  One night, Mindfang proposed to me and we became matesprits.”

    It took every iota of training that Pyrope had to keep her jaw from falling open.   _SHE’S Mindfang’s matesprit?  Oh my… how is this even possible?_

    “That didn’t sit too well with Ampora.  The night after we declared ourselves, Spinneret stepped out to get  tokens and he showed up, threatening to murder me.  It was a stroke of luck that she returned when she did; that weapon of his was pointed right at me.”

    _Did she put you up to this?  I totally wouldn’t put it past her,_ Redglare thought but chose to keep listening instead of vocalizing this.

    “She told him their kismesisitude was over and gave him the chance to leave.  All he had to do was apologize.  He attacked me again and she stopped him.  I felt awful that she had to take her kismesis’ life but I’ll be forever grateful that she saved mine.”

    “Doesn’t sound like your run-of-the-mill Gamblignant, I must admit,” Redglare said quietly.  “What I’m trying to figure out is how someone like you could fall in love with someone who steals for a living, never mind killing people or their lusus.”

    Porrim was a bit taken aback by the subtle venom in her voice.  “I… can’t deny that she’s had a dark past, but she seems to be willing and able to change.”

    “Dark past?  She killed my lusus five nights ago!”

    “I heard, but as far as I know, it was in defense of her own.  I can understand it in those cases.  It’s unpleasant, I’m certain, and you have my condolences, but if the roles were reversed, could you blame her?”

    Latula opened her mouth but her protest fell away before it could be voiced.  “I’ll never admit it to her, but I suppose not.  And that was my mission, yes:  take Mindfang’s lusus and then take Mindfang herself.  My new mission is officially to get the hell out of here and finish it.”

    “Do you think that’s wise?” Porrim asked in all seriousness.  “I suspect that if you were cooperative and willing to assist in helping her find out who wa-”

    “I’m sorry, what?” Pyrope asked, incredulous.  “Listen, I don’t know exactly how she’s panwashed you, but there’s no way I’m helping her, no matter what she says.  Maybe you’ve seen something I haven’t, but all I’ve seen are these bars and someone I cared very deeply for murdered before my eyes.  I gather you know exactly what that’s like.”

    Porrim swallowed then nodded slowly.  “I do.  Which is why I want to do everything I can to help you improve your situation.”

    “You want to improve my situation, Dolorosa?  You want to answer my prayers?  Then let me out of here.  Put me on a lifeboat with a solarshield and let me go back where I came from.”

    “What would you do if I did?  Would you come back to exact vengeance against those who have harmed you or would you instead rail against those who sent you after someone who had no quarrel with you?  Do you understand what I’m asking?”

    Redglare stood quietly while she contemplated her answer.  “I do.  But understand that I would be doing so in the name of the law.  I know you’re innocent of Mindfang’s crimes, Maryam, and I would do everything in my power to ensure that you’re not incarcerated along with her, but…”

    “Do you think for a moment that they would let me go again?” Porrim asked angrily.  “They would cull me where I stood right along with my matesprit but not until they’d either force me to watch or, even worse, make her watch while they eviscerated me.  It was bad enough seeing one person I cared for die violently in front of me; I couldn’t possibly endure that again with my sanity intact.  I’d sooner die myself, but only if it was in private because I couldn’t bear the agony of knowing someone who cared for me had to suffer through that.  Because I have.”  
   
    In the long silence that followed, Porrim didn’t stop the tears that slipped down her cheeks.  Latula said nothing, but instead reached behind her hair and unfastened the silver chain.  “Here,” she said, putting her arm through the bars, the chain and sigil in her hand.  

    Porrim was dumbfounded.  “But… why?”

    “Just take it.  Please.”

    She did so.  “Thank you.”

    “You wanna thank me?  All I ask is a glass of water.  The swill they serve me here tastes like piss.”

    _I’m pretty sure I talked Felida out of that,_ Maryam thought to herself.  “Sure.  I can do that.  Give me a minute, okay?”

    Pyrope nodded and watched as the jadeblood ascended the stairs.  A few minutes later, she returned bearing a clear glass of water.  “Sorry there’s no ice on hand.”

    “That’s all right; this will do just fine.”  Latula took it from Porrim when it was offered and slowly sipped at it.  “You’ll pardon me if I don’t rush this?  I don’t need another bout of cramps.”  

    “Understandable.”  

    A couple of sips later, Pyrope asked, “What did you do with the necklace?”

    “I’m still holding it.  What would you like me to do with it?”

    “Wear it, of course!  That’s what it’s for.”

    Porrim unfurled the chain and fastened it around her long neck.  “There.  How’s that?”

    “Like it was always there.  Listen, it was… something meeting you, but I need to get some sleep, if you don’t mind.  I’m exhausted.  I’ll sip at this water all day; I really do appreciate you getting it for me.”

    “No problem.  Hopefully we can talk more in the future?” Maryam asked.

    Pyrope sighed.  “Perhaps.  Just note that I don’t plan to be here forever.”

    Porrim only smiled sadly and gave a single nod before vacating the brigblock, leaving Latula to listen to her thoughts and the soft sounds the ship made as it cut through the water to parts unknown.  

 

 

 

    As she made another pass along the empty deck of the ship, Porrim fingered the silver sigil that now found a home around her neck.  The red sunlight glinted off of it and she couldn’t help but be reminded of the young man the symbol now represented to the world at large.   _Your message will live on, Kankri, so long as I do.  But it appears that others carry it now as well.  I can only hope that the message itself isn’t lost in the medium that bears it now: the masses._  
   
    She watched the wake the ship left behind its stern and breathed a sigh.   _I’m not sure if Aranea still helps to settle my stomach or if I’m finally starting to get more comfortable on the water, but I’m glad it’s happening either way.  The ride we took, Kankri… I swore then I would never set foot on a boat again, but here I am.  Isn’t it remarkable how things can unfold so differently than we expect?_  Her thoughts drifted to her matesprit as she continued to slowly turn the symbol in her fingers.   _If you’d have told me I’d find a matesprit so soon, much less one that was a blueblooded Gamblignant, I’d have thought you mad, but-_

    “Psst!  Porrim!”

    Porrim swung her head around in an effort to find the source of the sound, but there was, unsurprisingly, no one else visible above deck in the daytime.  “Hello?” she called back.  

    “Down the stairwell!”

    She walked cautiously over to the stairwell that led down into the crew quarters; at the bottom was Aurana, looking up expectantly.  “What the heck are you doing up so late?”

    “I… well, I suppose I…”

    “Couldn’t sleep.  Yeah, me neither.  Considering the racket coming from that respiteblock, I can’t blame you at all.  Come on down here and hang out with me.  If you want to, that is…”

    Porrim didn’t say anything but she started down the wooden stairs, uncertain as to what designs her combat instructor had on her.  They walked into the quarters Mindfang had cleared out for Aurana:  the turquoiseblood had her own space where most occupants who weren’t the Captain or the First Mate normally had to double up.  Aurana’s quarters had no trappings like her matesprit’s:  there was little but the bed and a glowglobe on top of a small dresser.  

    “I know it’s a bit austere, but I didn’t have a whole lot of time to bring anything with me,” Zashyl said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.  “Anyway, come in, sit down, converse!”

    “Sure…”  Porrim’s eyes flicked around the respiteblock and found nothing to sit on save for that same bed which Aurana now occupied and she decided to voice her concerns.  “Listen, Aurana, I think you’re absolutely amazing when it comes to what you can do, but I’m not sure I can do much more than talk with y-”

    Aurana made a chuffing laugh in reply.  “Don’t worry, Porrim!  I know you’re already up to your neck in quadrants right now.  Just because the Captain revels in such things doesn’t necessarily mean I do.  In fact, if anything, considering what you’re going through right now with her and her little buddy, I was going to ask if you needed a temporail.”  

    Porrim opened her mouth to thank Aurana for the offer but politely decline but then realized that, all things considered, her situation was getting more and more complicated by the night and maybe having someone to talk to about it wasn’t such a bad idea.  She knows more about it already than anyone else… “You know, I may just take you up on that.”

    “Then come on over here and sit down.  In fact,” Aurana began as she stretched out on the bed, “come lay down behind me and just start talking.  And don’t worry:  my idea of moirallegiance is far more conventional than the Captain and Felida’s.  You can totally keep your clothes on.”

    The laugh that came from Porrim was one that spoke of her understanding and relief.  “I’ll try my best to do so.  It would certainly be a change from what I’ve been through the last few nights, believe me.”  She walked to the foot of the bed and then slid into the space against the wall that Aurana provided.  As she lay down she found Zashyl’s long hair in her face, so she gathered it up as best she could and went to push it over the other woman’s shoulder when the urge to start gently stroking and untangling it came over her.  A moment later, Porrim was running her fingers through the thick black hair and Aurana was making a soft murring sound in response.  She didn’t quite know where or how to begin, and she honestly was enjoying the rhythmic purr coming from Aurana; she found it soothing, almost hypnotic and much of her frets and concerns that were troubling her a few minutes prior on deck were fading into the back of her thinkpan.

    It was Aurana that spoke first.  “So where did that necklace come from?”

    “You saw that?  Even in this light?  That’s pretty impressive,” Porrim said.

    “It wasn’t so much that I saw it.  I just feel something sharp kinda digging into my back is all.”

    Maryam pulled back a bit.  “Oh!  Sorry about that!”

    “Don’t worry about it!  Just move it over a bit and you’ll be fine.  So, what is it?”

    “It’s… difficult to explain.  What do you know about the Signless?”

    Aurana was quiet for a moment.  “That he had some great ideas and that he was gone too soon.”

    Porrim smiled in the faint light from the glowglobe.  “That’s about the essence of it right there, isn’t it.  To answer your question, this necklace is the symbol that many are using to represent him now.”

    “It came from the prisoner, didn’t it?”

    _No point in denying it._  “Yes.  She gave it to me.  And I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

    “How come?”

    “It’s a… rather long story, one with an awful lot of tears.”

    Zashyl rolled over to face Porrim.  “The Captain told me all about who you once were not so long ago.  I can’t even hope to understand what you went through and I’ll leave it at that.  Just know that I think the amount of courage it took to do what you guys did can’t ever be properly measured.  My question to you, though, is what you make of someone like the prisoner wearing a symbol like that?”

    This time Porrim took a few moments to contemplate her response.  “I honestly think she believes that things aren’t right the way they are.  And yet, she’s part of the problem.  She was trained by the system to hunt enemies of the system.  The question is whether she will ever be able to see that system for the horror that it represents.”

    She took a deep breath.  “As for why I’m not sure how I feel about her giving it to me, I can’t help but wonder if she believes she’s giving me a gift or if after meeting me in person, she doesn’t really believe in it anymore because I’m in love with someone she and her masters have deemed a criminal.  Maybe I no longer fit the ideal vision that she has of me.”  
   
    “There’s not a damn thing you can do about that, Porrim,” Aurana answered.  “Just keep being who you are and let everyone else figure it out.  Besides, if she really believes in the idea of equality among the bloodtypes, that’s all that matters.  I’d bet she was likely awed by your presence more than anything.”

    Porrim reached up and fingered the silver symbol with the fingers of her left hand.  “Perhaps.  But you’re right in that there’s little I could do to change it even if she wasn’t.  The thing is, if anything is ever going to change, people like her are going to have to take a stand against the very system they’ve lived in all their lives.”

    “When the time comes, I think people will do what’s right.  It’s just likely going to take a while.”

    “I suppose.”  Porrim closed her eyes and tried her best to think of Kankri at the height of his popularity and how it seemed the people who heard his words would do anything he asked of them, while trying her best to banish the memories of how everyone disappeared as soon as he was dragged out and put to a horrific end.  “The only question is how lo-"

    “Did you hear that?” Aurana interrupted.  She lifted her head and rapidly scanned the respiteblock.

    “Er, no… What was ‘that’?”

    “Not sure… sounded like something broke there.”   Zashyl rolled her eyes and made a quiet snort.  “Probably from those two in the block above.  Sorry you have to hear that.”

    Porrim sighed.  “It’s okay.  I best get used to it, I suppose.”

    “What do you think will come of all of this, though?” Aurana asked as she lay her head back down on the pillows.  “Do you think you can come to terms with being in such close quarters with those two at the same time, even if it means you’re on your own now and then?”

    “If the… um… Spinneret is okay with what Felida and I are up to, I think I might be able to, but if she doesn’t, it certainly could make the situation a lot more awkward.”  Porrim tightened her mouth and grabbed at her pillow.   _I haven’t been this upset since…_  Thoughts of her solitude in Mindfang’s cell, now her very own respiteblock, surged unbidden into her thinkpan and she knew this black dalliance had to be discussed or be dismissed sooner than later.   _And who would she be to deny us?  That’s what’s so frustrating about the whole thing.  I love Aranea more than I’ve ever loved anyone that way and I’d do anything she’d ask of me, but she’s had her own ebon romances…_

    “Relax, Porrim!  That’s why you’re here with me, remember?”

    Maryam released her grip on the pillow reluctantly as she tried to let the frustration ebb from her.  “You can tell I’m tense, then?  It’s that painfully obvious?”

    “It’s more than that,” Aurana answered.  “I can kind of see emotions around people… like an aura.  It’s certainly not as developed as the Captain’s empathic abilities, but I just… see colours around people.  You’re so distressed it sticks out like a sore paw.  I’m trying to get you to at least calm down out of the reds, if that makes any sense to you.”

    “In a way.”  Porrim tried to picture what it would be like to see such a thing.  “I guess this is how you knew Felida and I were… you know…”

    Aurana chuckled.  “That and you two were acting like adolescents.  You, I can understand, but her?  She was like that for me once, but Kitty wears her emotions on her sleeve… if she owned a shirt with sleeves, that is.  I could close my eyes and still know what was she was feeling.”

    There was a pause while Porrim considered how she wanted to voice her next question.  “What do you actually think of her?  I mean, you two spar constantly.”

    “Honestly?  She’s a capable commander and she’s become a decent enough warrior when she needs to be.  What I like most about her is that she’s loyal.  You couldn’t ask for a better moirail, which is why the Captain loves her so much.  And as for what you two are playing at, I know what she’s been through and frankly, you’re exactly what she needs:  someone who will play at pitch with her but won’t ever hurt her as badly as her last kismesis did.”  Aurana reached forward and placed a calloused hand on Porrim’s cheek.  “I really do hope the Captain comes around to what you’re hoping for.  She thinks the world of you and would literally do anything for you, as far as I can tell.  Just try and relax and this will all fall into place one way or another, all right?”

    Porrim closed her eyes and exhaled in an attempt to find some release from her tension.  “I’ll try.  As Spinneret likes to say, I can’t promise you anything.”

    “Nor do I expect you to.  I’m just being a temporail today.  Now,” Aurana began as she rolled to face away from her jadeblooded guest once again, “you just go back to running your fingers through my hair and focus on my sounds.  You’ll be asleep in no time.”

    “Thanks.  I really appreciate you doing this for me, Aurana.”

    Zashyl just smiled.  “Anything for my Captain’s matesprit and my new student.  Now just rest… I have a feeling this will all get sorted out very shortly.  I can only hope the result is one you can live the rest of your life with.”

    Porrim said nothing further and let her hands brush gently through Aurana’s hair while she listened to the soft humming the woman made as she did so.  Before long, her hands stopped moving as her eyes closed and she found a sleep she thought would never catch up with her that day.  

 

 

 

    _Shit shit shit…_ Latula cursed to herself as she used her red boot to sweep as much of the broken glass as she could into the hatch that served as her load gaper.   _That made way more noise than I thought it would!_  

    She had just finished crushing the drinking glass that her captor’s jadeblooded matesprit brought for her in the door of the hatch and the cracking sound seemed to echo through the empty brigblock.   _Last thing I need is a bunch of glass bits around this when I need to squat, but at least I have what I need…_

    Redglare gazed intently at the small but pointed shard of glass in her fingertips.   _This is my ticket out of this place.  Now all I need to do is convince the Spider to step into my parlour for a moment or two…_   She tucked this piece between the tongue of her right boot and the laces, hoping it would be well concealed enough.   _There.  Now we’ll see who comes out of this web of yours in one piece, Marquise…_

 

 


	16. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea insists Porrim take a break from her combat training but her plans for her jadeblooded matesprit take a sudden turn when a secret comes to the fore. Mindfang's response to this revelation is to find somewhere else to indulge herself (despite Aurana's attempts to suggest otherwise), which proves to be a very bad decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not saying a damn thing else. Go read the chapter. You will remember this as The Chapter Shit Got Real.
> 
> Soundtrack Song: Song # 20 starts at "Soooooooo..." early on in the chapter and #21 on "As she reached the deck..."
> 
>  
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

 

**15. **

    “Porrrrrrrrim, my love… Care to join me for lunch?”

    Porrim looked over her shoulder to see her matesprit standing behind her, smiling sweetly.  The sky was grey and overcast, threatening to rain and she certainly would have welcomed that.  This night was as hot and humid as Porrim had ever known; she had just used a towel to wipe her brow for what she thought must have been the hundredth time that evening.  “Are you certain you’d want my company?” she asked, looking back between Mindfang and Aurana, who was taking a long swig of water from her bottle.  “I’m absolutely soaked with sweat…”

    “I’ll allllllllways want your company, dear heart.  Always.   Maybe you’ll even have time for a shower if you’d like one. If your instructor has no objections to you taking an extended break, of course.”

    Aurana swallowed her mouthful of water and flipped her hair back before emptying the remainder of the bottle over her head.  “Hey, you’re the Captain!  Whatever you say goes!”

    Spinneret looked down at herself and nodded.  “Hm.  So I am, and so it does!  You’re dong a fine job, Aurana.  I’ll try to bring her back in one piece.”

    “It’s not you I’m worried about when it comes to marking Porrim up,” quipped Zashyl, who immediately wished she hadn’t when she saw the horrified look on the jadeblood’s face.

    “Oh, realllllllly!  Is my First Mate taking a round or two out of you, love?” Mindfang asked with a smirk on her face.  “Maybe it’s a good thing she’s taking a watch in the bridgeblock tonight.”

    Porrim collected herself as quickly as she could.  “She does have a gift for playing rough, yes.”

    “I know all about it.  Let’s go below deck and out of this bloody heat.”

    As Mindfang started for the stairs that led to her respiteblock, Porrim followed but threw a terrified glance back at Aurana, who mouthed the words _Tell her!_ in response.   _I really have no choice in the matter now, do I?_ Porrim thought as she turned her gaze to her matesprit’s descending the steps ahead of her.  She tried her best not to let the worry overcome her so that it would be painfully obvious that something was amiss.   _But what does it really matter now?  Then again, the way it’s presented might be important…_

    “Soooooooo, Felida tells me she didn’t find you in her respiteblock this evening.  Where did you end up, anyway?”  Aranea inquired as she poured a small amount of soap into the palm of her hand.  She quickly worked it into a foamy lather and began running her soapy hands slowly up and down the leg of the woman who shared the ablution trap with her.  

    “Well, I started just roaming the deck by myself for awhile,” Porrim said, trying not to squirm too much at the pleasurable sensations this was causing her, in direct contrast to worried thoughts she was desperately trying to keep under wraps.

    Aranea laughed quietly.  “Of course you were by yourself.  No one in their right pan would wander around in the broad daylight without protection except you.”

    “So you do think I’m in my right pan, then?”

    “More or less.  I’m just glad you get something out of it.”  Aranea returned Porrim’s soap-covered leg to the cool water and brought the other one out to duplicate the same actions.  “I take it that you’re getting more comfortable with the way the ship moves?  Your poor protein chute isn’t riding around in your mouth anymore?”

    Porrim sighed as her matesprit’s hands began to massage her calf muscles.  “I’m not sure if has more to do with me naturally getting used to it or due to your mental suggestions, but either way, I’m happy to say that I’m not as green around the proverbial gills as I was a few nights ago.”

    “Does it really matter the reason, so long as the results are what they need to be?”  Aranea’s hands made their way under the now-foamy water along the skin of Porrim’s thigh under her fingers brushed up against a much more sensitive part of her lover’s anatomy.  

    This elicited a soft inhalation from Maryam but she was still trying her best to keep her worries from being easily read.  “In this case, I suppose not.  Something tells me you’re in a playful mood.”

    “Whatever that something is, you can tell it that it’s absolutely correct.”  She let her long fingers tease and explore what they encountered for a few moments more before sliding her hands gently down the length of Porrim’s leg to her foot, which she then began to kindly manipulate.  “I’m going to assume you didn’t simply fall asleep out on the deck, so where did you end up, love?”

    “Would you believe that Aurana called up to me and invited me to join her for the day?”

    Aranea’s smile widened.  “Do tell!  Should I be jealous?  Exploring other quadrants, perhaps?”

    Yes, but not with her…  Porrim desperately tried to quell that thought before she replied.  “Not at all.  She… offered me her sponge clot more than anything.  Kind of a temporail thing.”

    “Hmmmmmmmm…”  Aranea put a soapy hand to her chin and let her eyes rest upon her matesprit’s face.  “I don’t doubt that for a second, love, but I also don’t think you’re telling me everything, are you?”

    _Oh dear…_

    “See?  You couldn’t suppress that at all.  Porrim, why in the world would you think you need to hide something from me?”

    “Because I… just need some time to… prepare a surprise for you.”

    Aranea’s eyebrow went up.  “You don’t say.”

    Porrim nodded enthusiastically.  “I know you’re not easily surprised, Aranea, which is why I want to try.”

    “Well, then.  I suppose I can attempt to restrain my curiousity for a little while longer, just for you, dear heart.”  She pushed off from her side of the trap and placed her hands on the edge of it, on either side of Porrim’s shoulders.  “But you must know that I am a very curious person by nature, even though I’m not a cat.  I do happen to hang around with someone who thinks she is one an awful lot, though; maybe she’s rubbed off on me somewhat.”

    “Somewhat?” Porrim said, hoping the laugh that accompanied it didn’t sound too forced.  “Based on what I was hearing in the morning, it may have been a little more that just ‘somewhat’!”

    Aranea sighed and gently dragged a suds-covered finger down Porrim’s cheek.  “You’re still coming to terms with this, aren’t you?  Look, I know that my relationship with her is quite a bit redder than most pale ones ever get and you have every right to feel a bit jealous, but I thought I explained it well enough.  You’re my matesprit, she’s my moirail, and that’s that.”

    Porrim looked away from her lover’s strange eyes.  “I do understand it.  I’m coming to grips with it, believe me.  It’s just that… well…”

    “Well what, love?”

    “Every time you left, I really hated to sleep alone.  And almost every time I woke up, you were gone.  Sometimes you left a note, which I appreciate, but that last time… was just a little too close…”

    At that, Aranea straddled Porrim as best she could and lowered herself down until she was almost face to face with her.  “Dear heart, please understand:  I’m still here on the ship with you.  Most days I will be by your side, holding you close, but I also have someone else who craves the same attention from me.  Felida’s coming to understand her new role here as well and believe me, she’s finding it a challenge.  She’s been acting so weird lately…”  

    “How can you tell?” Porrim asked with a smirk on her face.

    “Now, now… Just because she’s a little different doesn’t mean you should make fun of her.  Maybe you’ve been spending a touch too much time with Zashyl; you’re starting to sound like her now.  Poor Felida, having to put up with everyone ganging up on her…”

    Porrim returned her attention to Aranea’s face; her red lover’s narrow features always looked so much more beautiful to her when she was smiling as she was now.  “I’m pretty sure she can handle herself just fine.  I’m more worried about you and the woman we’re keeping in the brigblock, though…”

    Mindfang took a breath and tensed up ever so slightly at this.  “How so?”

    “You do seem to be spending quite a bit of time down there with her.”

    “Of course, my sweet!  It’s called interrogation.  I strongly suspect that’s not something they teach you much about in the Mother Grub caves, but I assure you that it’s an art that has its place and in the right hands, it can be a very effective tool for finding out what one wants to know…”

    The next sentence remained unspoken between them; Porrim had experienced Mindfang’s abilities in that art firsthand and lived to tell.  “You needn’t say anything further about that.  I’m just wondering what exactly it is that you’re hoping to accomplish with her.”

    Aranea nodded.  “You’ve spoken to her, haven’t you?”

    “Yes.”

    “And?  What did you make of our guest?”

    Porrim thought for a few moments.  “She surprised me at times.  She spoke well of Kankri; she said that she had seen us in person once.”

    “Was one of those surprises the fact that she actually believes in the Signless’s message?  So much so that she even wears the symbol many use to represent him around her neck on a chain?  Or at least she used to… until she gave it to you.”

    Porrim looked over to the open door that led to the main part of the respiteblock, where her clothes lay in a pile on the bed; on top of that pile was a silver necklace.  “I’m still not entirely sure why she did that.  If it meant so much to her, why did she give it to me?”

    Mindfang shifted slightly into a more comfortable position.  “Maybe it’s because she thought it would mean more to you?  You’ve quite literally become a religious icon to those who would consider the Sufferer – and it pains me to use that term because I know it pains you to hear it – to be the focal point of an underground belief system.  You were the mother to a messiah, Porrim.”

   “I never asked for that, though!” she protested.  “That wasn’t the point.  And speaking of which, you’re trying to steer this away from the one I was trying to make:  are you sure you’re not spending a bit too much time with her?  What else are you trying to achieve with Latula?”

    Aranea’s eyes narrowed for a moment and then softened as she smiled.  “I’m not used to anyone but Felida being so frank with me, you know.  Okay, maybe you’re more perceptive than I suspected.  Maybe there’s something about her that speaks to me in a way that I certainly wasn’t expecting...”

    It took everything Porrim had not to shout something about double standards but then she realized she still hadn’t even broached the subject of what she and Felida had been involved in yet.  “Don’t tell me you’re… waxing black for her?”

    “I know!  I don’t understand it either, love!  She awakens things in me that I haven’t felt since… since Admiral Fishfood and I were just getting underway.”  Aranea waited for Porrim to giggle at the reference and was rather surprised when it didn’t happen.  “There’s something to be said for seduction as a means of obtaining information, but on occasion it grows into something much more than that.  Surely you of all people can appreciate that, my sweet.”   She leaned in to kiss Maryam, who accepted it but Aranea could tell that she was still troubled.  

    “How could you possibly hope to forge a kismesis with someone you keep locked up in a cellblock?  What rivalry could develop?  You already have the upper hand, fully and completely.  Besides, even though she may be sympathetic to Kankri’s teachings, there’s nothing saying that she’s not going to fulfill her mission as soon as she gets the opportunity to do so.”

    Aranea gave Porrim a look of disbelief.  “I thought you once told me that you had no experience with ebon relationships.  You seem to know enough to lecture me on the subject all of a sudden… unless this is an ashen thing… Porrim, are you trying to auspistice for me again?”

    “Certainly didn’t accomplish much last time…” she grumbled.  

    “Hmmmmmmmm… perhaps you may have a point, though.  So long as she’s on board, we’re a target.  Getting involved with her might not be the sagest of strategies.”

    “Exactly!” Porrim agreed.  “Can you imagine what could happen if she lures you in and finds a way to incapacitate you?   The Imperial fleet would find us in no time and then what?”

    Aranea bit at her blue-tinged lip.  “Nothing good for any of us.  And yet… Porrim, the black attraction is so, so strong.  I wish you could feel it somenight… then maybe you’d understand.”

    Maryam was almost shaking.   _Gods, I want to tell you…_

    “Tell me what, dear heart?”

    “Er… How much I want you.  Right now.”  Porrim reached out and pulled Aranea as close to her as she could, then put her tongue into her matesprit’s mouth.  

    Aranea was taken aback by this sudden outburst of passion but didn’t want to discourage Porrim at all.  “I must say I rather like this side of you,” she said when they stopped to take a quick breath.  “Are you certain Felida didn’t suggest this to you?”  
Porrim’s thinkpan scrambled for an answer but before she could formulate one, she cried out in pain as Aranea’s nails scraped across a rather long and still quite sensitive cut on her side.  “OWW!!!!!!”

    Aranea pulled back quickly.  “I didn’t mean to hurt you, dear.  What happened?”

    Without thinking, Porrim rose from the trap and wiped the soap from the area.  “It’s… it’s nothing.  Nothing at all.”

    It wasn’t what her eyes saw that suggested to Mindfang that something was amiss, but rather Porrim’s emotional state that spoke volumes.  “Why would you say that, love?  That’s quite a cut; in fact, I’d bet that one would leave a scar…”  She furrowed her brow and studied the jade coloured wound further.  “Who gave this to you?”

    “What, this?  No big deal, it just sort of… you know… happened.”  

    Their eyes met.  Porrim knew in that second that Aranea knew.

    _FELIDA OCELEO GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!!!!!_

    The screech followed by the audible rapid thumping sounds of someone with a metal leg running at full speed confirmed that the mental message had been received loud and clear.  A few moments later, the First Mate arrived in her Captain’s respiteblock to see two wet women standing beside an ablution trap.  One was looking sheepishly at the floor, the other wore nothing but a fierce scowl.  “Wow… Normally, I’d be kind of excited about seeing something like this bu-”

    “Zip it.”  Aranea looked at Porrim, who was wringing her hands together and shivering from a combination of being out of the water and emotional turmoil.  “Porrim I can understand; she doesn’t know any better.  But you…  Dammit, we’ve been through this once already, Felida!  Let me guess:  that scratch on your stomach is yours.  I can’t see Porrim possibly hurting anyone intentionally, so that’s likely all she was able to do to you, yes?”

    “This isn’t what you think, Mistress.  She gave me this when we were-”

    “Sparring, yes.  How convenient.”  Aranea grabbed a blue towel from a hanger and began wiping herself down.  “You were told why kismesissitude isn’t permitted between crew members.”

    “This is different, Mistress!  Porrim and I aren’t actually trying to hurt each other!”

    “My matesprit has a ten centimeter gash on her side.  I tried to touch her and she howled.  I’ve already watched one person take a piece out her and I won’t stand to see it happen again.  Not here.”  Aranea flung the towel down in disgust.  “When I said I wanted to see you two get to know each other better, this was NOT what I had in mind!  If you think for a second that I’m going to auspistice for you, you can fucking forget it!  I am the planet’s shittiest auspistice, and I suspect you both know how much it pains me to admit that I’m not good at something!”  With a growl, she pushed past Felida and made for her pile of clothing.

    “Mistress, please believe me, there’s more to this than what it appears…” Oceleo pleaded.

    “Can you just fucking imagine?” Mindfang ranted.  “My matesprit and my moirail engaged in a kismesissitude, right under my goddamn nose!  And here’s me having to auspistice.  The amount of ways that this is inclade is off the fucking charts!”  

    “Captain… please listen…”

    “What would I have to do, Felida, if you two boiled over and one of you killed the other one?  I can’t afford to devote the amount of time necessary to keeping that from happening here!”

    “Mistress, I…”

    “Obviously wasn’t thinking clearly!  What kind of situation would that put me in?  I’ve already watched my former kismesis threaten to kill my matesprit!  LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM!!!!!!!!”

    “Aranea, it’s not like that…”

    Mindfang’s head snapped to look at Porrim, who had emerged from the ablutionblock with a towel around her body.  “Then how is it?  Please, fill me in.”

    “It’s much… paler than that.”  Maryam looked to Felida in hopes that she was explaining it properly; Oceleo nodded to encourage her to continue.  “You’re right; I have no desire to hurt anyone.  The whole idea of me swinging a sword around isn’t one that I came up with myself, remember?  But in your absence, Felida approached me in a rather… unusual way and we talked about a lot of things.  I learned a lot from her and about her.  Next thing I know, we’re… getting involved.  I actually kind of thought you’d be happy about that.”

    Aranea took in what Porrim was saying but was having a tough time getting her pan around it.  “And what do you have to say about it?” she asked Felida.

    “It’s like she says:  I thought she was hateflirting with me right in front of you, so I made a move.”

    “I thought you were completely done with blackrom after Cirtap, never mind me shutting you and Aurana down.”

    “So did I!  But there’s just something about Porrim that spoke to me.  I’m sure you can understand that?”

    “Better than anyone else, I daresay,” Aranea said tightly.  “Continue…”

    Felida licked her lips but her mouth was bone dry.   “I told her that if she was curious about that side of romance, I’d be willing to teach her, and that I’d be an ideal blackrom partner because I wouldn’t try to physically hurt her.  It’s more of a… well, ‘pale spade’ is the best way I can put it.  That cut really was a result of sparring, but then it lead to something way more fun!”  She looked over at Porrim and winked her good eye; Porrim answered with a shy smile.

    As Aranea pulled her boots on, she mentally reached out to Felida, and then to Porrim as well; there was no trace of duplicity that she could detect, save for their attempts at subterfuge.   _Both genuinely believe this… but the risk…_  “I don’t know.  This is…  Damn it all, why didn’t you come to me with this right away?”

    “Because I was afraid of this very reaction!” Felida exclaimed.  “I honestly understand why you’re worried but would you have believed me if I explained it to you?  Tell me you wouldn’t have reacted the very same way you are right now, Aranea!”

    Felida’s use of her given name caused Mindfang to stop what she was doing, which was buttoning up her jacket, her moirallegiance token.  “You’re right,” she grumbled.  

    “Fiiiiiiiine, you’re right, okay?  What do you want me to say?”   She looked over to Porrim, who was still looking the part of a grub caught with her claw in the cookie jar.  
“But I still need time to think about this.  Just… rrrrrrrrgh!”  Without another word,  Aranea grabbed her sword, stormed out of the block and ran up the stairs, leaving Porrim and Felida to look awkwardly at each other.  

    Felida broke the silence first.  “Hm.  I think that went about as well as it could have.  Don’t you?”

    All Porrim could do was put her hand to her face and shake her head.

 

 

 

    As she reached the deck, the muggy air hit Mindfang like a wall; she could see the mist swirl in the glowglobes that lined the inside of the railings of her own ship as well as the ones that were running alongside of it.   _It’ll be like I never even bathed in about two minutes.  Fuck!_  A couple of the crew members who saw her gave her a wide berth and carried on with what they were doing as quickly as they could.

    Spinneret looked in at the bridgeblock, the crew on watch nodded to her but opted not to say anything, so she continued on her way.  She was a few steps from the stairwell that led to the brigblock when she encountered Aurana coming up.  Before the turquoiseblood could even open her mouth in greeting, Mindfang simply said, “You knew, didn’t you.”

    “I did.  I won’t deny it, Captain.”

    “I’m not sure what pisses me off more:  the fact that it happened or the fact that you guys were able to keep it a secret as long as you did.”

    Aurana wanted to say something about the fact that midbloods seemed to have greater resistance to her abilities than the lowbloods that served as the majority of her crew, but she thought it would be typist to do so and opted instead to shrug and say, “It is what it is.  And it is what they say it is, too.”

    Mindfang’s lips twisted into a skeptical expression.  “You really think so, eh?”

    “I know so, Captain.  I watched it happen.  There’s no true hostility there, just a good rivalry.  Maybe one not unlike the one I still have with Kitty, but with the sexy parts thrown in.”

    “Your coaching when it comes to Porrim’s attitude towards Felida is quite apparent.  The question that remains is what to do about it.  My stance on crew members waxing for one another is well known.”

    Zashyl gritted her teeth.  “Porrim is different though, isn’t she?  She’s not exactly like the other crew members:  you brought her onboard as your matesprit.”

    “Which makes her even more valuable!  What if we’re wrong and Felida breaks Porrim’s neck or something?  I saved Felida’s life, Aurana!  Twice now!  I couldn’t possibly bear having to kill her if she kills Porrim!”

    “Captain, you know your moirail better than anyone else.  Do you honestly believe she’d ever do something like that?”

    Spinneret exhaled as she thought about it.  “No.  Honestly, no.  She’s been through too much.”

    “Exactly,” Aurana agreed, putting a hand on Mindfang’s shoulder.  “In fact, these two might be made for each other that way.  If I were you, I’d say let it happen!  I really don’t see it getting any more violent than it has, which is negligible in the first place.”

    Mindfang took a few moments to consider this.  “I’ll think about it.  That’s all I can say right now.  In the meantime,” she said, gently pulling away from her former bodyguard, “I have some issues of my own that need addressing.  Right fucking now.”

    Aurana had a pretty good idea what she meant and wrestled with whether or not she should say anything.  The desire to voice her concern won out.  “Are you sure that’s a-”

    “Aurana, please.  I’ve already had one offer of auspiticism tonight.  I’m not sure I can handle another.   Just let me be; I know what I’m doing.”

    “Yes, Captain.”  Zashyl knew better than to argue with her superior, so she watched as Mindfang took the stairs and then headed out to the bow to wait for Porrim’s return.

 

 

 

    “Well, well, look who’s here.  I don’t suppose you brought any loaf with you?  Your tin kitty forgot to feed me this evening.”  

    “Oh, I’ll feed you, Latulaaaaaaaa… I suspect you’ll find what’s on the menu to be to your liking, but I can’t guarantee it’ll fill your nutritional needs.”

    Pyrope took one look at Mindfang’s eyes and she knew that things were about to get a lot more exciting.   _I can only hope I haven’t pushed it too far…_  The last couple of nights, she had baited her captor every way she knew how.  Even though the idea of picturing Mindfang as a lover, even a caliginous one, bothered her on a fundamental level, Latula swallowed it down and pressed on in hopes the Gamblignant would finally take the bait.  She remembered how their lips met the night before, how she had fistfuls of Mindfang’s long hair in her hands and how badly then and there she wanted to pull forward and smash the blueblood’s head into those metal bars… but she resisted.   _All that matters now is vengeance.  And I will have it.  Soon…_

    “Come on now, the way to a woman’s pusher is through her protein chute, right?  You can’t expect me to hatesnog on an empty stomach.”

    “Let’s just say I’m not known for my culinary skills, Neophyte.  Just like you’re not exactly known for your Legislaceration skills.”  Spinneret strode up to the bars and smirked knowingly.  “Deny it.  I dare you.”

    “Some dares you just shouldn’t make, you know,” Redglare replied.  “It’s dangerous to stick your fingers in the lion’s cage.  You might not get them back.”

    Mindfang chuckled.  “Please, girl.  I’ve been sticking my fingers into all kinds of interesting places for centuries before you were even hatched.  If you can do something to me that’s never been done to me before, I will be completely and utterly amazed.”

    Pyrope didn’t respond verbally; she just grinned her toothy grin and approached the bars where her jailor was waiting, then slipped a hand through to pull Mindfang’s face close enough to kiss.  This was returned most hungrily and for just a split second, she felt a cold finger of fear race down her spine.   _Is she right?  Am I truly in over my head?  Doesn’t matter now.  In for a caegar…_

    Spinneret pulled away first.  “Scared, Latula?  Maybe you should beeeeeeee…”  
How does she know this?  “Maybe you’re so fucking jaded that you’ve forgotten what it’s like to be excited?”

    Mindfang looked down at her coat and then began to undo it.  Once fully unbuttoned, she flipped it open to show Pyrope that she was wearing nothing underneath.  “For what it’s worth, I just had a bath with my matesprit.  Sadly, it was preempted  by some rather unexpected news and I must say, I am decidedly and most unfortunately un-jaded and I need to take it out on somebody.  So, tonight’s your lucky night, Latula.  If, of course, you think you’re up to it.”  She started to close her jacket again and added, “If you don’t, all you have to do is tell me who else besides the Grand Highblood is behind this ridiculousness and we can just go our own separate ways.  You’ve done an admirable job is entertaining me the last few nights, dear, but if you lack the ability or the courage to take on someone much more experienced than yourself, there’s no harm in tapping out before you get hurt.  I’d hate to put a mark on such a lovely hide that wasn’t welcomed…”

    “Hoofbeastshit,” Pyrope spat.  “You’d put all kinds of marks on me whether I wanted to hatefuck you or not.”

    “You sound so certain about that,” Spinneret said, letting her hands slowly undo the couple of buttons that she had just refastened.  “You should know that I only reserve my passions for those who are worthy.  There are no gifts for the undeserving, after all.”

    “Oh, I’m SO thrilled you find me deserving of your attentions then.  You’ll pardon me if I don’t squeal with glee at this revelation?”

    Mindfang fished around in her pocket for her key and then extracted it with a fangs-bared grin.  “Oh, I’ll make you squeal, girl, I swear it.  The question is whether the sounds that flow from your lips will be born of pleasure or pain, but I will give you your share of both.  Count on it.”

    Redglare could feel her pusher pick up speed and dampness started to form in her palms; she began to flex her fingers in anticipation.  “Why don’t you do me a favour and stop making noise from your own lips?  I swear to fuck, I’m ready to stick the next slice of loaf I get into my sponge clots just so they don’t have to endure this kind of abuse anymore.”

    “Yuck.  All you’ll get for your trouble is an ear infection to go with the throbbing bruises I’m about to inflict on your ass!”  Spinneret undid her sword from where it hung on her jacket and placed it on her large ironwood desk, then tossed her black jacket to the floor.

    “Oh shut up already and get in here if you’re going to, then!” Latula let every note of exasperation she had at her command seep into her words.  “You sure Ampora didn’t beg you to shoot him just so he could get some fucking peace and quiet?”

    At the invocation of the name of her ex-kismesis, Mindfang jammed the key into the lock and flung the door open.  “That does it!  Get over heeeeeeeere…”  

    Spinneret advanced on Redglare and covered the distance between them in a heartbeat but just as she came within striking distance, Pyrope threw a quick right-handed jab into her multi-pupiled eye which staggered her.  “OWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!  YOU TEALBLOODED TWAT!  THAT’S NOT HOW THIS WO-”

    Before Mindfang could get another word out, Latula was behind her and ran her face first into the wall as hard as she could.  Redglare could feel the Gamblignant teetering but to her shock, the woman was still on her feet.  She repeated the manoeuver and this time, she had to catch her jailor from falling.  As she put her left arm around Spinneret’s head, she reached down with her right hand and extracted the shard of glass from her shiny red boot.  Pyrope then straightened up and held the rapidly fading Mindfang up by the chin.

    “Hey… Still awake?  Good.  I want you to see this.  One of your eyes isn’t shut so I know you can.  In all your silly plans and machinations, I bet you didn’t see this coming…”  Redglare raised the hand containing the sharp glass piece high enough for Mindfang to see it, and then pulled it across the side of her neck; a flood of blue poured from the wound and onto the wooden floor.  
   
    Pyrope let Mindfang’s limp body collapse immediately after, watching as her former captor fell backwards into the pool of her own blood.  “I’m supposed to bring you back alive,” she said to Mindfang as she stepped out of the cell and grabbed her white dragon-headed cane from beside the desk, “but all things considered, I don’t believe it will be a total loss if that doesn’t happen.  If I can bring this ship to a standstill quickly enough, there’s a chance that someone in the boarding party  might be able to stop the bleeding.  But, then again, knowing your crew, they’re going to put up a fight.  How ironic that their resistance will likely be the death of you.”  She started towards the stairwell, but took a moment to look back over her shoulder and tossed the glass shard into the rapidly expanding pool of cerulean blue.  “So long, Spinneret.  I do wish this could have gone differently.  Tell Mother I said ‘hi’ for me, would you?”

    As Redglare took to the stairs, Mindfang hardly heard a word she had said.  All of her focus was set on sending a message of her own:   _Porrim… Felida… I need you… brigblock… HURRRRRRRRY…_

 


	17. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim and Felida discover Latula's treachery and must act swiftly to save Aranea's life. Redglare does get to leave the Fool's Gam8it but not quite in the manner she thought she would. Felida and Aurana attempt to repel a boarding party while Porrim finds herself defending her matesprit in a fashion she never could have imagined...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO sorry for the delay there, Dear Readers! Life has been quite hectic for me as of late. The timing of the cliffhanger certainly didn't hurt, however, and I do hope this chapter gives you the answers you were hoping for! I will do my best to keep up the weekly issues and if I can't, I will try to let you know. I'm working on the end of Chapter 31 right now and will start into 32 and 33 in the very near future, so have no worries, the story continues! 
> 
> Soundtrack songs: Song 22 I had in mind for this scene for a LOOOOOOOONG time; "Phantom Limb" is quite an apt choice considering how the whole Mindfang/Redglare business went down in canon/"Condemnation"... start it at "Porrim scurried across the deck...". Number 23 begins at "Captain, if you can hear me, INCOMING!”
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**16.**  
  
    A few minutes after she went in, Porrim emerged from the gaperblock, fully dressed and dried off, to find Felida sitting on the edge of the bed, staring glumly at her boots.  “So?  What happens now?”  
  
    “I honestly don’t know what to think,” Felida grumbled.    
  
    “You don’t?  And you’ve been through this before?”  
  
    “I told her this was different, and so did you.  Maybe she just needs a while to figure out how she feels about it.”   
  
    Porrim sat beside her on the edge of Aranea’s bed and clutched at her knees.  “I still feel sick.”  
  
    Oceleo sighed.  “Oddly enough, I don’t.  I actually think she’s considering it.”  
  
    “Really?  How so?”  
  
    “Because she actually said ‘you’re right’ and trust me, that doesn’t happen often!”    
  
    This actually made Porrim smile a bit.  “Something tells me you’re right about that!”  
  
    “I may have known her a lot longer than you have,” Felida said, placing her silvery left hand on Porrim’s thigh, “but you know her well enough to get where I’m coming from!  She’s stubborn but she’ll at least listen to rea-”   
  
    _Porrim… Felida… I need you… brigblock… HURRRRRRRRY…_  
  
    Porrim looked at Felida, wide-eyed.  “Did you hear that?”  
  
    Felida nodded.  “Move!”    
  
    Maryam leapt from the bed and dashed up the stairs.  Felida called out “Porrim!  Wait!  There’s a… quicker way… Shit.  I’ll meet her there, I guess.”  She ran to the wall that separated the Officer’s Quarters from the brigblock and tapped a deliberate sequence against one of the boards.  The wall panel slid aside giving Oceleo access to the area on the “right side of the bars”, but what she found there was far more horrific than she could have imagined.    
  
    _“MISTRESS!”_ she shrieked and hurried to Mindfang’s limp, bleeding form.  Felida detected the ragged glass piece in the sea of blue that was spilling across the room.  She swore she could hear their captive still making her way up the stairs, but needed to choose between attacking her or attempting to staunch the blood flowing from Aranea’s neck.     
  
    “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck… Oh Mistress… I… I’ll help you.”  She dropped to her knees beside Mindfang and tried to put the memory of what her moirail had to do to free her from the white tentacles that once threatened to tear her to pieces out of her thinkpan while she gauged the extent of the injury.   _Think fast… Nothing hot nearby but cauterizing this would probably be a bad idea… Need to stop the bleeding right now, though._    
  
    Felida opted to squeeze down on Aranea’s neck with her metal fingers, which did as she hoped it would.  “PORRIM!  GET DOWN HERE!” she shouted, hoping the jadeblood wouldn’t run into the escapee.  A moment later, though, she heard a conversation that confirmed this was not to be.  
  
  
  
  
    Porrim scurried across the deck, running as fast as her legs would carry her.  She never even threw a glance back at where Aurana was waiting; she tore through the misty air for the stairwell that would lead her to the brigblock where her matesprit called for her from.  Just as she made the first two steps, she encountered someone she hadn’t expected to but in a way wasn’t entirely surprised to see.  
  
    “What have you do-” Porrim made to ask but was silenced by a finger pressed hard against her lips.  
  
    “Shhhhhhh… Don’t worry, Maryam,” Latula whispered harshly.  “Here’s what needs to happen:  you go down there and stay down there and you get to live.  I’ll make sure the Imperials don’t find you; put you on a lifeboat or something and get you the hell out of here.  I did what I had to do, okay?  Just go stay with your… matesprit and everything will be okay for you.  Please.”   She reached out and gave the silver sigil around Porrim’s neck a quick squeeze before pushing past her and up into the foggy night air.    
At first Porrim wasn’t certain if she was should chase the tealblood down but a combination of remembering Aranea’s call and hearing Felida’s shouts below impelled her to follow Latula’s suggestion and head down the stairs.    
  
    What she found there threw her into a state of shock:  Felida kneeling in a puddle of cerulean blood and the source of that blood was her matesprit, on her back, eyes closed, a ragged gash torn through the side of her neck.  The blood issuing from the cut wasn’t spurting forth or even flowing thanks to Felida’s fingers pressing against the skin just above the wound.  In that moment, Porrim felt a cold sense of focus sweep across her; she was able to answer the question about how Felida arrived before she did with a quick glance to her right.    
  
    “You keep doing that,” she said to the oliveblood as she made for this new door, “I need to get my sewing kit from your block.”  
  
    Felida only responded with a nod; her attention was solely on Mindfang’s injury.   _Mistress… can you hear me?_  
  
    _Yes, my sweet.  I’m awake, but I’m rather… tired.  This isn’t… my only injury. Look at my… eye and my… forehead._  
  
    A quick scan of both showed an eye that was nearly swollen shut and a pair of lumps on her forehead just above it.  “Oh, Mistress…”  
  
    _Just keep doing what you’re doing… Hold that… nice and tiiiiiiiight._  
  
    _I will… Don’t worry.  We’re here!_  
  
    _For which… I’m grateful.  Forgive me… I just need… to rest…_  
  
    “It’s okay,” Felida replied out loud.  “Porrim’s coming back now.  We’ll fix this!”  She tried as hard as she could to keep the words _I hope_ from forming in her pan but couldn’t quite do so.  
  
    Sewing kit in hand, Porrim rushed to join Felida beside Aranea, who was breathing shallowly.  “Has she said anything?”  
  
    “Only mentally,” Felida answered.  “She’s alive and has every intention of staying that way.”  
  
    Porrim gently pried at the cut.  “I have to have a look in there.  I should probably be washing my hands or something but I did just have a bath for what it’s worth.”  
  
    “I think that’s the least of our worries right now.  Do what you have to.”  A thought suddenly occurred to Oceleo.  “Have you… done anything like what I think you’re going to do?  Are you a healthtender  or something?”  
  
    Maryam shook her head.  “Not exactly, but one of the skills we learned in the caves was how to tend to injured grubs.  We weren’t always encouraged to help them because then weaker trolls would be the result, but it’s not in our nature to let something die, either.   We were taught more than just basic first response skills but I’ve never seen anything quite like this before.  I just… have an idea.”  
  
    “I’ll trust you, Porrim.  Just let me know what you need me to do.”  
  
    “Just keep pressing down where you are…”  She opened the sewing kit and took out a needle with some thicker thread and a magnifying glass which had a small light attached to it.  “I best take a look before I do anything else.”  A tight sensation formed in her gut as she turned on the light and pushed the crudely severed skin up so she could examine the extent of the damage.   _Oh, Aranea… I hope against hope that this isn’t as bad as it looks…_  
  
    _Do what you can, dear heart.  You’ll do fine.   Let me know what you see._  
  
    Her matesprit’s encouragement relieved the trepidation slightly as she leaned in.  She could see both of the major veins running from her head to join with others further on towards her pusher; what she found was that only the smaller of the two had been cut and only partially.  Despite her horror, Porrim was actually pleased to see this.  “It could have been worse.  It’s not pretty, but I may have a shot at this, Aranea.”  
  
    _Do iiiiiiiit… I can shut off the pain to some degree._   
  
    Porrim took a deep breath and then forced it out.  “Okay.  Felida, I need you to take this glass with your right hand and hold it for me.”  
  
    “Okay.”  She did as asked and then inquired as to where.    
  
    Porrim moved Felida’s arm until it was a short distance from the wound.  “That’ll work.  Okay.  Let’s hope thi-”  
  
    A series of loud thuds rocked the ship and almost sent Porrim to the floor into the puddle of blue she was kneeling in; only the weight of Felida’s leg kept her from doing so as well.  “What in the world was that?” Porrim shouted, sponge clots ringing.  “Was someone shooting at us?”  
  
    “No…” Oceleo said in disbelief.  “We just shot at someone else!  Every single weapon on this ship just fired at once!”   
  
    _THAT BITCH!!!!!!!!_ Mindfang mentally exclaimed.   _She’s using our weapons against our own ships!  None of them would have expected that!  I can’t even…_  
  
   “You need to settle down, Aranea.  Right now.  Just relax… Do what you do to make me relax, if you can?”  Porrim steadied herself and hoped against hope that there wouldn’t be a second volley of fire, or worse, returned fire, while she was attempting to close the wound.  
  
    _They would NEVER fire on this flagship, love.  Don’t worry about that.  Oh gods… it’s bad…_    
  
    “Shh.  Please relax.  I need you to shut it off while I’m doing this.  You can’t help them at all if you bleed to death.”  
  
    The impact of that was enough to silence Aranea for the time being.  A second salvo was launched from the guns of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ and Porrim hoped that someone was still alive on the deck to make the Legislacerator stop.   _I need that to cease; if it happens while I’m stitching…_  
  
    _Aurana lives...  I suspect that’s… the last time those guns… go off for now.  You may begiiiiiiiin…_   
  
    Felida reset the magnifying glass and watched intently as Porrim pushed the cut open again to take a look at the damaged blood vessel.  “I got this; go for it, Porrim!”  
  
    Maryam took two more slow breaths and used a pair of small tweezers to hold the vein in place.   _I would feel very weird praying to you, Kankri, as I hear others do now, but I hope I can save her as I wasn’t able to save you.  Wherever you are, dear, wish me luck._  She pressed the needle into the vein wall and pulled it back through above the cut.    
  
    Although she made a point of not speaking while Porrim worked, Felida was absolutely fascinated watching Porrim’s expert fingers work the needle and thread in a tight zigzag as the torn vessel was pulled closed.    
  
    “Okay… Felida, I want you to ever so gently ease off the pressure,” Porrim said as she maintained a close watch on where she had completed her work.    
  
    “All right, here goes…”  Oceleo focused on the fine control needed to relax her fingers and allow blood to pass through.    
  
    Porrim watched as the vein filled with blood… but did not leak.  The only blue that started to appear was around the cut skin.  “I think… I think I got it.”  
  
    _I knew you would, dear heart.  Now finish what needs to be finished._  
  
    “All right.”  Porrim looked to Felida and said, “I can close the cut without the magnifier.  Thank you for getting to her so fast and for stabilizing her.”   
  
    Felida grinned.  “I think we make a pretty good team, Jadebutt.  Wouldn’t you agree, Mistress?”  
  
    _Youuuuuuuu… If you weren’t my… moirail, Felida, I swear I’d… probably be dead.  Thank you.  And yes, you two… work very well together.  Now, go.  We will do what must be done, my sweet.  I will be there with you._  
  
    Porrim looked first at Aranea, and then to Felida who, after planting a kiss on her mistress’s brow beside her injuries, rose to her feet and walked over to where a hooked blue sword rested on an ironwood desk.  
  
    “Yessssssss…”  Felida hissed, and she left the brigblock the same way she entered it.    
  
    For a moment, Porrim almost felt sorry for the original owner of the silver chain she now wore, but all it took was another glance at the jagged cut on her matesprit’s neck to wash away most of her regrets.  “It still seems like such a waste; there’s a good person in there.”   
  
    _I agree, love… but as you can see… she marches to the beat… of another’s drum.  Lives have already… been lost… thanks to her.  This ends now.  Both you and Felida… have wrecked her plans.  You are my salvation… Felida will be her damnation.  Somehow I’m sure… the condemned… will appreciate the justice… she is about to receeeeeeeeive._  
  
    Porrim felt a slight chill from Aranea’s thoughts but focused instead on the task at hand.  “Are you ready?  I’m going to start sewing.”  
  
    _Yes, dear heart.  Go right ahead.  I plan to be elsewhere… while you’re doing it…_   
  
  
  
  
    Latula Pyrope tried her best to think of the young maroonblood at the controls that she just impaled as nothing more than another Gamblignant criminal simply so that she could focus on the task at hand.  She could hear the other two bodies still trying to move as they bled out behind her but shut it out as best she could while she opened the top of her cane and entered a code on a small keypad contained within.   _I don’t know who cooked up something like this, but there’s no way I’d be able to pull this off without it._    
  
    Redglare watched intently as the panel in front of her winked out and then a few seconds later came back to life with a different display.   _That’s a simple as it gets:  new software that overrides the original and lets me turn the engines on and off or fire the weapons.  Let’s shoot for… ALL._  
  
    A second after her finger pressed that virtual button, the _Fool’s Gam8it_ shuddered as a combination of conventional ballistic and energy based weapons launched from all directions.  Many impacted the vessels that surrounded the flagship; moments later, secondary explosions from those ships could be seen and felt as the unexpected pointblank salvo caused widespread internal damage to more than half of Mindfang’s fleet.     
  
    _Well, that was interesting!  I suspect it’ll draw some attention so I better do it again while I still can…_  She hit the “ALL STOP” button to kill the forward motion of the ship and then tapped the button that made every single weapon fire at once again.  She couldn’t help but smile as the satisfying flash of light and audible ‘thump’ associated with the munitions being launched rocked the ship a second time.   _That might finish off most of the ships nearby and the ones that aren’t damaged wouldn’t dare fire on their flagship.  Time to hit the beacon._  Another quick series of button presses and once a single chime was heard, Pyrope sealed the head of the cane.   _Now, one more thing to-_   
  
    The thud of the bridgeblock door being kicked in shook her from her thoughts.  “I have no idea how you got out of your cell,” Aurana Zashyl said, drawing her short sword, “but I promise you’re not going back into it breathing.”  
  
    “Of all the people on this ship, it would have to be you, wouldn’t it?  Fine.”  Latula gave the head of her cane a quick twist, causing a spring loaded blade to snap out of the bottom.  “You got lucky last time, bitch; I wasn’t exactly up for a fight after crawling out from under the body of my lusus, but I’m ready for you now.”  Redglare smiled and ran her teal tongue over the two broken teeth she suffered at Zashyl’s hand during their last encounter.  “No way am I going back into that cell, dead or alive.”  
  
    “Have it your way, then.”  Aurana lunged and her blade was met with the shaft of Latula’s cane.  Pyrope redirected the blow, let herself fall backwards to the floor and kicked out at both of Zashyl’s kneecaps; one foot glanced off its intended target but the other connected, sending Aurana to the floor.  Redglare got to her feet, blade ready to impale her attacker, but as she made to stab the turquoiseblood, Zashyl rolled to the side and used her good knee to push herself backwards out of the bridgeblock and onto the open deck.    
  
    Pyrope pursued her, readying to drive the blade of her cane through her opponent, but two of the other crew members were right there, swords at the ready.  She leapt over Aurana’s prone form to take on the newcomers. Ten seconds later, they were both either dead or dying, and when Latula returned her attention to Zashyl, she was nowhere to be seen.  Oh seriously…  “Look, there’s no point in-”  
  
    Her words were lost in an explosion from a nearby ship as its munitions locker erupted, filing the sky with an eerie light muted by the fog.  The distraction was enough; Redglare felt a foot in her back and was sent face first to the deck.  Without even trying to look, she rolled to the right, dodging a blade being stabbed into the place on the deck she occupied a split second prior.  Latula used the time it took Aurana to free the sword from the wooden deck to get to her feet and prepare for another attack.  “Why are you even bothering?  Your knee must be completely shot.”   
  
    “Don’t give yourself too much credit, Neophyte,” Aurana growled, “I can kill the likes of you with one leg, believe me.”  She made a feint with her sword that Pyrope moved to deflect with her white cane, but leapt with her good leg and brought the one with the damaged knee up to kick her attacker in the face with as much force as she could muster.   This sent Redglare stumbling back a few steps towards the bow of the ship.  While Aurana pushed through the pain to lunge at Latula while she was off-balance, her speed was reduced enough to the tealblood to evade the attack and counter with a blow from her cane.    
  
    Redglare was surprised to see Zashyl roll with the strike and come up on both feet.  “You must be in a whole world of hurt.  Why don’t you just lie down and I’ll give you a quicker death than I gave your Captain?”  
  
    This taunt caused Aurana to narrow her eyes.  “You didn’t…  I’d know…”   
  
    “Well, she might not actually be dead yet, per se, but give it another couple of minutes.  I’m sure the floor of her brigblock is a lovely shade of cerulean by n-”  
  
    Aurana didn’t let Pyrope finish her sentence; she was already well into a series of swipes and thrusts that Redglare needed her full focus to dodge and defend.  Despite the aggression in Zashyl’s feints, Latula was able to parry every blow due to the length of her cane; each time the turquoiseblood tried to step inside her guard, she was rebuffed as Redglare kept the distance with her cane.  At one point, Aurana turned inside the cane’s sweep and landed a blow to Pyrope’s face that rattled her, but her training kept her cane in motion and she drove the head of it into Aurana’s midsection, pushing her back.  Another swing and Mindfang’s bodyguard was upended.    
  
    “That stung,” Redglare said, putting one hand to her eye; when she pulled it away, the teal on it told her that see was cut.    
  
    Aurana didn’t reply; she hopped to her feet and did her best to keep her weight off of the injured leg.    
  
    “That sorry sword of yours is way too short, you know.  There’s no way you’ll be able to get it close enough to me to do any damage.”   
  
    “Don’t need the sword; good luck keeping that blood out of your eye,” Zashyl snarled.  
  
    “What makes you think I need to see to kill you, bitch?  You even try to swing that sword anywhere near me, I’ll gut you.  How’d you like to be worn like a pelt?  I know someone who’s into that kind of thing.”  
  
    Aurana swore she could detect the barest hint of movement behind Pyrope as another bright detonation sent flaming pieces of ship across the night sky.   _Gotta keep her occupied…_  “You would, you sick fuck.  Doesn’t matter; you’re not getting off of this ship alive.”  
  
    “Seriously?  You’re making threats to me?” Pyrope spat.  “Your leg is a wreck!  You and your lusus-killing Captain are done for.  As soon as I’m done with you, I’m going to find that lippy little kitty and tie her to you and Mindfang and then throw you all overboard just so I can watch you sink like stones.  It’s over.  Just accept the justice you and your kind deserve and I’ll give you a quick end.  It’s the only mercy I have left for y-”  
  
    The last word caught in Latula’s throat as a metallic hand grasped her shoulder and spun her around where a blue blade was waiting to pierce her chest.  She tried to scream but all that came out from her mouth was a teal froth; her eyes widened as she realized she could no longer draw a breath.  The next shock was the unspeakable pain that tore through her as that metallic hand took hold of the sword’s hilt and effortlessly lifted her off of the deck to suspend her in the air.    
  
    “Mercy?” demanded Felida, staring into Redglare’s frantic eyes.  “You who would slit the throat of an unarmed opponent who was anticipating hatesex would dare to speak of mercy?  Well, guess what: thanks to the Captain’s matesprit, who you offered mercy to, she’s going to live.  You, on the other hand, can measure what’s left of your sorry life in seconds now.”   She tipped the blade slightly higher to let Pyrope slide over the hook on the end and that much further down towards the hilt; Latula’s mouth opened but no sound came forth, only blood.    
  
    “A Legislacerator that can’t speak isn’t much use to anyone,” Felida added as she began walking towards the railing, carrying her victim triumphantly towards her watery doom.  “I’d ask you if you had any last words, but that would be rather pointless, no?  The only point that matters now is the one that ran you throooooooough.”   
  
    Redglare thought, as the strength faded from her, that she could see a glimmer of blue in the oliveblood’s eye.  
  
    “And as for me,” Oceleo added, “I haven’t the slightest idea why, but this seems like poetic justice somehow.  Too bad your little plan failed so completely.  This is your reward; was it worth it?”  She released the sword and watched as Neophyte Redglare, white dragon cane still clutched tightly in her hand, tumbled into the dark ocean below.     
  
  
  
  
    _My plan… failed?_  Latula thought as the ocean water filled her nose and mouth.   _Think again…_  She closed her eyes and let the cold flow over her and through her.   _Hello Mother… I’m coming home…_  
  
    The last thing she felt was her body bouncing off of the hull of the submarine waiting below the _Fool’s Gam8it_.  
  
  
  
  
    _Felidaaaaaaaa…_  
  
    “Yes, Mistress?” Oceleo said aloud.  
  
    _You do realize you just threw my sword overboard?_  
  
    “OH SHIT!  I’M SORRY, MISTRESS!”   
  
    “Nice one, Kitty,” Aurana said, moving to stand beside Felida to peer down at the water along with her.  “I’m gathering that since you’re still talking to the Captain that she is, in fact, still alive and kicking?”  
  
    “I don’t know about kicking, but she’ll be okay.  Porrim did some impromptu surgery on her.”  
  
    Aurana’s eyebrows went up.  “Wow… If there’s one thing I certainly wouldn’t ever think of to be impromptu, it’s surgery!”  
  
    Felida nodded her agreement.  “No kidding.  I thinking Jadebutt may have just found her calling.  It really was amazing to watch.  Speaking of which…”  She turned around to survey the deck; the bodies she could see were still.  “Damn.  Not much we can do for them, is there?”  
  
    After taking a look around, Zashyl shook her head.  “No.  All around them is black.  As for the tealblood, good riddance to that one.”  
  
    “Agreed.  So… how’s your knee?”  
  
    “Just fine, thanks,” Aurana grumbled.  “I totally could have taken her down if you hadn’t have shown up when you did.”   
  
    “Mm-hmm.  Right.  Totally.”  They stood looking at each other for a few moments.  
  
    “Thanks.”  
  
    “It’s all good,” Felida said.  “Now, we better find some way to sort out what’s going on with the other ships before… did you see that?” She pointed to the edge of the deck, back towards the bridgeblock, where a silver hook glinted in the light from that room.  
  
    “I see it… and there’s another one!  Go find another sword, quick!”  Zashyl ran towards where the nearest grappling hook was visible, her short sword brandished high.  
  
    Felida needed no further encouragement; she grabbed a scimitar from one of her fallen comrades and took up a position beside Aurana.  She peered over the railing to see multiple Imperial Navy crewmen climbing ropes that were being deployed from the top of a surfaced submarine.  “Looks like it’s you and me versus the Navy, Poochie,” she said, hacking at the nearest landed rope in hopes of evening the odds somewhat.  
  
    “Yeah, what else is new?  I leave this boat for a few sweeps and nothing changes.”   
  
    “Well, some things have… I’d say the food’s a bit better these nights.”  
  
    “Seriously?” Aurana asked as she sawed through one of the ropes, sending twelve would-be attackers back into the ocean.  “I’ve had better loaf from a can!”  
  
    Felida snorted.  “Well, sorry, Miss Capitol Dweller; not all of us get to dine on roast hoofbeast soaked in garlic lusus butter every night.”  Another snap as another rope was successfully cut.   
  
    “Look, just because I eat well doesn’t mean I’m a snob, you know,” Aurana replied as she made her way to another hook.  
  
    “Oh, I can tell you’re eating well.  Your hair looks absolutely fucking majestic.”  
  
    “Are you making fun of my mane?”  Zashyl stopped sawing long enough to flip her long hair back.  
  
    Felida rolled her eyes.  “Gee, I wonder who taught you how to do THAT?”  
  
    _Ladies, pleeeeeeeease… Would you kindly focus on the task at hand?_  
  
    “Sorry, Captain!” they replied in unison.  Although both were able to cut another rope each, Navy crewmen were climbing over the rail on either side of them.  Instinctively, they stood back-to-back and raised their swords.    
  
    “I’ve got your back,” Felida said, eyeing up her nearest assailant.    
  
    “No, I’ve got yours.  Let’s do this.”   
  
    By keeping the wall of the bridgeblock beside them, they were able to force the naval crewmen to attack from either Felida’s or Aurana’s front and one or two at a time.  Using this to their advantage, they let the fight come to them and made short work of the waves of attackers that dared to invade their ship.    
  
    As she swung her blade at the latest uniformed invader, Aurana thought she heard a distinctive sound coming from further away.  “Felida, did you hear that?”  
  
    “No, but I see it!  Another hook just came over the stern!  Shit, I’m pinned down!  No way I can get to it!”  
  
    “Me neither… Captain, if you can hear me, INCOMING!”  
  
  
  
  
    Porrim had just finished setting Aranea up in a sitting position against the wall and for what must have been the tenth time, re-examined her handiwork on her matesprit’s neck.  
   
    _Relaaaaaaaax, Porrim; I’m sure it’s fine._  
  
    “Maybe, but I don’t want to take any chances, okay?  I just wanted to get you out of that… you know…”  
  
    _Blood?  Does it bother you to see so much, my love?_  
  
    “Oddly enough, no.  I seem to be okay with blood.  It’s just that it’s… your blood.  And it IS an awful lot…”  
  
    _I will survive, dear heart, in no small part thanks to you.  Thank you._  
  
    Porrim bent over and kissed Aranea’s lips; she could feel the slight puff of air coming from her lover’s mouth and felt joyous relief at the sensation.  “Should I try to get you into a bed?”   
  
    _You’ll pardon me, love, if I decline?  I never thought I’d say this, but I’m kind of tired and I have a bit of a headache._   
  
    “Okay, but…”  Once Porrim realized what Aranea was doing, she sighed loudly.  “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”  She couldn’t help but smile at the ridiculousness of it.  
  
    _Ho ho, ha ha and hee hee.  I suppose I could use a blanket… but…_  
  
    Porrim looked around for a moment before turning her attention back to Mindfang.  “But what?  Are you okay?  What’s the matter?”  
  
    _Porrim… my sweet, innocent darling Porrim… I need you to stop fussing over me for a spell and go over to my desk. There’s a drawer there; open it and take out what you find there._  
  
    The gravity with which Aranea was “speaking” was not lost on her; she walked quickly to the back of the ironwood desk and slid the narrow drawer open.  There was more than one item; she grabbed the one nearest to her.  “Um…” she began, holding the long phallic object with a pair of hooks on one end that matched one of Aranea’s horns, “I thought you weren’t in the mood…”  She adjusted her grip on it; the toy began to vibrate which made Porrim start with surprise.  
  
    _No, not that!  Grab the largest item in there, and hurry!_  
  
    Maryam shut the vibrator off and returned it to the drawer.  This time, the blue object she grasped was the hilt of a curved sword.  “Oh!  Why do I ne-”  
  
    _Listen verrrrrrrry carefully, Porrim:  go stand beside the stairwell and put your back to the wall._  
  
    Porrim did as she was asked; she gripped the sword as she was taught to do, but she could feel sweat start to form in her palms.  “Okay, now what?”  
  
    _Now I need you to clear your mind.  Think of nothing at all if you can.  Just keep your eyes wide open.  Focus on seeing, if that makes any sense to you.  And breathing.  Just like when we make love, dear; the trick is to keep breathing.  And talk to me mentally for a while, if you please.  I know it seems contradictory, but the sooner you relax, the better, trust me._   
  
    _I do._  
  
    _Gooooooood.  Just count backwards from one hundred and this should all be over with._  
  
    Porrim thought about asking what “this” referred to, but opted to just start counting.   _Okay.  One hundred… ninety nine… ninety eight… ninety seven… ninety six…_  
She focused on seeing and what she saw was her left arm suddenly lash out and cut the throat of a man who just came off of the final stair that led into the brigblock.  Maroon blood sprayed out as he fell gargling to his knees.  
  
    _Oh my!  That was… unforrrrrrrrtunate.  Now they know I’m here.  Eighty five… eighty four…_   
  
    Porrim was able to catch another one the same way; this one tripped and she fell over the body of the first intruder, clutching her mortally damaged neck.  There was a delay before the third one appeared; Porrim found herself crouching a fraction of a second before a blade came blindly around the corner and cut into the wood door frame right where her horns were just previously.  This time, her sword flashed out and tore into the attacker’s midsection.  
  
    _Gold this time… Seventy six, seventy five, seventy four…_  
  
    The next one jumped in over the howling goldblood; another one came right behind on her heels.  These two brandished long-barreled energy weapons they wore over their shoulders in slings.  They focused on Mindfang’s prone form and looked at each other.  This moment of confusion cost them as a whirling jadeblood swept in front of them and slashed their necks before they could say a word.   
  
    _Sixty three… sixty two… sixty orange … sixty…_  
  
    There was now excited chatter coming from the stairwell; commands were given from further up near the top of the stairs and the sounds of louder footfalls came.   _Is that just louder or multiple?  Doesn’t really matterrrrrrrr…_  
  
    Three larger men entered, wielding similar rifles.  Porrim stayed crouched down until the third entered, then slashed at the back of his knee.  Maroon blood spilled forth but more importantly, he fell forwards into the other two, knocking them all to the ground.  Before she knew it, she was on top of each, driving the blade into the backs of their necks.  
  
    _Forty four… forty threeeeeeee… forty two…_  
  
    A bright bolt sizzled by her head and she instinctively rolled to the left and landed in a low combat stance.  No one else had emerged through the doorway, and the sounds had all ceased from those who had come before.  A deep voice called from the stairwell:  “Come out, come out, wherever you are!  I’ll do my best to shoot you right in the head, promise!  No way I’m coming in there until I can see you…”  
  
    “I’m laying right heeeeeeeere, rocks-for-pan…  Come finish me off…  Shit eating coward…” Mindfang spoke.  
  
    A brief silence from the stairs.  “What the…”  A moment later, from Porrim’s perspective, a head appeared in the entryway.  A moment after that, the head was missing its horns.  A moment after that, it was missing its body.  
  
    _Twenty nine… twenty eight… twenty olive …_  
  
    “Arshan?  Did you get her?” came another voice.  
  
    “No, he didn’t fucking ‘get her’!  I’m still quite alive, please and thank you.  How about you come down here and remedy thaaaaaaaat?”  
  
    “Oh, I certainly intend to, Mindfang.  Let’s go, you two.”  
  
    “But, Captain…”  
  
    “GO.  NOW.”  
  
    There was no further argument from the stairs, only the sounds of multiple boots, which stopped prior to anyone being visible.    
  
    _Twenty one… Twenty… Nineteen…_  
  
    A metal sphere suddenly appeared in the room.  
  
    _Thermal detonator!   So, it’s gonna be like that, is iiiiiiiit?_  
  
    Porrim watched herself lunge at the silver ball with its blinking lights; another beam flickered past her and hit the ironwood desk, pushing it over and leaving half of it a smoking ruin.  In the time that took place, she was holding the sphere, reaching around the corner and grabbing the first person she could get her hands on.  The metal ball was deposited in someone’s mouth and that someone was pushed into someone else.    
  
    The ensuing explosion sent shards of wood and sprays of bronze and yellow flying around the brigblock.  When the dust settled, Porrim immediately looked over to Aranea, who looked no worse for wear.  
  
    _I’m fiiiiiiiine.  Let’s finish this._  
  
    _Twelve… Eleven… Ten…_  
  
    “Fuck this.  Never send a lowblood to do a highblood’s work.”    
  
    As Porrim returned to her position beside what was left of the doorway, she realized it was no longer providing any cover whatsoever.  A lean woman wearing a Navy Captain’s uniform strode in, long narrow sword in hand.    
  
    “Don’t bother pretending you’re injured.  I know who’s doing the fighting here,” she said with cool detachment.  “I’m not even going to insult you by asking you to put down your weapon.  Let’s just get th-”  
  
    Porrim never even gave her a chance to finish speaking; she was already blade-to-blade with the Captain, blows being rapidly exchanged.  She was not surprised to find she was being physically driven back; this Captain was obviously an indigoblood from her uniform and not only stronger but decidedly faster as well.    
  
    _Just relax, love… Keep doing what you’re doing!!!!!!!!_  
  
    _Five… four…_  
  
    “I must say, I’ve never seen a jadeblood so skilled in combat.  You must have had a highblood instructor.”   
  
    _You could say that, you smug biiiiiiiitch._  
  
    _Three…_  
  
    Porrim didn’t speak; she just let this combination of instinct and instruction flow.  Most of what she was doing was defensive parries by this point; the indigoblooded invader was simply too quick to permit any attempts at offensive manoeuvres.    
  
    _Two…_  
  
    As she continued to fall back, Porrim found herself near the secret door to the hallway where the mess hall and the Captain’s Quarters were located.  She took another tentative step backwards into that entryway and continued to watch her sword swinging.  The clang of metal on metal rang in her sponge clots; the scent of it made it seem more than real.    
  
    “If you think leading me back up on deck will save you, think again,” the Navy captain said, grinning.  “I have eleven other twelve-person groups boarding your vessel.  The majority of your fleet is either sinking or sunk, and the rest won’t dare fire on my ship because it’s so close to your own.  There’s no escape, woman.  Surrender now and I’ll send your body to the sea that you so obviously appreciate right along with your fallen captain’s.”   
  
    _One…_  
  
    “Here’s your answer.”  Porrim spun after the Captain’s feint, deflected the next one and threw a punch into her stomach, which forced her back two steps.    
  
    “Oof!” she grunted as Maryam reset her stance.  “Well, I shouldn’t be entirely surprised that you’d fight dirty.  Jadebloods are still technically lowbloods, after all.”  The indigoblood straighten up and shot Porrim a look of pure contempt.  “I had hoped there’d at least be a shred of honour in you; evidently I was incorrect.  I had given you some quarter before; no longer.  Prepare to meet your dooAKKAARKRRGHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!”   
  
    Porrim watched the Captain clutch at the strange blue object that had was now protruding from her throat and vibrating rapidly, turning her death rattle into a near-comical sound.  Indigo blood coursed down her neck and she slumped to her knees before falling face first to the floor, which revealed a nude and trembling Aranea Serket standing behind her.  “Amazingly,” she began as she tried to catch her breath, “that is NOT… the first person… I’ve killed… with a sex toy.”     
  
    As Aranea stumbled, Porrim dropped her sword, rushed over and caught her before she mimicked the indigoblood’s fall.  “I can’t even believe you’re standing!  Don’t push yourself; I didn’t save your life for nothing!”  
  
    “No, dear heart… you certainly didn’t.  I suspect… you might not have… been able to do… all of this without… a little bit of… assistance.”  
  
    “What do you… mean...”  The question died on Porrim’s lips as she surveyed the carnage in the brigblock.  “I did all of that?”  
  
    “Let’s call it… ‘we’, love.  Simply put… you just saved my life… again.  All I did was… help you… finish the job.”    
  
    Porrim wasn’t certain how to feel about it; she felt a touch cold inside, but when she looked at her matesprit in her arms, exhausted but smiling, any indignation she felt evaporated.  “Now can I take you to bed?”   
  
    “For the love, Porrim… Is that… all you can think about… is sex?  Who are you… calling… insatiable…”  
  
    “Even at your best, you’re still a brat, you know.”  With little effort, Porrim swept Aranea into her arms and carried her down the hall to her respiteblock.  “Most of the blood on you is dry, so hopefully it won’t mess up the sheets too terribly.”  
  
    _Listen here, fussyfangs, I don’t give a single fuck about the sheets so neither should you.  Just let me rest for a while… once I’ve done what needs to be first._  
  
    “And dare I ask what that would be?”  Maryam gently placed Mindfang down on her bed and pulled a thick blue comforter over her.    
  
    _Why, tending to my fleet, of course.  A good captain is always dedicated to her crew, you know._  
  
    Porrim’s head snapped up.  “Felida!”  
  
    _Is fine.  Go up top and check on her if you like._  
  
    After giving Aranea another kiss, this one lasting more than a few seconds, Porrim dashed up the stairs to see both Felida and Aurana piling bodies up at the stern of the ship.  “Hey!  What’s going on?  Can I help?”  
  
    “Well, look who finally decided to join in the action,” Felida said as she hauled another gutted soldier over to the pile.  “Just in time, Jadebutt; sorry we didn’t save you anyone to practice on.”  
  
    “No kidding,” Aurana added.  “I really would have liked to see you try out your skills.”  
  
    Porrim just smiled and swept away some of the sweat that was trickling from her forehead.  “Don’t worry, I still got a workout of sorts.”  She looked over the side.  “Where did THAT come from?”  
  
    “Dunno, but I gather it had been following your tealblooded buddy,” Felida shook some of the colorful horror from her hands before searching for the next victim to latch on to.    
  
    “What happened to her, if you don’t mind my asking?”  
  
    Felida offered a jagged-toothed grin in reply.  “Let’s just say she’s going to be dessert for the same critters that enjoyed Admiral Fishfood so much.  Rest in pieces, you nasty bitch.”  She punctuated this by spitting over the railing.  
  
    Porrim’s fingers gently grasped the silver sign around her neck.   _Some other place, some other time, you would have made a fine ally, Latula.  May you find Kankri in the world beyond this one._  “So be it.”  She looked at the pile of bodies behind the two women.  “You mean to tell me you took on all of them?” she asked incredulously.  
  
    “Well, not all of them,” Aurana answered, slinging a maroonblood onto the heap.  “We managed to take out about twenty-some before they made the deck.  After that, well… I guess the only ones we didn’t get to were the ones that…”  Zashyl suddenly gave Porrim a strange look.  “…got down below.  What happened down there?”   
  
    _Your student was more than capable of defending me, Aurana.  She did a most admirable job, thanks to your tuition._  
  
    Aurana looked around and understood that all three of the women heard the mental transmission.  “Um, thanks, Captain!  I’m glad to hear it!  Are you all right?”  
  
    _As tired as I can ever remember being, but I will get by.  For now, though, I need you two to drop whatever it is you’re doing and tend to some things for me._  
  
    “What would that be?”  
  
    _Felida, contact the rest of the fleet and fill them in on what’s happened.  Second, one of you two needs to pay a visit to that ship just beside us and either take out any resistance or recruit it.  Either way, I’ve always wanted a submariiiiiiiine._  
  
    “The comm circuits are completely erased, Captain,” Felida replied.  “Whatever software that wretched woman brought with her wiped ours out completely.  We’re going to need a tow into a port.”  
  
    _I will advise Ianrad once I’m done talking with you then… provided he’s still alive, that is.  He can send the word out about all of this and help take stock of our losses.  Once you have that sub under wraps, we’ll be setting course for somewhere nearby where I happen to know someone who can not only get this ship running as it should be again, but can give me a once-over to ensure Porrim’s handiwork is holding up.   He might even be able to teach her a few things.  With a little bit of training, I dare say we have a new Field Healthtender on our haaaaaaaands…_   
  
    When the other two women looked at Porrim and grinned, all she could do was smile shyly and wring her hands.  “Well, maybe there’s something to that…”  
  
    _Anyway, you have your orders.  Porrim, if you could bring me some water when you have a moment, that’d be appreciated.  And in a metal container if you please?  After this, every single fucking drinking vessel on board, even the chalices, will be metal only._  
  
    “I’m so sorry, Aranea…” Porrim muttered sheepishly.  
  
    _Don’t be.  You didn’t know.  This problem will be solved.  In the meantime, Felida and Aurana, figure out who’s going to take the sub; the other can come down to the brigblock and tidy up the mess._  
  
    “Yes, Captain!” they both answered.    
  
    _Gooooooood.  Now, I have some business to attend to.  Carry on and see you once we’re underway._  
  
    Once they replied again, Felida walked over to Aurana.  “Flip you for it?”  
  
    Zashyl eyed her suspiciously.  ”Where’s your coiIIINNNNNNNN????”   
  
    Felida watched over the side as Aurana hit the water.  “FORTY THREE!”  
  
    “This doesn’t count, you conniving flap!” she called back from beside the submarine.  
  
    “Does so!  Besides, you so wanted to do this anyway, didn’t you?”  
  
    “Yeah!  Totally!”  The turquoiseblood swam over to the sub and started climbing the ladder on the side, being as mindful as she could of her sore knee.  “Thanks!”   
  
    “Don’t mention it!  Call if you need help!”  
  
    “As if!” Aurana shouted back.    
  
    Felida made to dust her hands off.  “There.  Now, how about you and I go down below and tidy up.  I hear you may be responsible for most of the mess.”  
  
    Porrim chuckled even though she didn’t necessarily feel like chuckling.  “Perhaps.”  
  
    “‘Perhaps’, she says.  Come on, let’s get to it.  I have a feeling you might be spending some time with me in my block while… Aranea heals up.”  
  
    “A distinct possibility,” Porrim agreed.    
  
    “Oh wait… we’re heading for that island.  Hey, that means you get to meet Horuss!  He’s amazing, that guy.  He did the surgery on my arm and leg; I bet you could learn a lot from him!”   
  
    “I certainly hope – oh!”  Porrim stopped short of the stairwell as someone was emerging from it.    
  
    Felida’s hand was reaching for her sword when she realized she wouldn’t need it.  
  
    “Hey ladies,” mumbled Hyvare Chelte as he came on deck.  “I couldn’t sleep worth a shit tonight; sounded like a storm going on.  Even with my clotplugs in, it felt like it was right on top of us.  Oh well… I’m up and around now.  Think they’d mind if I started my watch on the bridgeblock early?”  
  
    Neither woman knew quite what to say.  
  
    Chelte opened his bleary gold-coloured eyes and looked around.  “Whoa… Did I miss something?”

 

 


	18. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the climactic battle, the survivors limp their vessels, the Fool's Gam8it in tow, towards an island where a friend of Mindfang's lives in hopes of finding help. What Porrim finds there, however, is far more shocking than she could have possibly expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure there were a lot of you who, upon getting involved in this story, not only knew this night would have to come to pass for Porrim, but were looking forward (in a strange sort of way) to seeing how it would go down! Well, here you go: Dolorosa meets the E%ecutor. Hopefully I approached this in a way that rings true for you...
> 
> Soundtrack song: Please cue up #24 for the start of the chapter and #25 begins at "Who’s your… friend…”
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**17.**  
  
    Porrim blinked the last remnants of crust from her eyes as she headed back down the hall towards Felida’s respiteblock.  She was holding two large mugs full of water in her hands and wished she had a free one to assist with the process of clearing her vision.   _Felida and I were out for almost twelve hours.  I can’t recall the last time I’ve slept like that… and still fully dressed, no less.  Aranea is still asleep, which has to be a good thing, I think._  
  
    She had just finished checking on her matesprit:  there was no sign of leaking, swelling or noticeable infection at the site of the cut, which relieved her immensely.   _That’s about the best I could hope for.  I hope this Horuss  fellow can confirm that she’ll be all right._  
  
    “Is she still sleeping?” Felida asked as Porrim entered.    
  
    “Yes.  She’s been out for nearly fourteen hours.  I’ve never seen her sleep so long,  but I’m not surprised in the least.”  She passed one of the metal drinking vessels to Felida and then sat down beside her on the edge of her bed.    
  
    “Me neither.  I’ve seen her go for a few nights without any sleep at all before, but I’ve never seen anyone go through an experience like that.  At least someone that wasn’t me.”  She took a long draught from the mug.  “And I don’t remember a whole lot about it.”  
  
    “Do you suppose that has more to do with what Aranea can  do or just that you simply don’t remember?”    
  
    Oceleo shrugged.  “Doesn’t really matter.  Kinda glad I don’t remember the worst of it, to be quite honest.”  
  
    “You never did tell me what happened.”  
  
    “You never asked.”  
  
    Porrim smiled wanly.  “I suppose I was just being polite.  You told me about your ex-kismesis without any prompting, so I assumed you’d fill me on…” She glanced quickly at Felida’s cybernetic limbs. “…that  whenever you were ready to do so.”  
  
    “Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any.  I sure wish this mug was full of ale versus water but wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up first.”  When she saw the look of concern on Porrim’s face, she added, “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on actually testing that theory.”   
  
    “For which I’m rather grateful.”  
  
    “And I’m grateful you stuck with me here last night, Jadebutt.”  She rested her head on Porrim’s shoulder.    
  
    “I just thought Aranea would get a better rest without having someone flopping around in the same bed.   And I thought you might need some company, too, considering all that’s happened.”  She looked down at the quietly purring oliveblood and added, “And I must admit, I suspect this isn’t the kind of thing most kismesises do.  Shouldn’t you be gouging me with your horns or something?”  
  
    Felida huffed.  “Haha.  I can if you’d like, but I thought we were going to try to keep that sort of thing to a minimum save for spontaneous outbursts?”   
  
    Porrim placed a hand on her thigh.  “Of course.  So…”  
  
    “Oh, right.”  Oceleo closed her eyes and took a couple more long swallows from the stein as though it actually were some kind of ale.  “A couple of perigees ago we were about to land the biggest score of fluorite we’d ever hoped to.  The only real risk to this sort of exploration is that the Empire has a thing about protecting the stuff because they’re well aware of what it can do in the wrong hands.   It takes someone who knows a few things about Imperial defenses as well as someone who knows a few things about fluorite to find any amount of note.  Luckily, we had both.  Long story short, we found a serious lode and managed to extract a good size chunk.  But before we could try for more, something came along that wasn’t too thrilled about us helping ourselves.”   
  
    Maryam was about to take a sip of her water but stopped short.  “Something?”  
  
    “It was about as ‘something’ as you can get.  Pretty sure it was a lusus of some kind, but if it was, it was way bigger than any I’ve ever seen, and we never did see all of it.  All we could see was the four massive white tentacles that broke the water and grabbed the mining droid pilot.  They smashed him on the deck a few times before hauling him overboard.”  
  
    Porrim was wide-eyed; even compared to some of what she was part of the night before, this seemed terrifying.  “What happened next?”  
  
    Felida bit her lip and sighed.  “It gets a little fuzzy after that for me.  What I remember most was this cold, rubbery thing wrapping itself around my calf, and then another one had me by the arm.  I was in the air, and then I was on the deck and seeing stars.  I called out for the Captain to save me, but I was in the air again then back to the deck.     
  
    “I sort of recall the crew all being there, trying to hold the thing down.  It must have been working because Aranea was there, trying to cut me free.  She kept swinging and swinging her sword, but it wasn’t working.  And then she looked at me and said ‘I’m so, so sorry’ and I thought that was it, I was a goner.  And then she was swinging the sword again and suddenly my leg was free!  And then it got dark… and then my arm was free.   
  
    “I’m… sure there was pain, but I can’t really say I remember it, aside from a lot of heat.  I remember almost welcoming it; while that thing was holding me, I felt the most awful, soul-killing cold inside.  It HATED me, Porrim; all I could feel was revulsion and disgust from the thing.  It wanted me gone and it was full of hate and greed and vile thoughts.  That brilliant heat was almost cleansing in a strange kind of way.”  
  
    Porrim didn’t say a word; she listened in silent horror.  
  
    “The next thing I remember, I woke up in this weird bed with Aranea and this big guy standing beside me.  They were asking me how I felt and if I could move my arm and leg.  No biggie, I thought… except it kind of was.  My arm didn’t want to move at first, but I could still feel the weight of it.  More than usual, actually, which was the weirdest part.  I looked over and saw this… shiny metal arm and for some reason, it took a little while to register that it was actually attached to me!  Well, I freak out and Aranea shooshpaps me back down and explains that I was all right - lucky to be alive, mind you - but all right; there were just some new body parts I was going to have to get used to.  I suddenly occurred to me that there was a bandage over my left eye and when I asked, she told me that wasn’t a bandage and the damage was permanent.  I’m not gonna lie, Porrim, I was pretty freaked out by it all, but with a lot of encouragement from Aranea and help from Horuss, I learned how to adapt to these new body parts.  Sometimes I‘m actually kinda glad I have them!”   
   
    “I’m trying my best to imagine what it would be like to have one limb that wasn’t your own, never mind a second.  But if I’m hearing you correctly, it was…”  Porrim found herself having difficulty saying what she knew to be true.  
  
    Felida continued for her.  “Aranea that cut me free, yes.  The cost was awfully high, but she risked her life and even that of the crew to save mine.  She’s my moirail, Porrim.  I never truly understood what that meant until then.”   She put her hands in her lap and swallowed.  “So the fact that you were able to save her life… means as much to me as it does to you.”    
  
    Porrim moved her hand to place it on top of the oliveblood's.  “Hey, you had just as much to do with saving her as I did.  You got there first and held down on the vein.”  
  
    “But I don’t have that natural skill with a needle that you do!  What would have happened if it were just me?  How long could I have gotten away with holding it?  Eventually that boarding party would have made their way down and I would have had to let go.  Or worse, that damned Legislacerator might have killed Aurana  and then came back to finish me off.  You were the right person in the right place at the right time!  How can I ever thank you enough?”  
  
    “You don’t need to.”  She lightly squeezed Felida’s hands.  “And neither does she.  Aranea saved my life.  That’s all there is to it.  I gather she did the same for you based on what you’re telling me.  How could we not try everything we can to save hers?  That’s what love is about, red or pale… or even black, if I gather right.”   
  
    Felida smiled.  “If it’s done right.  In most cases it’s ‘she’s MY kismesis; only I’M allowed to chew on her and call her a jadebutt!’”   
  
    “You do have a knack for well-timed humour,” Porrim said.  “But I have to say I was a little surprised at how you and Aurana seemed to be… well, not comfortable with the loss of most of the crew, but…”  
  
    “Okay, listen…” Oceleo said kindly, “You’re new here and I gather you never volunteered for life at sea.  Between Aurana and me, we’ve seen so many of our friends and comrades-in-arms get killed.  It’s not that we’re so emotionally beaten down by it, but we’ve come to deal with it by sometimes using dark humour.  It’s such a grim situation; if you think about it too much, it’ll destroy you inside.  You can’t let that happen.  I mourn their loss, I really do.  The survivors of this battle will get together at our destination and have a wake for our lost friends.  But I had to detach myself from the awfulness of it in the moment or else I’d be consumed by it.  And in a critical moment, you can’t let that happen.  Would we have been able to repel that many Navy thugs if we’d been busy crying about who that tealblooded flap had murdered?  Not a chance.  Please understand:  it’s not cold, it’s… a necessity of life here.  Death can happen to anyone at anytime.  Sometimes I can’t blame Aurana for getting out of it, but I know I couldn’t.  Not anymore.  I’m too close to Aranea and I love this life.  Maybe in time you’ll come to as well.  At the very least I know you love the people who are a part of it.”  
  
    She lifted her head and gave Porrim a kiss on the lips.  “I’m thrilled you’re a part of it now, Porrim.  You literally came out of nowhere and made my life a helluva lot more interesting.”  
  
    “And you, mine, which I think would be the understatement of the night,” Maryam replied.  “So what happens now?  How far are we from our destination?”  
  
    Felida thought for a moment.  “We’re maybe doing ten knots, tops… Probably still an hour or two away from the island.  I’m actually kinda glad Aranea is sleeping; it’ll spare her the indignity of having to be towed into port.”   She snickered at the thought of her moirail’s likely reaction.  “The _Head8reaker_ is pulling us along, and we’ve still got _Aces High_  and _Longshot_ for defense, two destroyers, a cruiser, our new submarine and, for reasons I still can’t explain, the _Wyldde Karrde_.”  
  
    Porrim wasn’t sure why that particular ship made her pale kismesis spit the name.  “It’s a rather interesting looking ship.  What’s the matter with it?”  
  
    “It’s not so much the ship as it was the fella who owned it.  Tallin “Wyllde” Karrde.  Greasiest Gamblignant to sail the seas.  Blueblood like Aranea, but without her gifts.  He met his match in her; she won the ship from him in a game of chance.”  
  
    “Something tells me he didn’t stand a chance, did he.”  
  
    “Nope!  He had the last laugh, though: turned out the thing was so infested with bugs it took us two perigees to disinfect the thing.  I was the one who had to steer that festering bucket into port; I couldn’t sleep properly for ages thanks to all the crawly feelings.  Have you ever been deloused, Porrim?”  
  
    “Actually, I have…”  She gritted her teeth at the thought.  
  
    “Oh.  Yeah.  Anyway, I wouldn’t shed a single tear if that worm-ridden hunk of flotsam sank right this second.  And yet somehow it stays afloat.  Fucking shitraft.  Anyway, I hear he’s trying his hand at being a space pirate now that the Condesce is so busy kicking ass and taking names across nearby systems.  Frankly, I hope some space bug thing lays an egg or five in his chest…”   
  
    Porrim shuddered.  “Ick.  Okay, I get the picture.  So, what should we do while we’re waiting?”  
  
    Felida placed her mouth up against Porrim’s neck this time.  “I have a suggestion,” she said, placing a sucking kiss on what her lips found.    
  
    Even though she inhaled involuntarily, Porrim wasn’t certain about this.  “Are you… sure you’re in the mood for that?"  
  
    “Hey, we just slept through the whole day and into the night.  My batteries are charged up and I swear I’ve still got some of last night’s adrenalin in my blood.  Damn right I’m in the mood!”   
  
    Porrim found she was enjoying the nuzzling and kisses, but her thinkpan was still reeling from all that had taken place the night before.  “Actually,” she offered, “would you mind if I helped you out first?  I’m still not quite in the right frame of mind yet.”  
  
    “Sure, no problem.  Maybe you will be by the time I’m done?”  Felida got up, walked over to the gaperblock and returned a couple of minutes later with a towel.  “Sit up against the headboard and I’ll lie back on you.”   
  
    Maryam did as the oliveblood suggested and then opened her legs to accommodate Felida who put her back against Porrim’s chest.  
  
    “Comfy?” Oceleo asked, turning her head to look at Porrim through the peripheral vision of her right eye.  
  
    “Quite.  So… what would you like me to do?”  
  
    “Wow, you are green aren’t you?  Wait… Don’t answer that.”  
  
    “How am I supposed to be snarky to you when you won’t let me?” Porrim pouted.    
  
    Felida chuckled.  “I think this time you can let your hands do the work.”  She gently grabbed Porrim’s left hand and placed it on the waist of her shorts.  “I don’t think you’re going to have to do a lot to warm me up, Jadebutt; just the idea of your talented fingers working their magic on my nub has got my flap wet already…”  
  
    Porrim smiled at the compliment.  “Well, who am I to keep you waiting?”  She brought her other hand around the other side and unfastened the button on Felida’s brown shorts, then undid the zipper.  Felida wiggled with anticipation but Porrim held her fast.  “You settle down,” she admonished, “I don’t need anything of yours getting caught on that zipper when these come off.”  
  
    “Well, how about I slide them down a bit and then you won’t have to worry about it?”  She lifted her backside off the bed and pulled them down her thighs to her knees.  “How’s that?”  
  
    “Can you still open your legs enough?”  
  
    “Oh yeah… good point.”  She closed her eyes and got her cybernetic leg to bend back so that she could work them off of it, leaving them still on around her right one.  “That’ll do, I think.  Now, where were we…”  
  
    “Right around here, I believe,” Porrim said, letting her hand brush up and down the inside of Felida’s right thigh.    
  
    “Fucking tease,” Oceleo replied, pushing herself back against her friend.  “Oh, right… almost forgot.”  With her left hand, Felida grabbed the towel and placed it in the space between her legs.  “No sense making a wet spot, even though I think Horuss has laundry services.”  
  
    “Never mind the laundry; you asked for this, now let me do this.”  She brushed the fingers of both of her hands gently down the soft skin of Felida’s seedflap and back up again.    
  
    “Okay… when you put it like that…”  Felida closed her eyes and took in the sweet sensations Porrim’s hands were creating.    
  
    Porrim, too, closed her eyes and let her sense of touch guide her.  She found it was though she could almost see what she was doing in a way; her thinkpan created a picture of what her hands were touching:  the soft grey folds of Felida’s outer lips, the pale olive ones inside.   She lightly pulled them apart and listened to the soft moan that action created; this finally spurred a tingling in her own genitals that made her involuntarily push herself up against Felida’s lower back.   
  
    “Starting to get… hot and bothered, too, eh?  Good… Keep doing what you’re doing and… I’ll pay you back in spades…”  
  
    This made Porrim laugh.  “I suspect you will.”  She let her fingers drift slowly upwards where they encountered Felida’s engorged nub; she pictured it being almost a bright green, and her fingers detected a hint of a pulse to it, matching the oliveblood’s accelerating pusherbeats she could feel from where her chest met Felida’s back.   
  
    “You wanna try… grabbing that with your finger and thumb?  Sorta stroke it up and down… like you would a tiny bulge?” Felida asked.  
  
    There was a brief silence from Maryam.  “Um… well… er…”  
  
    “Oh shit, that’s right!  You’ve never handled a bulge before, right?”  
  
    “Mm-hmm.”  
  
    “Well, no big deal.  Let’s see…”  Felida thought for a moment, which she found challenging with Porrim’s manual stimulation continuing.  “I know… pretend it’s like a… like a sewing needle.  Just lightly grab around it… with finger and thumb like I said… and make like you’re sewing something… Try it…”  
  
    Porrim let her fingers find their place around Felida’s small protrusion and started moving them the way she suggested.   _This seems to make sense…_  The deep moan that came out of Felida as a result caught her off-guard.  “Does that mean you like it?”  
  
    “YES… HOLY FUCK… KEEP DOING THAT…”  
  
    “Shhhhhh,” Porrim whispered in her sponge clot.  “We have to try and keep it down, remember?”  Another series of gasps from Oceleo were the only answer she received, so she took that to mean the message was understood, at least until those gasps started to become punctuated with yowls through clenched teeth.  At first, the oliveblood’s right leg began to tremble, and then the heavier metal one followed suit, causing the bed to shake as well.  The keening noises Felida was making told Porrim that she was quite near her release and she started to think that there was no way her partner was going to be able to keep quiet.   _And if I stopped now, I think she would probably throw me overboard… what do I do?  Wait… she said there’s laundry where we’re going?  Then who cares about the sheets?_  
  
    Porrim continued letting her left hand make its rhythmic back and forth motions while she reached forward and grabbed the towel with her other one.  Oceleo had no time or ability to say anything about it before she started to howl as her climax slammed into her; a split second later, that towel was in her mouth which initially made her spasm that much harder but it served its purpose in muffling the wails that poured out of her as violently as her olive-tinged emissions across the bedsheets.    
  
    A few moments later, Felida rapidly tapped on Porrim’s thigh; Porrim took this to mean stop doing what she was doing and so she stilled her one hand’s movements and let the towel fall away from Felida’s mouth.  Oceleo gasped deeply for air for a little while before letting herself fall limply back against Porrim’s body.  “Nice save… with the… towel… but… my sheets…” she wheezed.    
  
    “They’re washable, right? Besides, I didn’t think you wanted me to stop,” Porrim said.  She started gently stroking one of Felida’s swept-back horns with her non-olive tinted right hand, which made the tiny woman shiver again.  
  
    “You… totally… have to… try that… on Aranea.  She’ll… shit a brick!”  
  
    Porrim grimaced although Felida couldn’t see it.  “Um… I’m not entirely sure what you two like to do in the respiteblock, but that doesn’t exactly sound arousing to me.”  
  
    “Not being… literal… you bint!  Fuck… that was… amazing, though…”    
  
    “I’m glad you thought so!  That was a great idea, you know.”  She put her arms around Felida’s stomach and held her.  To Porrim’s surprise, Felida broke this embrace by sitting up and sliding away from Maryam.  “Is… something wrong?  Were those sheets really expensive or something?”  
  
    Felida said nothing at first; she simply stood up and stared at the meter-long streak on the sheets, a smile of admiration on her face.  She then looked back at Porrim and said, “Hike up that skirt, Jadebutt.  It’s on.”  
  
    Porrim started to do so and then suddenly became rather self-conscious.  “I haven’t been to the trap to wash up properly…”  
  
    “Don’t worry about it.  I’m only gonna use my fingers, just like you did.”  Felida made a show of slowly curling and uncurling the first and second fingers of her metallic left hand; once fully extended, she made them both vibrate rapidly.  “You’re gonna need to wash up when I’m done with you, though, and those sheets are gonna need the heavy-duty cycle when they do get washed…”  
  
    Maryam smiled sweetly and reclined across the bed.  “I believe I can live with that.”  
  
  
  
  
    Porrim had just emerged from the ablutionblock when the radio on the daystand crackled to life.  “Hey Kitty!  Get your fingers out of your flap; we’re almost there!”  
  
    Felida, now fully dressed again, dropped the pillow she was holding and trudged over to the small black receiver.  “I’ll have you know it wasn’t my flap my fingers were in, Poochie.  How close are we actually?”  
  
    “Ten klicks tops.  We just got a request for identification.”  
  
    “Send him the number nine five times.  Tell Ianrad to slow to two knots and watch for my signal to cut us loose.  There’s only one dock so we’ll pull up to it.  If everyone else wants to come, they can use the lifeboats or just swim if they want a little adventure.”   
  
    “Ooh!  Adventure!  My favourite!” Aurana replied.  “You sure we can’t pull this submarine right up close?”  
  
    “You explain to the Captain why her new toy got scuttled while she was sleeping  then.  Just surface about half a kilometer from shore and start doggie-paddling.  You can put Hyvare on your back for shits and giggles.”  
  
    “See if I don’t.  Okay, I’ll pass it on.  See you all on the island!”  
  
    “Count on it,” Felida answered.  She tossed the radio on the bed and made a disgusted sound.  
  
    “What’s the matter?” Porrim inquired, drying her hair.  
  
    Felida chuckled quietly.  “Just thinking how fortunate I was that idiot thing didn’t go off in the middle of our little session there.  ‘Only means of communication with the fleet’ be damned; I probably would have tossed that fucking thing into the drink!”  
   
    Porrim started laughing along with her.  “I don’t doubt that for a second.  So will it work?”  
  
    “Totally.  I think those pillows should stay put once she’s on it.”  Felida picked up the pillow she cast aside a minute prior and placed it on the repulsorplatform  she found in the cuisineblock.    
  
    _The same one that carted Dualscar’s body to its watery grave,_ Porrim couldn’t help but think, but Felida doesn’t know that.  “It should hold her quite easily, I’m certain.  So, should we wake her up first or just… try to move her?”  
  
    “Porrim , she’s so out of it that we could probably use her for a skipping rope and she wouldn’t bat an eyelash.”  
  
    Porrim gritted her teeth.  “I would strongly recommend against doing that…”  
  
    “Fucking literalists,” grumbled Felida.  “Okay, we better go get her.  Come on.”  
  
    “Um… Can I get dressed first?”   
  
    Felida made a mock sigh.  “I sup-POSE.”  
  
    “Don’t make me tell Aurana whose flap your fingers were in,”  Porrim replied, grabbing her dress from the edge of the bed, well away from any jade or olive coloured spots.    
  
    Oceleo just shook her head.  “You’re real funny, you know that?  Not even Zashyl is that slow on the uptake, Jadebutt.”  
  
    Porrim said nothing but hummed a jaunty little tune to herself while she dressed. Once she had her boots on, they towed  the repulsorplatform over to Aranea’s respiteblock and went inside.  The blueblood was still sound asleep on her back.   
  
    “Perfect.  Okay, Porrim, you grab under her legs, I’ll take her head and back.  Sound good?” Felida asked.  
  
    “Sure.”  They counted to three and lifted Mindfang from the bed and gently placed her on the pillows.    
  
    “Wow… She didn’t so much as flutter an eyelid,” Oceleo remarked, looking over her sleeping moirail.    
  
    Porrim nodded.  “She’s earned the rest, that’s for certain.  We ought to at least cover her up, don’t you think?”  
  
    Felida reached for Mindfang’s longcoat and delicately draped it over her bare form with something resembling reverence.  “Much better.  Now at least Horuss won’t have a spaz … or at least slightly less of one.”  She gave Aranea another once-over.  “Do you think we’ll be able to get her off the ship without waking her?”   
  
    “I do.  I don’t even think a wail of pleasure would bring her around right now.”  She gave Felida a wink.  
  
    “Figures.  Admittedly, the towel thing was kinda hot.  Really gave things a… black kind of feel, you know?”  
  
    “I’ll keep that in mind for next time.  Did you want to push or shall I?”  
  
    Felida thought for a moment.  “You carry the platform by the feet up the stairs, I’ll work the handle.  This way I can use my arm to hold most of the weight, what little the platform gives us, that is.”  
  
    A minute later, they were up on deck.  The mists that shrouded the fleet the night before were gone and both moons were visible, shining pink and green light.  “Good,” Felida said, scanning the horizon.  “The more light, the better for what we’re about to do.”  
  
    “Do?” Porrim asked.  
  
    Felida walked over to the bridgeblock and grabbed two large, thick strands of rope; she passed one to Porrim.  “Tonight I get to teach you how to moor a ship.   Let’s put Aranea in the bridgeblock just in case we come in a bit hot.”  
  
    Porrim looked out to the bow of the ship; the _Fool’s Gam8it_ was still being pulled along by the massive battleship _Head8reaker_ but their speed had slowed considerably.  She could also see what she assumed was their island destination quite plainly.  “A bit hot?  That could be a problem, yes.  Islands aren’t terribly elastic to my knowledge.”  
  
    “Relax… You’ll do fine.”  Felida pushed Aranea’s repulsorplatform into the bridgeblock and set it on the floor beside the captain’s chair.  “Besides, you seem to think she’s completely out of it, so even if we screw this up, she won’t even know, right?”   
  
    “The hole in the bottom of the ship would be a bit of a giveaway when she finally does come around, you realize.”   
  
    Felida save her a sly grin.  “I’m pretty sure we could cover it up.  We got away with it for a while once before, didn’t we?”   
  
    Porrim started to smile back but felt a cold sensation creep back in.  “What if this was our last time together?”   
  
    “I’m sure it won’t be.  Right now I think you and I have a blank cheque where Aranea is concerned.”  
  
    “You really think so?”  
  
    “Mm-hmm.  And I think it has the potential to get a lot more interesting, too.”  
  
    Porrim raised an eyebrow.  “How so?”  
  
    Felida smirked.  “Tell you what, let me put a bug in her sponge clot later.  Anyway, listen… when you two need some time alone, I’m totally willing to leave you to it.  I just hope you don’t mind doing the same for her and me from time to time?”  
  
    “I suppose so.”  A brief pause.  “And what about us?”  
  
    “I don’t think that’ll be an issue either.  Sometimes she does enjoy a day to herself.”  
  
    Porrim exhaled sharply.  “Thank goodness I slept when I did.  I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever get any between the two of you!”   
  
    “You can sleep when you’re dead, Jadebutt.  I think we should just be happy we’re alive…”  She pulled Maryam in and initiated a kiss that was returned happily.   
  
    “THAT IS THE MOST PATHETIC KISMESKISS  I’VE EVER SEEN!  YOU’RE NOT EVEN BITING HER, PORRIM!”   
  
    Felida didn’t break away; she simply offered Aurana her silvery upturned middle finger.  
  
    “IF YOU CAN MAKE THAT THING SHOOT FIREWORKS I’LL BE IMPRESSED!”  
  
    It was Porrim that broke the kiss to see Aurana waving from the surfaced submarine.  “IT DOES!  TRUST ME!” she yelled back.    
  
    Felida smiled and touched Porrim’s cheek.  “Nice one!  Now grab your rope and start tying it to the railing.  Just think of it as a gigantic, thick thread and you’ll do just fine…”  
  
  
  
  
    Once they had finished hauling a sleeping Mindfang down the gangplank and on to the dock, Porrim and Felida began to carry her up a beaten path through the trees towards what Porrim assumed was the only building on the island: a tall grey-white tower that rose just about the treetops.  “Someone actually lives here?”   
  
    “Yep.  Horuss is the only one that does, far as I know.  I don’t think he’s been here terribly long either; not even a full sweep yet.”  
  
    Porrim’s eyes widened at this information.  “He built that tower that quickly?”  
  
    “I don’t think so.  I’m gathering it was here well before he was,” Felida replied.  A moment later she stopped at a clearing beside the path.  “Hey… can we hold up a moment here?”   
  
    “Sure.”  Porrim set the repulsorplatform down at the same time Oceleo did.  She watched as Felida, who was at Mindfang’s feet, turned to look down at her moirail for a few moments and then looked wistfully at the clearing.  “Um… everything okay?”  
  
    Felida returned her gaze to Aranea and smiled.  She then looked up at Porrim and after a few moments said, “Yeah.  Never better, actually.  Let’s go.”    
  
    Porrim gathered Felida wasn’t making a joke and that there was something more serious to this than she knew but from what she could tell from that smile on the oliveblood’s face, she was genuinely happy.   _Nice to see,_ she thought as she took the repulsorplatform’s handle into her hands again and lifted as Felida did the same.  “So I gather that this Horuss is a pretty handy fellow.”  
  
    “Is he ever!  I can’t believe what this new arm and leg of mine can do!  The tail was just icing on the grubcake.”  Felida gave a quick wiggle of her backside and Porrim laughed.    
  
    “How did he get here?  Whose island is this, anyway?”   
  
    As they rounded another bend, Felida replied, “I honestly don’t know.  In fact, I don’t even remember how we got here.  I was out cold, remember?  Anyway, all I do know is that she brought him out here to hide him from the Imperials.  He was in deep shit with them over something major  but I never got around to asking him what that was; I was too busy training with my new limbs.”  
  
    “You and yours certainly do keep some interesting company!” Porrim chuckled.   
  
    “You certainly fit the description, too, Jadebutt!  Last time I checked, you weren’t exactly high on the Condesce’s list of favourite people, either.”   
  
    “Hmm… I suppose not.  Maybe I’ll get along with this guy just fine.”  
  
    They approached the front entrance of the tower.  “You’re a pretty friendly person; I’m sure you will.  Just try to keep a couple of feet back from him at first, though; he gets kinda sweaty.”  
  
    “Sweaty?  I don’t find it too hot here; a little humid, perhaps…”  
  
    “WHOOF COMES HERE?”   
  
    “AHHHHH!”  Both women nearly dropped the repulsorplatform as a mechanical arm with what appeared to be a white horse head on the end of it snaked out from a hole beside the door.    
  
    “I TOTALLY forgot about that thing!” Felida exclaimed, taking a step back from the strange machine.    
  
    Porrim looked down at Aranea; the blueblood squirmed around on her makeshift bed and started muttering.    
  
    “Oh, shit!  Did we wake her up?” Felida asked.  “What’s she saying?”  
  
    “I don’t think she’s awake, but I’m pretty sure those are curse words…”  
  
    Felida chortled.  “She’s not a fan of this thing, if I remember right.”  She looked into the cameras she knew comprised the horse’s eyes.  “Hay, Horuss!  It’s Felida!  I have the Captain with me; she’s hurt but she’s okay.  Can you come have a look at her?”  
  
    The horse head retreated back to where it came from.  About a minute later, Porrim asked, “Do you think he heard?”  
  
    “For sure.  He’ll be here any moment.”  
  
    The front door slid open.  “Felida!  Welcome!  Is the Marquise here… oh, there she is.  Who’s your… friend…”   
  
    Felida wondered why his voice suddenly dropped off in volume; beads of sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead, which was nothing new, but she had never recalled seeing his expert hands shaking before.  “What’s the matter?  Is something wr-” She felt and heard the back of the repulsorplatform hit the ground and she snapped her head around to find out why.  The answer startled her:  it wasn’t just Porrim’s hands that were shaking, but her whole body.  The jadeblood’s eyes were wide open and, if she didn’t know better, almost flashing bright yellow.   More frightening than anything else, however, was the alarming expression on Maryam’s face:  one of pure, unadulterated fury.  
  
    “Felida… give me your sword,” Porrim commanded tersely.  
  
    Oceleo’s pushed quickened as she began to realize something was most decidedly wrong here.  “Er… why would you want that, Porrim?”  
  
    “THIS MAN KILLED MY SON!”  Porrim all but tore the sword from the loop on Felida’s shorts that held it and advanced on the indigoblood, who was rapidly retreating back into his tower hive.   
  
    “N-N-NO!  PLEASE!  I NEVER MEANT TO!”  Horuss Zahhak was now scrambling backwards as fast as his legs would permit him to.  “THEY MADE ME DO IT!”  
  
    All that his pleas produced was a loud and savage hiss from the advancing jadeblood, the sword in her hand now being brandished in a most menacing fashion.    
  
    Horuss’s stumbling finally caught up to him and he dropped to his knees.  “P-please!  I beg you!  I never wanted to!  They… they told me I had to…”  
  
    Porrim was standing over his cowed form a moment later.  “YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO!” she bellowed.  “All he wanted was to change the world and you KILLED HIM FOR IT!”  
  
    Felida was running in behind her, shouting to get Porrim’s attention, but Maryam was so focused on the man in front of her that she could hear none of it.   
  
    “I… I’m so sorry,” he gurgled, “At least… I saved… her…”  
  
    “THAT WON’T… Save… you…”  Porrim’s viciousness began to die in her throat as she realized she was holding her blade over an unarmed, sobbing giant of a man who had never threatened her at all.  She watched his indigo tears spatter onto the smooth floor and then lowered the sword slightly.  “Her… You mean… Meulin?”   
  
    “Y-Y-YES!  Meulin… When I saw…”  He snorted loudly and tried to catch his breath in between sobs.  “When I saw how… pusherbroken she was… something inside of me… just… just broke.  They told me… they told me to… kill her too and I… I…”  
  
    Porrim’s sword shook in her hand, not from anger this time but from anguish; the blade  clattered to the floor when she dropped it.  “You didn’t.  I saw.”  
  
    “I know… I… I kn-know you did.  So much… pain that night.  I had to… run away.  Far away.”    
  
    Felida went to reach down and pick up her sword from where Maryam had dropped it when a cool hand gently touched her shoulder.  She jumped and turned around only to be silenced by a slim finger being placed on her lips.  “Allow meeeeeeee, love.”  
  
    Oceleo nodded and stood aside.  
  
    By now, Porrim felt warm tears flowing down her cheeks as the memories of that night, the worst she’d ever known, shiver through her thinkpan.  “I… can’t blame you for that.  Even through all of the pain, it still… made me happy to see her… escape…”    
  
    Porrim’s bottom lip began to tremble and a moment later, she sunk to her knees in front of the quivering man, tears pouring from her eyes as profusely as from his.  
  
    A soft touch of fingertips on Porrim’s shoulders broke through her grief.  “Porrrrrrrrim… I know this must be unspeakably hard for you, but can you find it in you to forgive this man?”  
  
    She sucked back on the wetness pouring from her nose and turned slightly to see Aranea standing beside her, long black jacket on, her matesprit’s hand resting on her shoulder.  “I… don’t know… I didn’t know… of all the trolls in the world… how could it be HIM?”  A fresh series of sobs wracked her body and she put her hands to her face.  
  
    “Porrim, my love… Put your hands down and look at him.”   
  
    “I… can’t…”  
  
    “Yes you can,” Aranea encouraged.  “Please.  For me.”  
  
    Porrim swallowed hard and moved her hands away.  In front of her was a large man wearing an outfit she would never forget:  form-fitting, black with strips of indigo running through it as well as areas of glowing white, particularly on the headgear he wore.  Instead of what she expected to be a powerful, heartless, vicious giant was a crying, broken man, begging her for mercy and forgiveness.  She shivered as every emotion from anger to sorrow to confusion slipped through her numerous times in only seconds.  
   
    “What… can I… say to him?  What can I do?”  She let her head hang forward.  “I want to… tear his throat out, but Kankri… oh gods Kankri… you wouldn’t want that?  Maybe you would?  Or is that me?  I don’t know anymore…”   
  
    “Shhhhhhhh…” Aranea gently brushed her shoulder and hoped to mentally soothe her lover.  “Let me tell you something.  I’m so, so sorry I didn’t get the chance before we came here; I honestly never expected to be… incapacitated before I had the opportunity.  I would have told you beforehand and tried to prepare you for this.  Now, will you listen, love?”  
  
    She nodded, but the tears kept coming.  
  
    “You saw Horuss here spare Meulin’s life, I gather.  That decision came to be due to a combination of his horror at what he’d done to the Signless and that he knew her from when they were younger.”  
  
    Porrim’s mouth opened at this.  “That’s where… That’s where I knew the name ‘Horuss’ from.  She mentioned… knowing an indigoblood who was… a good friend to her.”   
  
    “Yes.  This is he.  That choice also meant he was no longer welcome with the Imperial Army.  As Meulin fled, they came after him.  I assume you didn’t see this?”  
  
    “No… They hauled me away.  I never… never even got to say goodbye to her.”  Porrim shuddered again and fought the urge to vomit from the anguish of her memories.    
  
    Aranea stepped up her empathic soothing until she could feel Porrim’s breathing return to a more reasonable pace.  “The Grand Highblood himself laid a beatdown on Horuss here, but it wasn’t anything compared to the emotional one he laid on himself.  He managed to break away and fled.  By morning, he made his way to the docks on the outskirts of Capitol; the less-than-legally sanctioned ones where I could bring my ship to.  I just happened to be finishing taking on some pilfered computer supplies when he came running up and begged me for passage to anywhere but there.  I was already aware of the Signless’s end and had heard rumblings that the Disciple’s execution had gone awry earlier that night.  His uniform looked a lot like the one worn by the Executor at the Signless’s… end and I asked him if he was involved in the latest public display.  He told me that he was and that he chose to spare the Disciple’s life.  The cost would be his own if he didn’t escape.  Isn’t that right, Horuss?”  
  
    Zahhak looked up to her face, his long, stringy hair sticking to his muscular shoulders, his face streaked with dark blue tears, and nodded.  “Yes.  This is all true.”  
  
    “See, Porrim?  This is what I want you to consider:  when he told me this, I made my decision.  You see, I was already sympathetic to what your son was saying, but I really didn’t know how I could make a difference.  All of a sudden, I have someone in front of me; someone who had forever changed Alternia with one arrow, but also tried to atone for that act by sparing the life of his matesprit.  It was then and there I knew I would help him.  I hustled him on to the ship and told him we’d negotiate a price later, but it would be AWFULLY high.   He didn’t argue and we were underway in a matter of moments.”  
  
    She sniffled and looked up at Aranea with wet, puffy eyes; the yellow glow in them was nowhere to be seen anymore.  “So you’re saying… that…”  
  
    “I spared Horuss’s life because he spared Meulin’s.  I didn’t know her name at the time, and it still kills me inside to think about how I came to know it, but somehow I knew it was the right thing to do.  Trust me on this, dear heart:  there is nothing more that you could do to hurt this man than what he does to himself on a nightly basis.  He would probably take the same sword you threatened to plunge into him and impale himself on it if he thought it would make things right with you.  But you know that it wouldn’t, would it?”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “I know.  I just…”  
  
    “I know, love.  I want you to look past vengeance right now and see this man for what he is: talented, honest and most importantly, remorseful.  This is not your enemy; hard as it may be for you to see it right now, this is a friend.  If there was any way for him to change the past and spare you and Meulin the horror of living through Kankri’s death, he would do it, even if his own life was forfeit in the exchange.  So far, however, time travel has escaped even his savant grasp.  Hasn’t it, Horuss?”   
  
    He almost smiled.  “I haven’t actually… spent too much… time on that, Marquise.”  
  
    “No worries.  Now, come on and stand up, Porrim.  Let’s get you to a block of some kind.”  
  
    Trembling under her matesprit’s hands, Porrim rose slowly and got her balance.  Once on her feet, she wiped away the tears from her face as best she could and looked down at Zahhak again, still prostrate in front of her.  
  
    “Please… I am so sorry,” he said, his hands locked together in front of him.  “She’s right.  If I could go back and change anything, it would be that.  I didn’t know who he was; I was just told to do my job.  When I found out who he was and who his matesprit was, I… could never do it again… never take another life unless I had to.   If you could ever find it within you to accept my apologies, I would be forever in your debt, as much as I am in Spinneret’s.”  
  
    As he resumed sobbing, Porrim extended a hand to his shoulder and quietly said, “In time.  I just need… time.”  She swallowed again to try and clear her throat.  “But I believe you.  You’re… not the monster I thought you to be.”    
  
    Horuss looked up at Porrim and nodded. “Thank you.  If there’s one thing I’ve tried not to be, it’s that.”  
  
    Porrim replied with a tight smile and let Aranea guide her down the hall towards the respiteblock she and Felida stayed in last time they were on the island.   
  
    As they departed, Felida went over to Horuss and helped him to his feet.  “Wow… I had no idea…”  
  
    Zahhak snorted and coughed as he tried to wipe his face.  “About what?”  
  
    “Any of this.  I certainly wish I did before we got here.”  
  
    He sighed and pushed his hair back.  “We all have things in our past we aren’t proud of, Felida.  You can understand my reluctance to talk about mine.”  
  
    “I know exactly what you mean,” she said, putting her arm around his and half-guiding him towards his workshop, “but sometimes talking about it helps, I find.”  
  
    “Perhaps.  That may be something I can work towards.”  Horuss plodded slowly along with her.    
  
    “Don’t blame yourself for this one, okay?  The only person who knew was asleep for pretty much the whole time it took to get here after the attack.”  
  
    “Oh, that’s right!”  He turned to look at her.  “The Marquise!  She’s all right?”  
  
    Felida nodded.  “We think so.  Maybe when she’s done settling her matesprit down, we can get her t-”  
  
    “That woman?  The Dolorosa?  She’s the Marquise’s matesprit?” Horuss interrupted.  “When did THAT happen?”    
  
    She gently patted his bicep with her metal hand.  “See?  We have all kinds of things to talk about.  And apparently so do my moirail and I.  You see, I just found out about five minutes ago that Porrim, my hopeful kismesis-to-be, was the Dolorosa!  It’s good to learn something new every night, they say, but wow… Some nights we learn a lot more than we expected!”  
  
    “I couldn’t agree more,” Zahhak said wearily as he grabbed the frame of the door that led into his workshop for a bit of extra support.  “I have a feeling we’re both going to learn a lot more before this night is over…” 

 


	19. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being given a clean bill of health by Darkleer, Mindfang makes a few more requests of his talents in the swordforging department. Aranea and Felida revisit a place on the island; their discussion is slightly less emotionally charged this time but helps to address Oceleo's concerns about her place in things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of a bridging chapter as Act I winds down. I needed to address Aranea and Felida's relationship and how it would evolve here. I also took the opportunity for a couple of lighthearted moments as well. I chose to delay this chapter's posting a couple of days as I will not be posting next week due to a vacation of sorts but be assured I will return around July 1 or 2 with the next one; there's still some DoloFang fun to be had! :::; )
> 
> Soundtrack song: Song #26 - an instrumental for a conversation. The name "A Paler Sky" is no coincidence (again, thank's to my friend Vrisky8its for introducing me to this beautiful piece of music). Start it at "You would stop here, wouldn't you?"
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

  
** 18. **

    “Soooooooo… What’s the verdict?  Am I going to live?”

    Horuss flipped the glasses up away from his dark blue eyes.  “Based on what I can see, I suspect so.  Whoever did this sewing is an expert; there’s no visible leakage or bruising that I can see at all!”

    Mindfang grinned, despite her discomfort at the recent prodding at her neck by Darkleer’s rather pointed instruments.  “My matesprit has very talented hands, Horuss.   I just never truly understood HOW talented until now.”

    “Matesprit… My word, what a tale.”  Horuss reached into his instrument bin and extracted a syringe.  “I’m going to inject a healing agent with antibiotics into the site just in case.  I usually use this around the areas where I attach a bionic limb like Felida’s, but I suspect it will be just as useful here.”

    Felida chuckled as she held Aranea’s hand.  “I was in that chair not too long ago and I can tell you it seemed to work well enough.  There was no infection at all.”  

    Aranea grunted as the needle entered her neck and then winced when it was withdrawn.  “So be it, but that area is still pretty fucking tender.”

    “And it will be for some time until it heals.  You can go ahead and sit up now, Marquise.”

    She did so and flipped her hair back once she was upright.  “Thanks for getting that swelling down over my eye, too; it was driving me crazy not being able to see as I do.”  She fell silent for a few moments.  “I suppose I should apologize for that mess, Horuss.  I honestly didn’t expect to be incapacitated when she met you.”

    “No apologies necessary.  It was… a bit frightening, yes; almost like seeing a ghost.  But thanks to Felida and yourself, the situation was corralled before it got out of hand.”

    “Actually,” Mindfang corrected, “from what I gather, Porrim dropped the sword of her own volition well before I arrived.  She’s not prone to violence by nature.” _But she can be spurred to it if necessary_ , she thought to herself.   _I can’t help but wonder even after what you’ve been through if something could ever drive you to it again as well.  I could only imagine what…_

    Horuss sighed loudly as he took the syringe to a sterilizer.  “I honestly can’t blame her for feeling how she does, though.  I can’t possibly imagine what she went through.  As horrible as it was for me losing Meulin like that…”

    Aranea was still getting used to hearing Zahhak using her given name as he’d referred to her as Huntress for the duration of their initial voyage to this island and the visit afterward in an effort to protect her true identity.   _How like Porrim you were in that regard, Horuss.  I can only hope you two become friendly enough to discuss that._  “I know the whole story.  You told me about eight hundred times on the trip here.  There are parts of it that you haven’t heard, though; most of them of the time between when you knew her and the final days of the Signless.  Perhaps Porrim will tell them for you sometime.”

    “Do you actually think she’ll speak to me, much less forgive me, Spinneret?”  

    She watched the sweat form on his brow and offered him a reassuring smile.  “I know her, Horuss.  She’ll come around.  Give her a night or two.  I think she’d actually like to hear your stories about what Meulin was like before she met the Signless even more so.”

    Horuss beamed.  “You really think so?”

    “Of horse.  She’ll let you know when she’s ready, though, alright?  Now, while she’s resting, do you have any other quarters Felida and I could use?  If not, we can use a tent like one of the ones Aurana is setting up with the crew that came ashore.”

    “Oh… Well, I have to admit I haven’t set up any other quarters, really.  And about those tents… I, er, don’t have a lot on hand to feed that many people…”

    “Don’t worry yourself into a lather about it.  We have more than enough provisions on the ships that survived.  I do appreciate your assistance in tending to my injured, though.”  

    Zahhak loaded the last of his instruments into the sterilizer and set it to run.  “It was no problem at all.  Again, the very least I could do for you.”

    “I shall most certainly count it towards your debt,” Mindfang said.  “When you have a moment, though, I do have another request that would go towards paying it off.  Quite a long way, in fact.”

    “Oh?” he asked.  “What do you have in mind?”

    “Do you recall that chunk of fluorite we left with you on our last visit?”

    His eyes widened, as did Felida’s.  “Yes, I do.”

    Mindfang smirked at her moirail and said, “As it turns out, I lost my sword in our last encounter with the Navy.  What I was wondering is if you could use that to help me fashion a new one.  The presence of fluorite as part of a new sword could give me a new and different type of advantage in combat.”

    “Is that even possible?” Felida asked.

    Zahhak put a hand to his chin as he thought about it.  “There are few metals that will bond with fluorite but I have a process that mind be able to make it happen.  I’m going to need some time, though.”

    “How much time?” Aranea inquired, with more than just a hint of excitement in her voice.

    “A perigee or two if I put it at the top of my list.”

    “Do it.  Unless something comes up that requires life or death treatment, make it the top of your priorities.  The hay-eating droidwashers can wait.”

    Horuss’s shoulders slumped in resignation.  “As you wish, Marquise.  Do you have a design in mind?”

    “Just like the old one.  Let me draw it for you.”  Mindfang hopped off of the medibed and grabbed a nearby datapad.  A few moments and a few strokes of a blue-tipped finger later, she handed it to him.  “Adding that hook on the end won’t be a problem, I trust?”

    “I suspect not, but I will let you know if I encounter one.”

    “Excellennnnnnnnt.  One more question, though:  do you happen to have any extra metal or plastic drinking cups laying about that you don’t need?”

    Zahhak looked skyward.  “Oddly enough, I do have a crate full of that sort of thing.  Never thought I’d have a need for them, quite honestly.  You left them with me, as it turns out.”

    “How serendipitous.  I’m gonna need those back.  Don’t worry, I’ll still give you credit for them; it’s the least I can do considering your willingness to accelerate your work on my new project.  I’ll even toss in a lovely set of glassware at no extra cost.  Minus one piece, of course.”  

    “Heh heh… Considering the nature of your injury, I understand entirely.  More than fair.”

    “Thank you, dear Horuss.  Now, if you’re done looking me over,” Mindfang said, flipping her jacket open to adjust it and making sure to take pleasure in watching Darkleer twitch uncomfortably at her lack of clothing beneath, “Felida and I need to get some supplies – and your new glassware – from the Fool’s Gam8it.  We may be here for a few nights.  I’ll ensure my crew is fed and watered and that they keep their distance from your hive.”

    Horuss nodded.  “It’s not that I don’t like company, Marquise; I simply want to ensure their safety.  Not everything here that’s flammable is labeled.”  

    “ANYTHING is flammable if you’re determined enough, believe me.”  Aranea waited for Felida to fall in behind her and then asked him, “I know you’re not an official healthtender, but is there anything I need to know about this?  Can I return to active duty?”

    “Hmm… I would say that what I gave you should fully restore the walls of your blood vessel, but I’d wait maybe a night before doing anything strenuous.”  Horuss wasn’t sure who appeared more crestfallen at hearing this: Mindfang or her moirail.  

    “I suppoooooooose… Probably for the better; we need to take stock of our losses and pay our respects to absent friends before morning anyway.  We may need a couple of nights here to figure it all out, but we shouldn’t be a bother for long.”  Mindfang stopped suddenly; Felida barely kept herself from colliding with her captain.   “Unlessssssss…”

    “Unless what, Marquise?”

    She turned on her heel to face him.  “How much progress have you made on that cloaking technology?  Like the one I used to hide my keypad?”

    “It’s coming along,” Horuss answered.  “I’ve deployed a few holoemitters around the island as an experiment but the power consumption was far too great to maintain camouflage for any significant period of time.”

    “I see.  But if you had the power available, you could theoretically hide this island from the eyes of anyone who happened by?”

    He thought for a moment.  “I suspect it’s possible, yes.”

    “Excellent.  How would you feel about me establishing a base here?  Not necessarily a large one, but I would like a place to call ‘Hive Sweet Hive’ here, especially if it can remain hidden from prying eyes.”

    Zahhak started to sweat.  “Well, um… I suppose… This is YOUR island, after all.  I just…”

    “Enjoy your privacy, I know.  Have no fear, Horuss; anyone I bring by here will have no interest in handing you over to the Imperials.   I will personally guarantee your safety to the best of my ability.  Besides, if you get culled, how could you possibly repay your debt to me?”

    The beads of sweat became a trickle as Zahhak grinned awkwardly.  “I… er… good point, yes!”

    “Very well.  Let me see what I can do about your energy needs and in the meantime, I’ll stop in tomorrow and talk to you about setting your carpenter droids to work at building me a permanent hive here.  I can deploy what’s left of my fleet to start bringing you supplies.  Eventually perhaps we can even develop a training facility here.”

    Felida gave her a questioning look.  “Training?  For what, Captain?”

   “Let’s just say I‘ve had my fill of running from the Imperial Navy,” Mindfang said, a sly grin developing on her face.  “I think it’s time we upped the stakes somewhat.  I don’t just want their gold or supplies anymore, Felida; I want their ships and their people.  Even more so than before.  I can’t see the crews of those ships having any genuine loyalty to a Navy that treats them as naught but fodder.  This isn’t to say I’m upset about what you and Aurana did to the boarding party; you did what you had to do and if you didn’t, I wouldn’t be standing here talking about it.  But if we can separate the crewmen we can reach from their fear of being keelhauled  by the admiralty, I think we may have the means to strike back against this tyranny of Meenah’s!”

    “Meenah?  Who’s Meenah?” Felida asked.

    “I said ‘Condy’, my sweet.”

    “Oh!  Sorry…”  The oliveblood scratched her head.  “Must be my sponge clots are plugged or something.”

    “Indeeeeeeeed.”   _Too close, that was._  “Now, we best leave Horuss to his work.  He’s going to be a busy boy for the next few perigees, I suspect.”  Aranea hustled Felida towards the doorway and said, “Thanks, Horuss; I genuinely appreciate what you’ve done for me.  Let me talk to Porrim; she really could learn so much from you.  I do hope you two could possibly even work together sometime?”

    Horuss was about to inquire about who this “Meenah” was as well, but was distracted by Mindfang’s departing comment.  “Er, yes!  I do, too.  Sorry it was all such a… mess…” he trailed off as the other two made haste for the hallway.   _I do owe her my life, he thought, but she certainly does ask for the world in return.  I can only hope what I can provide is enough…_

 

 

 

    “Sure, two more nights works for me.  I would really like to get back to Kaerah after that, though; for some reason my HoneyComb doesn’t work for shit here and I can’t send her a message at all,” Aurana grumbled, showing the blank screen on her handpad to Mindfang.  “I’m really hoping no one figured out she sent me the message about that Legislacerator…”

    “Relax, dear; if Kaerah’s as talented as you tell me she is, I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Mindfang reassured her.  “Sometimes being clever is just as important as being strong.  It’s served her well this long, especially when having to deal with something as… trying as the Grand Highblood himself.”

    Zashyl chuckled.  “You wouldn’t believe half the stories she has to tell.”

    “Try meeeeeeee…”

    “Another time, Captain.  Don’t worry about things here,” Aurana said, gesturing to the small cluster of twenty or so tents beside the shore and the group of people milling about around them, “I’ll make sure everyone’s fed and watered.  What time did you want to get started?  Is Porrim coming?”

    Mindfang nodded.  “I think so.  Felida and I are just going to check on her and maybe grab a couple of hours rest ourselves.  Tell the crew to meet on the dock in two and a half hours; that should give them enough time to get some rum together and us enough time to catch a nap.”

    “Will do, Captain.  Here, Kitty… Have an updated roster.”  Aurana switched her HoneyComb off and passed Felida a piece of paper with all kinds of writing on it.

    “Gee, thanks… What is this dogscratch?”

    “A list of who’s still alive, which ships are still fully functional, which ones have been repaired and those still in need of it, and the significant supplies left on both.  You’re welcome.”

    “Apparently you haven’t missed a beat, Zashyl,” Spinneret said, grinning.  “Well done.  You have my thanks for this and everything you’ve contributed on this trip.  We’ll get you home soon.”

    Aurana beamed.  “It’s been a howl, Captain!  You two go rest up; I’m sure you’ll have plenty to talk about on your way back up the hill.”

    Mindfang narrowed her eyes at her former bodyguard, who simply kept her serene smile on her face.  “I suspect so.   Come on, Felida.”

    As she turned to follow Mindfang up the hill, Felida looked back over her shoulder and gave Aurana a quick nod, which was returned.

 

 

 

    “You would stop here, wouldn’t you?” Mindfang asked, looking at the small clearing part way up the path.  “Any more confessions you think I need to hear, my sweet?”

    Felida sighed and looked at her moirail, a woman who was also a much redder lover now and then.  “Actually, I have a question for you this time:  why didn’t you tell me?  About Porrim’s history?”

    “I seeeeeeee…”  Aranea paused to think about her reply.  “Okay, perhaps I should have told you more about it sooner, but then I didn’t really think it was up to me to tell you.”

    “What?  Hello, I’m your moirail!  We’re supposed to tell each other things, remember?” Felida said with more than a hint of indignance in her voice.  

    “Felida, it wasn’t my story to tell!  Does that not make sense to you, especially when you consider what that story was about?”

    She thought about this for a few moments.  “I suppose so.  It just… never came up?”

    “Let me guess what happened:  you spilled your guts to Porrim because you found yourself liking – or ‘hating’ – her more than you expected to and then you two went on your merry way, fighting and biting and fucking around, and you never let her get a word of importance in edgewise.”   When Oceleo hung her head, all but admitting what her pale lover was saying was accurate, Aranea added, “I’m not saying this to be mean, dear; I just know you better than anyone else ever could.  Sometimes even better than you know yourself.”

    Felida embraced Aranea and rested her head against the blueblood’s chest.  “How come you have to be right about everything?”

    Aranea gently stroked her moirail’s head.  “As much as it pains me to admit this, my sweet, and you are only one of the very, very few that I would admit it to, I’m not right about everything.  I was dead wrong about Redglare.  I should have listened to you and Porrim that she wasn’t what she appeared to be.  I was so upset about your… duplicity that I made a rash decision and started thinking with my seedflap out of spite.  Even Aurana tried to talk me out of it before I went down there.  It might also please you to know that she also tried to convince me that you and Porrim were a lot paler of a black than I expected.”

    “She did talk to you about it?  Wow...”  

    “Don’t sound so surprised; I told you she actually likes you.”

    “Yeah, I know.  We get along all right.  It was really something fighting beside her again… just like the old nights.”  Felida nuzzled up against Aranea’s breasts and sighed again.  “Everything’s different now, though, isn’t it?”

    “Yes and no,” Aranea answered.  “We’re still doing the Gamblignant thing and we’re going to keep doing it.  The only difference is that we’re just changing our focus somewhat.  This is only a minor setback; I intend to replace our lost ships and crews as soon as possible.”

    “I was actually kinda thinking more about how different things will be with Porrim around…”

    Mindfang chortled.  “You know, it’s a wonder I didn’t see it sooner.  I was too busy thinking about how to crack that tealblooded slitherbeast that it just didn’t even register.  You two were even verbally sparring right under my nose  and I just chalked it up to Zashyl teaching her how to bait you.  Although running your tail up the mast like a flag had her pawprints all over it… Anyway, yes, I caught what Aurana was getting at there right before we left.  I…”  Aranea pursed her lips and thought about how best to proceed.  “I think this will work out right.”

    “Really?”

    “Come on, Felida, how could I possibly say no to you after what you two did for me?”

    “You’ve saved my life, Aranea… twice.  I gather from what Porrim told me where Admiral Fishfood was concerned that you saved her life there, so if you count buying her from him, that’s twice there, too.  If I’m counting right, we both still owe you one.”  
“I’m not counting, love.  I’m just grateful you did it.”  She looked into Felida’s eyes, one yellow and olive, the other clouded over in a murkier shade of green, and smiled reassuringly before she placed her lips on Oceleo’s.  Aranea could sense the familiar adoration pouring off of Felida, but also a combination of both excitement and relief that she was still loved by her moirail.   _I know it’s not the way you wanted to be loved most, my sweet, but I’m glad you’ve come to terms with that.  I’ll give you whatever you need: a sponge clot to speak to, a dominatrix in the respiteblock or a cool body to sleep beside in your afterglow, but know my red heart belongs to another.  I just never suspected you would find a partner in her as well…_

    Once they parted, Felida took Aranea’s hand and they began walking up the hill to Horuss’s tower.  “So, something tells me I shouldn’t ask Porrim about the Signless for a while.”

    “That would be most prudent.  I suspect she’ll talk to you about it sooner rather than later, but let her do so on her own terms.  I have a feeling there will be plenty of opportunity to discuss it in the near future.”

    Felida’s eyebrows shot up.  “I’ve known you long enough to know that means you’re up to something.  I also know that means you’re not going to tell me what it is right away, either.”

    “Nope!”

    “Thought so.”  She looked at Aranea’s neck and the long blue streak that ran across it now.  “Think that’ll be a scar?”

    “I’m counting on it,” Mindfang replied.  “I need to remind myself whenever I look in a mirror what the price of letting my guard down is.”

    “That’s kind of grim, you know.”

    “It’s the truth, dear.  Would you ever try to get that scar over your eye repaired if you could?”

    Felida blinked a few times and ran her fingers over the long, shallow channel that ran vertically over her blind eye.  “I… don’t know.  It’s just a part of me now.  Honestly?  I’d rather have the eye back if I had the choice.  Didn’t Horuss say something about that being a possibility?”

    “He doesn’t have the parts yet.  Cybernetic eyes are AWFULLY expensive and quite rare, never mind the cost of installation.  The good news is that our labour costs would be virtually nil and our most capable cyberneticist happens to have a thing for helping olivebloods.”

    Oceleo thought about this.  “I’m starting to understand why, I think.  The Disciple was an oliveblood, right?”  Aranea nodded her confirmation,  wincing slightly as skin on her neck pulled with the action.  “So, let me get this straight:  he knew her from before and couldn’t kill her when they told him to, so they kicked the tar out of him instead.  He DID help her, the way I see it.”

    Aranea gave Felida’s metal hand a quick squeeze.  “He also killed her matesprit, if you recall.  That’s a debt that goes far deeper than any he owes me.  I even so much as bring up the word ‘oliveblood’ and he starts crying.  You should have heard how he wept over you while he was installing your arm.”

    “That might’ve been kinda creepy…”

    “It’s more tiresome than anything.  I understand his reasons for being so forlorn, but gods, it wears one out after a while.”

    “Do you have any idea where the Disciple ended up?”

    Mindfang gave her a curious look.  “No… Why do you ask?”

    “Well,” Felida began, “what if we tried to find her?”

    “I have my doubts that she would want to be found, dear.   I’m still not even entirely certain how she got away in the first place.  She must have taken out an awful lot of soldiers on her way.  She must be somewhere so secluded that the Army or Navy can’t find her; I’d have to use every possible underground resource I had to even get a single clue where to start.  Anyway, why would you want to find that poor woman?”

    “Can you imagine how much happier Horuss would be if he had a chance to see her again?”

    “There’s no guarantee she’d want anything to do with him, though.  Mind you, I recall seeing the ‘execution’… When he lowered his bow, she looked at him with what I thought at the time looked like gratitude.  I didn’t understand the import of that until I met Horuss later that night and he told me his tale.”

    “It’s not just him that would love to see her,” Felida continued, “Even if she’s reluctant to speak to Horuss, can you imagine what Porrim would do  if we found her?”

    Mindfang’s free hand flew to her mouth.  “My word…”

    “I know, right?  Should we try?”

    “How can we not?  That’s a hell of an idea.  But it can’t be entirely a surprise for Porrim; I’m sure the Disciple would want nothing to do with the likes of you and me.  Porrim would have to be there when we located her.”

    Felida nodded.  “Makes sense.”

    “Very well, then,” Aranea said as they came to the doorway, “Let me think on this for a while and see if I can come up with a strate-”

    “WHOOF COMES HERE?”

    _“THAT IS IT!!!!!!!!  GET OVER HERE…”_

 

 

 

    “Okay, so everyone’s got a bottle of rum, then?” Aurana asked Ianrad as he and Wexlin began to open the crate of metal drinking vessels that Aranea had them bring down from the tower a while ago.  

    “I think so,” Ianrad answered, holding the crate firmly as Wexlin used a prybar to pull the top off of the wooden box.  “I set mine over by the tent, and I’m pretty sure that everyone else took one… from the… the…”

    Aurana wondered why he suddenly trailed off and was staring at the sky.  “Hey… Everything okay?”

    His only response was to point upward.  

    Zashyl turned to focus on what he was pointing at to find what appeared to be a white horse head sailing through the sky towards the open ocean.   “What the hell?”

    “I have NO idea,” Ianrad said, watching the strange object sail past.

    “The old sailors would call that an omen of some kind, I’m sure,” Wexlin chimed in.  

    “Yeah, but what would it mean?” Ianrad asked.

    The maroonblood shrugged.  “Damned if I know.  They’d just call it an omen or something.  Old sailors are weird like that.”

    The three of them stood and watched it for a while.  “Well, it’s finally coming down,” Ianrad said.  “Anyone want to guess at the distance?”

    “Nope.  But I do have a pretty good idea who launched it,” Aurana answered.  “I thought she was going to lay down for a rest.”

    Ianrad shook his head.  “Can’t keep the captain down no how.”  The white horse head finally entered the water with a loud splash.  “I just can’t imagine what could rile her up like that…”

 

 

 

    The door barely made a sound as it closed behind them.  The only light in the block was a simple glowglobe turned down to its minimum setting, but neither Aranea nor Felida had any difficulty seeing the sleeping jadeblood in the middle of the bed.  “I’ll take the left side, you take the right?” Aranea whispered.  Felida nodded and walked alongside the bed until she was beside Porrim, taking care not to trip over Maryam’s discarded boots, and then gently lay down beside her.  

    Mindfang shed her coat and placed it on a chair before doing the same, but on Porrim’s left.  As Aranea put her head on the pillow, the jadeblood stirred slightly but didn’t wake.   _I set the chronometer to chime in two hours,_ she thought to Felida.   _I hope that’s enough time for you and her?_

    _Quite, Mistress._

    _Aranea will do nicely here, Felida.  Especially here.  When it’s just you and I in the respiteblock and you’re wearing your collar, Mistress is good, but when the three of us are together, Aranea feels right to me.  We’re all equals here and now._

    Felida smiled as she thought about what this may mean.  She gently placed a hand on Porrim’s hip and snuggled up behind her; Porrim hardly stirred but moaned softly.   _I could get used to this, Aranea._

    Mindfang smiled in the dim light as she looked on Porrim’s features:  her matesprit was obviously dreaming as various emotions flickered across her face, but Aranea was certain that Porrim was quite deeply asleep.  She slowly rolled over and backed up against Maryam, readjusted her position on the blue pillow and closed her eyes.   _Felida, my sweet, I couldn’t possibly agree morrrrrrrre…_  


 


	20. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Fool's Gam8it departs Horuss' island minus two: Aranea and Porrim, who choose to christen the new submarine and set a different course before joining with the rest of the fleet slightly later. What they find at their destination, however, is not at all what they expected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rather lengthy chapter; hopefully that makes up for my absence! Apologies for the spotty schedule as of late; it may continue to be this way for a spell as I sort my life out behind the scenes but be assured there's still plenty of writing going on. 
> 
> Soundtrack songs: Song #27 - A song that many of you are probably familiar with begins at "Porrim looked at the small rowboat..." while one that I've been trying to find a good place for in this story is #28, and starts at "As the hot water poured down..."
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**19.**  
  
    “So the new software passes muster,  yessssssss?”  
  
    “Yes, Captain,” Felida answered, stepping down the gangplank from the Fool’s Gam8it and back onto the dock.  “Horuss says he’s built in some redundancies so that if it ever happens again, we have a chance of at least getting our navigation and propulsion abilities back .  He’s got no clue where a software hijack that wicked could have come from, but I’m betting we were dealing with something cooked up by the Grand Highblood himself.”  
  
    Aurana’s  lip curled up in a snarl.  “What I wouldn’t give for a go with that guy.  There’s not one single redeeming quality about Makara.  And people like that are in charge.”  
  
    “That, Aurana, is why we’re doing what we’re doing:  to try and change that.  It’s not going to happen overday, but with some careful planning and a lot of luck, we might actually have a shot at it.  Your time may yet come , dear; we see what Kurloz Makara is capable of pretty regularly and I’m not sure anyone would truly covet combat with something like that.”   
  
    “Bring the noise,” Zashyl said, cracking her knuckles.    
  
    “I’ve always applauded your courage, but even I’d have to think twice about tangling nooks with him.”  Mindfang placed a hand on the simple blue-handled sword that hung at her hip while she waited for her new one.  “Of course I would win, but I suspect I wouldn’t walk away completely unscathed.”  She flipped her long hair back to expose the newest blue scar on her neck.  “Wouldn’t be the first nick on my hide, though, nor would it be the last.”  
  
    “Hey, if you two are done swinging your bulges around, can we get underway?” Felida grumbled.  “Poochie here needs to go home and get her shots.”   
  
    Spinneret laughed.  “I think she gets plenty of shots from you as it is.  Is everyone else where they should be?”  
  
    “Yes, Captain,” Felida answered.  “All crews have their assignments and are on board awaiting departure orders.”  
  
    “Excellennnnnnnnt.”  Mindfang looked to the other side of the dock, where a much smaller boat was moored.  “And the submarine is ready to go?  I see there’s a bottle of rum here for the naming ceremony.”  
  
    Felida nodded.  “As much as I think it would be fitting for me to name it, I’m sure you and Porrim will come up with something interesting.”  
  
    Mindfang looked over her shoulder towards the path.  “Where is darling Porrim, anyway?”  
  
    “Still talking to Horuss, I think.”  Felida squinted a bit to try and focus her functional eye but couldn’t see if Porrim was on her way or not.    
  
    “Considering their history, I’m loathe to rush them, but if we’re going to make a crossing, now’s the time.”  Spinneret began to stride  impatiently up and down the dock, her red boots making hollow clunks on the wooden structure.  “I suppose there’s no sense in us holding you up.  You have your orders, yes?”  
  
    Oceleo sighed.  “Yes, Captain.  Take the fleet and split up, staying about forty kilometers apart, and make for Base Two to resupply.  We’ll stay in frequent contact with each other, don’t worry.  Should take us the better part of a couple of nights.  How long are you two planning to be, anyhow?”  
  
    “Two nights at sea, staying over a day at my hive , then we’ll be back at Base Two to either pick you up or choose a different ship for our next trip.”  Mindfang turned to Aurana.  “I suspect you’ll already be enroute back to Capitol by then.  Take a less than linear path, if you don’t mind, dear.”  
  
    “No problem, Captain!  It’s been really good seeing you again.  I would say I had a blast, but that might be in poor taste.”   
  
    “Don’t worry; I know your sense of humour is as dark as mine.  I’ve really enjoyed having you around again as well.  Sometimes it takes a fresh perspective to help me see something that’s right under my nose…” Mindfang shot a quick glance at a grinning Felida and then continued, “and maybe to help me realize it’s not as bad as I thought.”  She stepped forward and embraced Aurana, who returned the hug eagerly.    
  
    A few moments later, Felida crossed her arms and said, “Hey!  Where’s my hug?”  
  
    Aurana let go of her Captain and turned to Oceleo.  “Right here!”  She wrapped her arms around Felida’s, quickly turned to the left and dropped her into the water.  “FORTY SIX!”  
  
    Felida came up spitting.  “YOU REALIZE WE’RE SAILING TOGETHER, RIGHT, BITCH?”  
  
    “Damn straight!  I plan to soak your ass at least twice more before we get back to the base!”  
  
    Oceleo hauled herself back up on deck, her white shirt now plastered against her body; a cool sea breeze caused two particularly pointed olive points to become quite visible.  “I won’t be the only one getting wet, I promise you that.”  
  
    Aurana raised an eyebrow at Felida’s peaks.  “You mean to tell me that getting tossed in the ocean turns you on?  Have I been sending you mixed signals all this time?”   
  
    “Ladiessssssss…” admonished Mindfang.  “I thought you already had a kismesis picked out, Felida.  Don’t tell me you’re waxing for this one again?”  
  
    “I’m gonna put this one to work waxing the railings all the way back,” Felida retorted.  “Might as well get all the use out of her that we can, right?”   
  
    Zashyl was about to toss another verbal jab when she spotted a couple of figures making their way down the path.  “Save it, Kitty; here comes your black lover now.”  
  
    Felida whirled to see Porrim and Horuss walking together, speaking softly but amicably.  “That’s a good sign, I think… right, Captain?”  
  
    Mindfang didn’t reply; she watched carefully as Zahhak and her matesprit stopped just past the clearing.  She observed Horuss take a knee, Porrim shaking her head and insisting he rise, then placing her arms around him as best she could.  He very cautiously returned the gesture; Aranea wasn’t sure if it was more out of his own awkwardness and confusion or for protecting Maryam from being hurt by his uncommon strength.   _Well done, Porrim.  If you can find a friend in him, then you can find a friend in anyone.  Every single night you amaze me, love._  More words were spoken as they parted, and then moved towards the docks together.   
  
    “Come to see us off, Horuss?  I trust we left the island in a survivable state?” Mindfang asked as they approached.  
  
    “Er, yes, well… for the most part.  I’m not certain that the grass will grow back in a couple of places after that wake of yours, but then, there’s still plenty of grass around.  Not that I use it for anything yet, but I might later.  I’m trying to convince my droidwashers to eat it in lieu of my apple supplies, but so far they seem uninterested.”   
  
    “See what happens when you spoil them?  If you can convince them to eat bilge waste, I’ll happily take one on this submarine.”  
  
    Horuss appeared simultaneously intrigued and horrified by the idea.  “That’s… er… um…”  
  
    “Or you could just plant some fucking apple seeds?  I’m not bringing you a tree back next time, just so you know.”  Mindfang patted him on the shoulder.  “Keep up the good work, though.  I can’t wait to see my new sword!”  
  
    “I shall do my very best, Marquise!”    
  
    “Of that I have little doubt.”  She looked to Porrim and asked, “Ready to go, love?”  
  
    Porrim took Aranea’s hand in hers and nodded.  She was about to say as much when she noticed a rather damp and unimpressed looking Felida shivering on the dock.  “What happened to you?” she asked.  
  
    “I’ll give you three guesses, smartnook.”    
  
    Porrim looked the oliveblood over again.  “Highly localized rainstorm?”   
  
    Felida tried her best not to smile but was losing the battle by the moment.  “Guess again, Jadebutt.”  
  
    “Ooo!”  Aurana thrust her hand up.  “I know!  I know!”  
  
    Oceleo fired her a dirty look.  “No shit, you know.”   
  
    “Some nights, Marquise, I don’t envy you.”  Horuss  put one of his large hands over the lenses that covered his eyes.    
  
    “And that’s your loss, Horuss.  Everybody should want to be me.  After all, I’m surrounded by lovely ladies the likes of which the world wishes they had.  Isn’t that riiiiiiiight, loves?”    
  
    All three laughed and set about saying their farewells.  Porrim leaned over to Felida and whispered , “See you!”  
  
    “Not till it’s too late you won’t…” she answered and gave Porrim’s backside a firm squeeze.    
  
    Aurana witnessed this and couldn’t resist another dig.  “Settle down, Kitty; am I going to have to give you another cold bath?”  
  
    Felida sighed through chattering teeth.  “Just get on the motherfucking boat, will you?”  
  
    “Ugh.  I hate that word.  Reminds me of people I don’t like.” Zashyl shuddered.    
  
    “Nor would anyone blame you for that,” Mindfang added.  She gave Felida a quick kiss and sent the tiny woman up the gangplank behind Aurana.  “Get her home in one piece, will you?”  
  
    “The ship or the turquoiseblood?” her First Mate asked.  “I’ll do my damnedest on the first one, but no promises on the other.”  
  
    “Both, if you please.  I’d rather not have to answer to two angry purplebloods  instead of just one, thank you very much.  Being on the Grand Highblood’s list of ‘People to Kill’ is one thing but the wrath of a furious matesprit is something I’d like to avoid, thank you kindly.”  
  
    “Fine.  But if she’s waterlogged when she gets home, she brought it on herself.”  Felida hauled up the gangplank behind her, gave Porrim a wink and set about issuing departure orders.  
  
    Porrim looked at the small rowboat to her left.  “So, what do we do with this?”  
  
    “It’s a lifeboat from _Fool’s Gam8it_.  They’ll collect it once we’re on the sub.  This means we really ought to get going as well.”  Aranea extended a hand for balance, which Porrim took gratefully as she stumbled into the boat.  “A few nights back on land and there goes her sea legs.  What am I to do with you, Porrim Maryam?”  
  
    “Pretty much anything you’d like for two nights by the sounds of it,” Porrim answered happily, but a moment later she realized something that she hadn’t thought of.  “Wait… if it’s just you and me in there, who’s navigating?  Are we going to take turns driving?  I don’t know how to steer a submarine!  I can barely row a boat!”   
  
    Aranea placed a finger on Porrim’s soft lips.  “Shhhhhhhh… Hush, sweet lover.  I’ve taken care of all of that.  These Navy subs are quite capable of either programmed or passively-assisted navigation.  I’ve altered the transponders so no one but our own can detect it, and whoever is at the helm of _Fool’s Gam8it_ can adjust our course if need be.  I’ll take manual control once we’re close to our destination.  What this means to you, dear heart, is that we get to spend two nights by ourselves with no interruptions whatsoever… barring anything really out of the ordinary.”   
  
    “Right.  Because being boarded by angry Navy soldiers is so routine now,” Porrim said, rolling her eyes.  
  
    “I’d love to see them try and board this thing when we’re a few fathoms under the sea,  love.  You just relax and hang onto that rum bottle until we’re beside the sub, okay?”  
  
    She nodded and watched as Aranea took the oars and waited for Horuss to undo the rope that held the boat tethered to the dock.  “See you soon, Horuss!  Remember: sword.  Nothing else, just sword.  Sworrrrrrrrd.  Got it?”   
  
    “Yes, yes, I got it.  Smooth sailing, Marquise!  It was… good talking with you, Porrim.”  
  
    Maryam offered a comforting smile and a simple wave.  “I look forward to studying with you next time.”  
  
    Once Aranea was reasonably certain they were out of Horuss’ range of hearing, she asked, “Soooooooo… not as bad a guy as you thought?”  
  
    “Certainly not as vicious as I thought he would be, no.”  She looked back at the dock and watched as the indigoblood began the short trek up the hill back to his workshop.  “I’m not sure whether I should be mad at you for subjecting me to that situation without warning or happy that it happened.  I mean, I know you would have told me if you could have, but if you weren’t awake to calm me down when you did…”   
  
    “You wouldn’t have killed him, Porrim.  I know you well enough to say that,” Aranea said between pulls at the oars.  “No matter what atrocities he may have committed, you wouldn’t kill an unarmed, apologetic person who was in no way attacking you.  It’s just not in you.”  
  
    Porrim looked down at the bottom of the small boat.  “You probably think it’s a weakness.”  
  
    Aranea shook her head.  “No, dear heart.  I think it’s a strength.”  
  
    “Really?”  
  
    “Mm-hmm.  Knowing when to kill can be learned.  Knowing when NOT to kill is a part of one’s very person.  I believe you either know it or you don’t; it’s what separates those who are truly good from those who aren’t.  I’ve met my share of both, believe me, but the latter are far, far rarer in this night and age.”   A sad smile appeared on Mindfang’s face.  “I have an awful lot of blood on my hands, my sweet, but I’ve done my best to try and save my savageness for those who deserved it.  I’ve used my sword to dispense mercy on many occasions and it pains me to do so every time, but I’ve come to know when I’m doing someone a favour.  Sparing both Felida and Aurana has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made… wouldn’t you agree?”  
  
    Porrim tittered at this.  “For now.  We’ll see if I’m saying the same thing if Felida starts tossing me in the ocean.”  
  
    “Nah.  She saves that for Zashyl.  I’m sure she’ll find other ways of getting to you, not to mention getting you to her bed.  And vice-versa, I gatherrrrrrrr…”  Aranea grinned which made Porrim blush.  “Your sharp tongue serves you better than any weapon I could have forged for you, I hear.”  
  
    “Did she find it sharp?  I hope I didn’t cut her down there with it…”  
  
    Aranea sighed.  “Thankfully both she and I have escaped with our flaps intact, love.  Now hang on to that bottle, we’re almost there.”  Mindfang pulled the oars in and locked them down as the boat drifted up beside the deep violet hull of the submarine.  “I’m going to have to talk to someone about getting this thing painted.  I’ve recently decided that violet is NOT my colour.  Reminds me too much of all the poor seadwelling creatures I unwittingly gave terrible indigestion to.”  She waited for Porrim’s laughter to subside and then said, “Okay, here’s how this works:  I’m gonna declare the new name of this submarine and then you take this lovely bottle of rum and smash it against the side of the ship.  How’s that sound?”  
  
    Porrim’s eyes widened.  “You won’t get showered in glass bits, will you?  I don’t see anything resembling a sewing kit on this little boat and I wouldn’t have the first idea where to find one on a subm-”   
  
    “Shhhhhhhh…” The blue-tipped finger was on Maryam’s lips once again.  “You need to settle down, my sweet.  I mean it.  Show me you’re settled down.”  Porrim’s reply was to gently take that finger into her mouth and slowly suck on it.  “Much better.  You don’t even need to stand up; just reach over the side and give the sub a good whack with that when I tell you.  Sound like a plan?”  
  
    “Okay.”  Porrim gripped the neck of the bottle and looked expectantly up at her matesprit, awaiting her cue.  
  
    “Good.  Here goes.”  Aranea rose to her feet and shouted, “On this night, I hereby rededicate this violet tub to less horrible purposes and as I do so, I rename it _‘Deep 8lue’_ , which colour I will try and have it repainted as soon as possible.  May she serve me and mine well.”  She paused and then said, “Okay, Porrim; let ‘er fly.”  
  
    Porrim leaned uneasily over the edge of the boat and swung the bottle; as she did so, it slipped from her grip, making a loud ‘spang’ sound against the hull and falling into the sea.  The bottle had barely touched the water before Mindfang had her jacket off and was over the side in pursuit.  Porrim watched in stunned shock for nearly half a minute until Aranea’s head broke the water, followed shortly thereafter by a bottle of rum held triumphantly aloft.    
  
    “I’m sorry!  It just slipped!” she shouted.  
  
    “No worries, love!  Just take it from me, would you?”    
  
    Maryam did as she was asked, placed the bottle between her knees and then clutched on to her seat as tight as she could as Mindfang hauled herself back into the rowboat without tipping it.  She regarded her matesprit’s sopping form: her long black hair was clinging to her face, horns, shoulders and back, but there was no hint of anger or fury that she could detect.  “I… can’t believe you went after it…”  
  
    Much to Porrim’s relief, Aranea chuckled as she flipped her hair out of the way so that she could see properly.  “Force of habit.  There was a time in my life where good rum was much harder to come by.”   
  
    “But… you were just going to smash it on the side of the sub…”  
  
    “No, love, YOU were just going to smash it on the side of the sub.  But that was, of course, my idea, wasn’t it?  Anyway, these things do happen; some would call them unlucky, but yours truly sees this as a sign that this rum was meant to be enjoyed.”   Mindfang reached over and plucked the dripping bottle from between Porrim’s knees and popped the cork.  “To you and me and the _Deep 8lue_ ; may she run silent, run deep and run long. ”  With that, she put the bottle to her lips and drank heartily from it before offering it to Porrim.  “Your turn, love.  How lucky we actually get to drink this one!  I have no idea what quality of booze we’ll find inside this sub...”  
  
    Porrim gave the bottle a sideways glance as she took it, and then almost dropped it again.  “Aaah!  This thing’s slippery!”   
  
    “It’s a bottle of rum, Porrim, not an eel,” Aranea said as she placed a hand underneath it for support.  “Take a swig and then hand it back.”  
  
    With uncharacteristically unsteady hands, Porrim raised the bottle to her lips and swallowed a mouthful of the contents; it took everything she had not to spit it out.   “Ugh!  That was not as good as the last one!  I can’t believe you went over the side for that!”  
  
    “I just didn’t water this one down is all.  Need to get you acclimatized somehow!  Now pass that over here and I’ll share the rest of it with our new ship.”  Mindfang accepted the bottle being thrust at her by her coughing matesprit and stood up again.  “Blah blah, yadda yadda, my boat now.  Shield your eyes, love.”  She dumped the remainder of the bottle’s contents on the hull and then smashed the empty vessel on it.  “There.  Now, grab your bag and let’s board this thing.  Unseasonably cool wind, that one… no wonder Felida was shivering.”  Once Aranea had her jacket back on, she helped Porrim to her feet and guided her toward the ladder that lead to the topside access port.  
   
    As she reached the top herself, she discovered Porrim clinging tenaciously to the tower of the sub, a look of more than moderate concern on her face.  “Seriously, Porrim!  This deck is wide enough for ten people to stand shoulder to shoulder!”   
  
    “I find myself missing those rails on the _Fool’s Gam8it_ , though… They provided a modicum of security!”  
  
    Mindfang laughed, not unkindly.  “You were acting the same way on board that one less than two weeks ago, railings or not.  Just relax, will you?  The wind is brisk but not that strong.  Come on, let’s get below, shall we?”  
  
    Porrim nodded enthusiastically and waited for Aranea to open the hatch.  Once again, Aranea offered her a hand and with a little coaxing, Porrim took it and started down the metal rung ladder inside.  A loud clang announced that Mindfang was right behind her.  
“Computer:  lights to eighty percent, seal all hatches and increase ambient temperature to twenty five Kelsus ,” Aranea commanded as her wet red boots hit the floor inside.  A chime indicated the commands were acknowledged.  “This place can’t warm up soon enough; at least we’re out of that wind.  Come with me, love.”  
  
    Porrim did as she was asked, her head on a swivel as she took in the narrow hallways, low hatches and the overall completely different environment she found herself in.  Where _Fool’s Gam8it_ was wood with a few metal accents, this submarine was all metallic and plastic, decidedly newer versus the more classic stylings of her matesprit’s flagship.  “What a place… It’s almost…”  
  
    “Sterile?  Dull?  Soulless?  Yeah, I agree.  We’ll need to do some redecorating when we have a chance.  Ah, here’s the captain’s quarters.”  Aranea made a sudden left and pulled a heavy, windowless iron door open.  Once Porrim followed her in, she tossed her jacket onto a chair, sat down on the bed and began peeling off her wet clothing, starting with her web-like skirt.   “Could you give me a hand with my boots, love?”  
  
    “I think you want the oliveblood on the next ship over for that.”  
  
    “Ho ho, ha ha and hee hee.  Seriously, though, they’re almost stuck on.  Grab the heel and pull.”     
  
    Porrim gave the respiteblock a quick once-over.  “There’s no viewscreen I can wreck if I let the boot slip out of my hand, is there?”  
  
    Aranea gave her a quizzical look.  “Ummmmmmmm… just the small computer terminal.  Why would you ask that?”  
  
    “Oh… just feeling a little clumsy tonight is all.”  
  
    “Let it go, lover.  Your worries, that is; not my boot.  At least, not until you’ve got it all the way off my leg.”  
  
    With a grunt, Porrim pulled the long crimson boot from Aranea’s leg, set it down and did the same with the other.    
  
    “A fine job.  Now, how about my leggings, too?”   
  
    “I thought we had to get to the bridge first?” Porrim asked, a wry smile on her face.  
  
    “Whaaaaaaaat?  I just want to get out of these wet clothes is all…”  Mindfang’s fangs-bared grin spread across her face like a sunrise.    
  
    “Uh huh.  I’m sure that’s all.”  
  
    “Okay, fine.”  Aranea hooked her thumbs under the waistband, lifted her backside and pulled the wet black leggings partway down.  “There.  Got them started for you.  Don’t say I never help you out.”   
  
    Porrim laughed.  “You’re incorrigible.”  
  
    “I don’t know the meaning of the word, dear.”  
  
    “I find that awfully hard to believe, Aranea.”  Porrim grabbed the bunched up black fabric and pulled it free of Mindfang’s long legs.    
  
    “No, it’s true!  I used to know what it meant, but some misguided, overzealous tealblood rang my skull off of the wall a couple of times and now I have dan pamage.   It’s a wonder I even remember my own name.  Who are you, again?  And can you take my panties off too while you’re at it?”  
  
    Porrim put her hands on her hips.  “You don’t know who I am and you want me to remove your underwear.  That sounds like a brilliant idea.  In case you’re wondering, I’m the person who does wonderful things to what you keep under those panties and the longer you screw around playing your silly games, the longer it’ll take until we can get back in here and actually do those wonderful things.”    
  
    Aranea was a moment from saying 'Yes, Mom!' but decided that could potentially be a mood killer.  Instead she opted for, “Sounds great!  So, you gonna take these off or what?”  
  
    With an exasperated sound, Maryam did just that and tossed them on the floor beside the leggings.  “There.  I suppose you want help with your shirt, too.”  Aranea nodded happily.  “Fine.  Come closer.”  The blueblood shuffled towards her and raised her arms so that Porrim could peel it off over her head; the still damp white blouse joined the pile.  “Congratulations, you’re naked.  And I can’t do anything about it because we’re supposed to be doing something else.”  
  
    In a flash, Aranea jumped from the bed to her feet.  Before Porrim could object, she turned around and backed up against the surprised jadeblood.  “I’m colllllllld… Warm me up.”   
  
    “I’m not a whole lot warmer than you ar-ACK!  You ARE cold!”  
  
    “Told you…”  
  
    Porrim put her arms around Aranea’s tiny waist; she could feel her lover’s cool, wet skin through her jade clothing and it made her shiver involuntarily.  “Why do you do this to me?”  
  
    Aranea took Porrim’s hands in her own and guided them to her breasts where she held them fast.  “Because I like teasing you, dear.”  She pressed her bottom against Porrim’s crotch and wiggled it for emphasis.  “Especially when you know you can’t do anything about it.  By the time you can, you’ll want nothing more than to toss me down and have your way with me.  Doesn’t that sound like fun?”   
  
    “Well, yes, but…”  
  
    “The only ‘but’ you need to worry about right now is the one rubbing up against you because it’s cold and I need to make you so much hotterrrrrrrr…”  
  
    Porrim tried her best not to smile and failed completely.  “Keep this up and I’ll go get your jacket, stuff you in it and tie your sleeves together so I can drag you to the bridge by them!”   
  
    Aranea gave her one more hard grind and then removed Porrim’s hands from her bare chest before slinking over to the chair where her jacket rested.  “I think I figured out what ‘Porrim’ means.  ‘Porrim’ means ‘Poopy ol’ Stick-in-the-mud’.”  She stuck her blue tongue out for emphasis.   
  
    “And I think you’re a brat.  Put that on and maybe we can actually do what we need to.”  
  
    “Is ‘each other’ on that list, love?”  
  
    “I swear,” Porrim said, trying to shake a chill but enjoying the warm feelings caused by Mindfang’s gyrations, “we could have been back in here by now but for all your obstinance.”  
  
    Aranea slung the long black coat on and began fastening it.  “Probably… but you wouldn’t be anywhere near as hot and bothered as you are right now, would you?”  
  
    Porrim scowled but the smile never entirely left her face.  “Maybe not…”  
  
    “Exactly.”  With a flip of her wet hair, Aranea made for the door.  “Let’s go get this over with.  Then again, maybe I’ll want to have a prolonged chat with Felida about what type of wax to use on those railings… That’s serious business, don’t you know.”   
  
    With a groan equal parts exasperation and arousal, Porrim all but shoved her matesprit into the corridor.  
  
  
  
  
    “Everything all right, Captain?” Felida asked.  “We saw you two enter the sub and then nothing for nearly ten minutes!  We were beginning to worry there was still some sleeper lurking in a storage closet or something.”   
  
    “No, no, my dear.  Nothing quite worthy of your worry.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed but you’re not the only one who decided to take an impromptu swim tonight,” Mindfang said to Felida’s image on the viewscreen.  
  
    “Don’t tell me she’s throwing you in the drink now?  Porrim, that’s usually more of a pitch thing, you know…”  
  
    Porrim rolled her eyes.  “I know.  It wasn’t like that.  It was more of an… accident?”  
  
    Aranea grinned.  “My reflexes got the best of me is all.  The rum bottle intended for the side of the sub went for a dip and I decided to join it.”  
  
    Felida nodded knowingly.  “Not the first time I’ve seen that.  Did you at least recover it, Captain?”  
  
    “Hey.  It’s me and that’s rum.  What do you think?”   
  
    “Say no more.  Anyway, we’re linked up with your computers and your course has been entered.  You two can relax and we’ll drive the… what did you decide to call it, anyway?”  
  
    “ _Deep 8lue,_ ” Aranea answered.    
  
    “Nicely done!  Anyway, kick back and enjoy the ride.  Just let whoever’s at the helm know when you want to take manual control.  Hey, Jadebutt, why so clingy to the Captain?”  
  
    “She’s actually trying to warm me up a bit,” Mindfang said, casting a glance at the woman embracing her from behind.  “Awful cold wind out there tonight, isn’t it?”  
  
    Felida looked back over her shoulder at Aurana who was standing by the bridge door.  “I noticed that, yeah.”  She turned her attention back to Porrim.  “When she gets cold, it can be pretty tough to get her warm again, trust me.  I’m sure you two will have a great time in that metal tube… hundreds of meters under the water… that cold, cold water… not even in control of your own sh-”   
  
    Porrim suddenly gripped onto Aranea a lot more tightly.  
  
    “Felidaaaaaaaa…”  
  
    “What?  Just trying to tease my … black lover.  I’m not using the ‘k’ word until I know you’re okay with it all, though, Captain.”  
  
    “Like I said, just wait till we join you at Base Two.  I have something in mind; if all goes well, I think you’ll appreciate it.”  
  
    “I can’t wait!  See you in a couple!”    
  
    The viewscreen returned to showing sonar reports and maps.  Aranea chuckled softly.  “Don’t let her spook you, my sweet.  We’re perfectly safe here.  This is a new submarine and we’ll have help nearby if anything goes awry.  Now, if you’d like to, and this requires you letting go of my poor jacket for a moment or eight, you can press the red button on the console there.  This part we have to do ourselves.”  
  
    Porrim slowly released her grip on her matesprit.  “I don’t know about this… Pressing red buttons often leads to particularly bad things, or so I’ve heard.”   
  
    “I assure you nothing will go wrong.  Go ahead.  You know you waaaaaaaant to…”  
  
    “All right…”  With a tentative hand, she reached forward and pressed on the bright red button on the navigation console… which caused numerous other red lights to appear on the bridge and loud alarms to sound.  “AAAAAA!!!!!! WHAT DID I DO?”  
  
    Aranea cackled with glee.  “Oh, my sweet darling Porrim.  You did nothing wrong at all; you just gave the sub the command to submerge.  Which, incidentally it’s doing now.  Well done.  Your next task, which I would appreciate you tending to post haste, is to relax your grip around my midsection so that I can breathe properly.  Ahhhhhhhh… much better.  Thank you.”  
  
    “And thank you for officially scaring the shit out of me,” Porrim grumbled as she did so.  
  
    “I do hope that literally wasn’t the case; I can’t say if this ship has cleaning droids on board or not.  If I were a gambling woman – which I am – I would say that my wet garments haven’t budged from where they were tossed.”  Aranea sighed and watched the readouts display the submarine’s descent.     
  
    “I don’t suppose those klaxons can be shut off?”  
  
    “Well, they’ve already served their purpose, which was to get your pusher racing and your adrenaline flowing, so I suppose I can silence them now.”  A few keystrokes and the sound and light show came to a stop.  “Did it have the desired effect?”  
  
    “Oh, my pusher’s going, if that’s what you were after!”    
  
    “Excellent.  Now, was there something else you wanted to do tonight, or shall we sit down and pour over the submarine’s operation manuals together?  I’m certain you’d find such technical documents utterly captivating!  Did you know that these _Tentacle_ -class submarines have-”   
  
    Porrim put her finger up against Aranea’s lips this time.  “The next words out of your mouth were going to be ‘a large supply of hot water for showers’, right?”  
  
    In reply, Aranea took Porrim’s finger into her mouth and let it slip slowly out.  “You know, I hadn’t read that far yet.  How about we go find out for ourselves?”

 

 

    As the hot water poured down over her face, Porrim sighed with pleasure, but this was born of a distinctly different origin than those sighs generated in the small shower numerous times over the previous two nights.  She was initially disappointed when she saw the shower in the captain’s quarters’ gaperblock was obviously designed for a single person but once Aranea turned it on, got it up to a decent temperature and then shoved her into it, Porrim was amazed to see her matesprit climb in with her as well.  She was so thankful to be in the caress of the hot water but wondered how both she and Aranea would be able to do anything other than stand there and look at each other; Aranea suggested that Porrim part her legs slightly over and allow one of her own to slip between them.  She did so and Aranea followed suit; the pressure of them being crammed so close together resulted in nubs and seedflaps being gently squeezed against each others’ thighs and even the slightest motions created blissful wet sensations.  These were soon augmented by Aranea landing numerous sucking kisses on Porrim’s neck while her left hand stroked her lover’s horn and her right pinched and pulled lightly on a jade tinged nipple until the water ran green with her release.  In response, Porrim did her best to return the favour for Aranea and once she saw the bright blue running down her thigh and calf, they both made haste for the bed to continue in a less restrictive milieu.   
  
    Porrim had to admit, as she was certain Aranea would as well, that the cramped space produced some exciting results as they did this again the following night.  Once they were out of the shower, though, she was surprised when Aranea grabbed a few towels, hauled her down the hall to the bridgeblock and begged Porrim to go down on her in the captain’s chair.  She was more than willing to oblige; as she sucked on Aranea’s bluest place and let her fingers slide in and out of her lover’s moist seedflap and nook, Porrim couldn’t help but wonder if the viewscreen would suddenly come to life and give the unwitting person on the other end (likely Felida, who probably wouldn’t object, she thought) a rather intimate show, much like poor Ianrad ended up receiving not terribly long ago.  Mindfang howled with pleasure as she came, her fingers scratching unconsciously on the arms of the chair and Porrim knew from the kisses she received afterwards that her matesprit was more than pleased by her ministrations.  The offer to return the favour in the same place came as no surprise, but Porrim declined, saying that it wouldn’t arouse her in the same way and that she’d be more than happy to retreat to the more comfortable confines of the respiteblock.  Aranea answered by scooping the giggling jadeblood up, carrying her back to the bed and tossing her down on it before grabbing Porrim’s ankles and holding them up while she brought Maryam to a shuddering climax using nothing but her blue tongue.    
  
    The memory of that tongue exploring every single aroused place on her and space inside of her made Porrim shiver with delight once more; her hand slipped between her thighs and she subconsciously stroked her lips as she thought of it.   _I’m amazed she’s not in here right now,_ she thought, enjoying the delicious sensations her fingertips were creating, _but I have a feeling she’s got something special in mind for when we get back home in the next hour or so._  
  
    No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when the shower door opened and Aranea was there.  Porrim pulled her hand away in a combination of surprise and what seemed like guilt at being caught playing, but Aranea calmed her down.  “Relaaaaaaaax, love; I heard what you were thinking.  Much as I would love nothing more than to watch you show me how you love yourself sometime, I do hope you’d consider holding off until we get where we’re going.  It’ll be worth it, believe me.  Now, just to make sure, out you go; I’d like to wash up before we arrive, too.”  
  
    Porrim frowned at the idea of being extracted from the hot water before she was ready, but reluctantly left the shower running and stepped out onto the towel Aranea left for her and then accepted the second one she was handed. You sure you don’t want some company in there?”  
  
    “Dear heart, there’s nothing I want MORE!” Aranea said, closing the door behind her.  “I just know that what I have in mind for us is going to be even more fun than another shower session.   I suggest you get yourself dried and dressed, love; I’ll be taking manual control once I’m done in here.”  
  
    “Manual control?  You mean the sub and not yourself, right?” Porrim shouted back so Aranea could hear her.  
  
    “Hey, you were the one who appeared to be putting her hands to good use a minute ago,” came the reply.  “And I can hear you blushing from here so relax, I’m just teasing you… again…”  
  
    Porrim grinned; her cheeks were indeed warming rapidly and she found herself fighting the urge to fling that door back open and give Aranea a lovely tonguelashing that would change her mind, but the anticipation of excitement to come made her opt to simply do as her matesprit suggested.  
  
    “I heard that thought,” Aranea said as she opened the door.  “How could you possibly want to lash my poor, defenseless flap with that tongue of yours?” she asked, letting her soapy left hand slide down from her abdomen to her labia and slowly back up again, taking a moment to expose her nub to Porrim, who couldn’t help but watch.  
  
    “You… brat…” Porrim grumbled as she wiped the excess moisture from her arms, desperately trying to ignore the ache from her own.    
  
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about, love; I’m just trying to get myself nice and clean for when we arriiiiiiiive…”  Aranea turned away from Porrim and sent that suds-covered hand sliding down over the small of her back.  A moment later, the other one was on her backside, holding it open while a soapy finger teased in and out of her nook while the blueblood moaned happily.  “Mmmmmmmm… Tell me, Porrim, how can I be so clean and so dirty at the same time?”  
  
    When Porrim pulled the towel away from her thighs, there was a noticeable jade streak on it.  She was almost whimpering from her own arousal.  “I don’t know… but I’d like to help you either way…”  
  
    Aranea stroked from her seedflap up across her nook one more time before winking and closing the door behind her.  “Actually, I think I’m good.  You just keep that generous thought in mind for when we get home, okay?”    
  
    “If I have to… I guess…” Porrim pouted as she tossed the towel down and reached for her jade skirt.    
  
    “You have NO idea how much it kills me to do that to you, my sweet, but just hang onto those lovely carnal thoughts of yours a wee bit longer.  Go mill about and I’ll join you on the bridgeblock in a few minutes, all right?”  
  
    “Sure.  But you’re still a brat.”  Porrim swore she heard an unkind noise in reply as she stepped into her skirt and pulled it up.  Once she put her blouse on, it took her a few moments to locate where her jade patterned vest ended up from some previous escapade but she found it in the corner beside the dresser.    
  
    Once she donned it, Porrim couldn’t resist a peek in the dresser itself.   _Indigo undergarments… Okay, this is kind of creepy; I’m just going to let this be._  She recalled Aranea mentioning that she’d investigated the logs of the ship’s captain, one Alenne Girvin, who perished from having a vibrator rammed through her throat.   _I suspect that won’t be mentioned in any official records,_ Porrim thought rather morbidly as she stepped into her boots and reached for her red sash.   _Aranea said she seemed to be an arrogant taskmaster with little interest in building a rapport with her crew but only in furthering her own career.  Such a shame some can’t look past blood colour and realize that people are people no matter what flows through their veins.  I’m glad Aranea has figured this out…_  
  
    Porrim finished tying the bow, turned the sash on her hips so that the large loops were at her back and then set out for the bridgeblock.  She cast a glance at the hallway to her left where the crew quarters and mess hall were located; Porrim couldn’t stop a self-mocking laugh as she remembered asking Aranea how a sub this size could have carried over a hundred soldiers.  Once they went down to the deck below, the answer became obvious and she marveled at how much larger the sub seemed now.   _Exercise rooms, training facilities, even a small pool!  I’m still amazed that a vessel like this can be controlled remotely._  They had taken a few minutes to speak with _Fools’ Gam8it_ now and then and everything had been going smoothly as far as she could tell.   _Nothing really to do now but wait._  Porrim sat down at one of the consoles and studied the readouts, trying her best to reconcile what she saw with what she knew of the ship.     
  
    A few minutes later, Mindfang entered the bridgeblock, fully dressed and grinning.  “Ah, Porrim; ever curious.  I wish everyone was like you in that regard… except the highbloods who love nothing more than to stick their noses into my business.”  She gave her matesprit a quick kiss on the back of the neck and headed to the captain’s chair.  “I actually have to move some hair to get at that neck of yours, my sweet.  Growing it out a bit?”  
  
    “I haven’t had the time to really deal with it lately.  Is it okay?”  
  
    “Quite, love.  I can’t blame you for wanting to have a little hair to cover your neck when the breeze is cool.”  
  
    Porrim sighed.  “I haven’t felt a breeze in a couple of nights.  Starting to miss seeing the sun, too.”  
  
    Aranea chortled.  “Something tells me submarine duty isn’t going to be your preferred assignment.  Luckily for you I happen to be partial to my flagship and there will be ample breezes and even some sun for you there if you wish.  For now, though, let’s take control of this sub and head for home.  Computer, establish comm with _Fool’s Gam8it_.”  A chirp and then the viewscreen came to life.  “Good evening, Korrye; all’s well, I trust?”  
  
    Korrye Thesse nodded his confirmation; like Ianrad, he liked to keep his head completely shorn and sometimes Porrim needed to check his eye colour to distinguish the maroonblood from the orangeblooded lieutenant.  “You bet, Captain!  Smooth sailing up here; you two all right down there?”  
  
    “Looking forward to not being ‘down here’ too much longer, quite honestly.  Prepare to restore manual control to the sub on my command.”  
  
    “Will do, Captain; say the word.”  
  
    Mindfang tapped the left armrest three times quickly; a panel emerged from the side of the chair and lay across her lap.   It lit up with a replica of the helm position’s controls.  “The word is given, Korrye; awaiting transfer.”    
  
    A moment later he answered, “Control is yours, Captain.”  
  
    “Excellennnnnnnnt.  Thank you.  Where’s Felida tonight?”  
  
    Korrye made a face.  “Er… I’m not supposed to say, Captain.”   
  
    “You are now.  Where’s Felida?”  
  
    The maroonblood grimaced.  “Waiting to ambush Aurana.  She’s been hiding in one of the lifeboats for a whole night.  Problem is Aurana knows she’s there so she hasn’t been walking past that area at all.  In fact, now that we’ve returned control to you, Aurana plans to drop the lifeboat in the water to soak her good.”  
  
    Porrim shook her head.  “I know those two love to give each other a hard time, but would you mind telling Felida that Aurana knows?”  
  
    “Um… sorry, Porrim, but I can’t…”  
  
    “How come?”  
  
    “Aurana’s standing right there.”  He gestured to his left; a moment later, Aurana’s smiling face filled the screen.    
  
    “Oh come on, Porrim!  Kitty needs one more bath before I go.  Can’t have her stinking up the joint, can we?”  
  
    Porrim gave her an odd look.  “What makes you think she stinks?”  
  
    Aurana chuffed.  “She’s been in that lifeboat for a whole night now.  Either she’s been peeing in the corner of it or she’s got a pissjug of some kind.”  
  
    “If she’s got a pissjug, you make damn sure that thing goes overboard,” Aranea said.  “That girl gets some weird ideas sometimes; no self-respecting Gamblignant should have to put up with fucking pissjugs all over her ship.”  
  
    “You got it,” Aurana replied.  “Listen, Porrim, it’s been great meeting you!  You keep practicing what I taught you, okay?”  
  
    “Do you mean with the sword or how to drive Felida crazy?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “Both.  And don’t forget, when you’re ready for your next lesson, you’ve got a pretty good teacher in the captain’s chair, too.”  
  
    Aranea smiled.  “Thank you for the kind words, my dear.  Best to your Kaerah and safe travels home.”  
  
    “You too!  Hope to see you again soon!”  Aurana waved and the screen returned to displaying status readouts.  
  
    Aranea looked over to see Porrim fidgeting in her seat.  “Don’t fret, dear heart; she’s been doing this for sweeps.  She won’t hurt your kismesis.”  
  
    “I hope not; if anyone should be messing with her pan it’s waitaminute…” Porrim’s eyes widened.  “What did you say?”   
  
    “What you thought I said.”  
  
    “You mean you’re…”  
  
    “Yes, love.  I trust both you and her enough that you’ll be able to carry on your pale black without disrupting the rest of the crew.  And if you’re willing to let her and I have our redder moments, how can I not let you and her have your own ebon ones?  And maybe… just maybeeeeeee… well, I have an interesting idea or three, but let’s talk about that later.  Just know that you and I will always get priority, though.”  She waited for Porrim to approach, took her hand and said, “I’ve gone through an awful lot to have you as my matesprit, Porrim Maryam; whatever it is you want, I will do my very best to see that you have it.”  
  
    Porrim put her arms around Aranea and held her tightly.  “Funny, you seemed to be going out of your way NOT to a little while ago in the respiteblock.”  
  
    “Ah, but it’s not as though I wasn’t eventually going to let you have your way with my choice ass, love; I’m merely delaying it until the right time and place.”  She kissed Porrim and was met with equal intensity.  “Speaking of which, it’s time we got this sub to rise up.  Would you like to hit the red button, dear?”  
  
    “NO!”  Porrim exclaimed.  “I’ve had it with red buttons for a while, thanks!”  
  
    “Pssh.  You’re as much fun as a dead lusus.  They’re not much fun at all, in case you were wondering,” Mindfang chided.  
  
    “No, I wasn’t wondering, but ‘ew’ anyway, Aranea.”  
  
    Aranea entered a sequence of commands on her console and the red lights reappeared on the bridge without the sirens going off.  “Just for you, I took care of the klaxons.  You’re welcome.”  
  
    “Thank you.  I appreciate that.”  
  
    “Least I could do.  Okay, moving up to periscope depth in a few minutes; we shouldn’t be far from home now… maybe fifteen minutes?”  
  
    Porrim thought about this.  “It hasn’t been all that long since we left here and yet it feels like it’s been forever!”  
  
    “That’s how I felt every time I was away from you, dear heart.  Always gone too long.  That’s why I’m so glad you were with me this time.”  Aranea gave Porrim’s hand a long squeeze.  “In fact, if you weren’t…”  
  
    “It’s all right.  I was and that’s all that matters, right?  I just hope that ALL of our adventures don’t involve me having to stitch you up.”  
  
    Aranea sighed.  “You and me both.  That being said, you’ve got a real knack for it.  Did Horuss lend you any of his files on anatomy and surgery?”   
  
    “Not this time, but I suspect we’ll be back there relatively soon.  Besides, if I pick up a datapad from the hive, he can just send them, right?”  
  
    “Sure, that works.  Now get back to your post, Maryam; as of right now, you’re the Executive Officer of this ship and I can’t have you standing around beating your gums and flaunting your assets.  You need to set a good example for the crew.”  
  
    Porrim slowly and deliberately looked around the bridgeblock for effect.  “Right.  And in the name of that good example, where shall I sit?  On your lap?”  
  
    “Any other night I’d be all over that like paste on loaf but unfortunately, I have to have the controls here because we don’t happen to have a helmsman.”  A sly smirk crossed Mindfang’s face.  “Unless of course youuuuuuuu want to drive?”  
  
    “Not for all the rum in your stash,” Porrim replied, crossing her arms.  “I thought we just figured out what task I’m best suited to?   Dammit, Aranea, I’m supposed to be a healthtender,  not a helmsman!”  
  
    “An Executive Officer should be able to do any of the tasks on board the ship, love.  And you don’t know how to steer this thing?  Okay, that’s it; I’m busting you down to Chief Medical Officer.  Go stand in the corner and look concerned.”   
  
    “I thought that was the ship’s counselor’s job,”  Porrim muttered as she took the nearest seat.    
  
    Mindfang barked a laugh.  “Ha!  Why would I need a counselor on my ships?  If anyone needs an attitude adjustment, I give it to them myself!”   
  
    “Aranea…”  
  
    “Fine, fine.  Okay, we’re just about at periscope depth now.  Tell you what, just because you’re so damn beautiful, I’ll let you use the periscope.  How’s that sound?”  
  
    “Okay,” Porrim answered, “but I don’t know how to use one.”  
  
    Mindfang made an exasperated sound.  “Well, love, the good news is you won’t need files from Horuss about this part.”  A button was pressed and a long tube descended from the ceiling just to the left of the captain’s chair.  “See that place where you’re supposed to put your eyes?  Put your eyes there.  If you need instructions on how to look at stuff, I’m going to assume there’s something wrong with your thinkpan and give you a field promotion to Admiral.”   
  
    “No thanks,” Porrim said as she lined up the viewport with her eyes, “I have no desire to end up as an entrée for crustaceans.”  She didn’t have to look at Aranea to know her matesprit was grinning sponge clot to sponge clot.  
  
    “Is it getting snarky in here or is it just you, Porrim?”  
  
    “Trust me, between the two of us, this bridgeblock just reeks of snark.   We seriously need some fresh air.”  Porrim turned the periscope back and forth a few times.  “So what am I looking for?”  
  
    Aranea thought briefly and then entered a few commands.  “You can see the shoreline, right?”  
  
    “Yes.  Quite clearly.”  
  
    “All right… I have the sub lined up directly with my hive.  You should be able to see it if you face the periscope directly at the bow.”  
  
    Porrim shuffled around slightly and lined up the periscope as instructed.  “Okay, I’m looking.”  
  
    “Aaaaaaaand?”  
  
    A long pause.  “I don’t see it…”  
  
    “What the actual fuck…” Mindfang groused.  “I did a discreet recalibration of the nav sensors with a satellite before we left.  There’s no way we’re not where we’re supposed to be.”  She entered an “All Stop” command and pushed the console to the side.  “Lemme see…”    
  
    Porrim took a sideways step to make room as Aranea approached, but she quietly hoped it was simply her own lack of experience that was the problem.  
  
    The look on Aranea’s face, however, confirmed that it wasn’t.  
  
    “It’s gone…”  
  
    “Um… ‘gone’?” Porrim found the courage to ask.  
  
    “Some finfaced pieces of SQUID SHIT BLEW IT UP!!!!!!!!”   
  
    Porrim said nothing else as Mindfang threw herself back into the captain’s seat, grabbed the console and stabbed in a sequence; all she could do was put her hands to her mouth in shock as the sub suddenly lurched forward.    
  
    “I swear, whoever was responsible for this is going to wish they didn’t have arms…” Aranea growled.  
  
    “That seems… odd.  Why would you say tha-”  
  
    “BECAUSE WHEN I FIND OUT WHO DID THIS I’M GOING TO RIP THEIR ARMS OFF AND FEED THEM TO THEM!!!!!!!!”   
  
    Porrim decided that it would likely be best to just keep her mouth shut and let her matesprit rage.   _She is as the sea… but I really can’t blame her.  Nor can I say I don’t share her sentiment; that was MY home, too!_  She silently lamented how this unfortunate turn of events altered their plans, not to mention their mood, so completely.   _It’s amazing how things can change so quickly; I’m just glad we weren’t in there when it happened…_

 


	21. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they pick through the rubble of what was once Aranea's hive, Porrim discovers a couple of rather important items. Once the initial shock has worn off, Aranea offers Porrim an experience unlike any other...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the loss of her home is a devastating thing for Mindfang, but her plans for Porrim win the day. This has been an idea I've been toying with since I started writing "Beautiful Jewel" and I'm glad I finally got the opportunity to write this scene. I tried to imagine what it would be like to experience this degree of intimacy with someone and while I'm not sure it could truly even be possible (at least for those of us who aren't empaths or happen to know one), I hope I approximated the sensations of the encounter adequately. That and these two needed a true moment to themselves after all that's happened over the last few chapters. This also marks the unofficial end of Act I, with one more chapter needed to deal with the aftermath of the hivebombing...
> 
> Soundtrack songs: the first, a scene-setting instrumental, begins with the chapter while the second marks one of the most important uses of music with the story. If you haven't yet, grab the soundtrack (or just cue up YouTube) and play Depeche Mode's "I Am You", starting after a break at “Aranea? Aranea…” It factored very heavily into making this scene come to life as I wrote it. 
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): [Link](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64694493/8REAKING%20F8%20SOUNDTRACK%20-%20ACT%20I%20\(Ch.%201-21\).zip)

**20.**  
  
    Porrim wished there was a word other than ‘fuck’  that would have served to express Mindfang’s fury, simply because she was sure she’d heard the word used more times in a row in the preceding hour than she ever imagined  possible.    
  
    There was no question, even to someone with an untrained eye such as hers, that the weapons used to destroy their hive were launched from the sea.  The building looked as though it had been pushed over from that direction; most of its contents were strewn about but their positions made it quite clear that the bombardment that caused this destruction originated from a naval vessel.     
  
    Once _Deep 8lue_ had docked in the basement of the hive it had taken them almost half an hour to move the rubble and wreckage out of the stairwell so that they could gain access to the ground floor.  What they found when they got up there sent Aranea into a fresh rage and caused a renewed torrent of ‘fuck’ based words to fly from her lips.  All Porrim could do was wander through the debris in stunned silence, trying to make out what things used to be and where they were now.    
  
    As she made her way further inland, away from the foundation, more of the objects began to appear familiar:  some of the books from Aranea’s library were here, singed and dirty but legible.  She began to pile up the salvageable ones in hopes that it would somehow placate her matesprit.  Beyond those, she thought she recognized the remnants of the blue couch that Aranea teased her from, one that they made love for the second time on.  Past that, her eyes alit upon a twisted metal shape.  As she approached it, Porrim realized she was looking at what was left of the bars that once made her a prisoner in this place.  Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t help but smile at the sight.   _At last, those are gone.  Such a shame that everything else is as well… except…_  
  
    A twinkling in the green moonlight caught her eye and she approached it cautiously, grateful for the protection her boots provided her in this field of bent metal, splintered wood and broken glass.  Taking care to avoid having her hand cut by the debris around it, Porrim reached down and plucked a golden hoop from the dirt.   She held it up to examine it but there was no question in her mind as to what this was; it took everything she had not to jump with glee.    
  
    Porrim looked down again to where she had discovered the earring and noticed another metallic object less than a meter away from where it was embedded.  This, too, had a familiar shape although it was larger than the bauble by a significant margin.  Once she realized what she was looking at, she warily extended her arm again and pulled it free from the ground.  Aside from the dent, the bucket looked relatively unscathed; a quick glance confirmed its contents appeared intact.  “Aranea!” she shouted.  “Come here!  Quickly!”  
  
    Mindfang, who was busy examining a piece of a broken blue sculpture, dropped it and made her way over to Maryam as quickly as she could.  “What did you find, love?”  
  
    “This,” she began, holding the golden earring up.  Porrim was somewhat baffled by what she could only describe as a mixed reaction from her matesprit at the sight of it, but carried on regardless.  “And this!”  She presented the creased pail and was pleased to see a look of utter jubilation on Aranea’s face this time.  
  
    “YOU FOUND IT!!!!!!!!  Oh thank goodness… Is it too badly damaged?  Too dirty?  You can tell, right?”     
  
    Porrim took another glance into the bucket.  “Tough to tell for sure in this light, but I suspect it should be fine.  We used to get a few buckets with some detritus in them, especially the pitch ones, but the Mother Grub can shed any impurities without any difficulty.”  
  
    Aranea grabbed Porrim around the waist and pulled her close.  “That’s what I was looking for, more than anything else.  I’m so glad you found it!”  
  
    “You and me both, but Aranea… we could always have filled another pail if this one was destroyed.”   
  
    “It’s a symbolic thing, love.  I really wanted this, your very first bucket, to be one that made it to the Mother Grub, you know?”  
  
    Porrim smiled.  “I can appreciate that.  But why aren’t you as thrilled about the earring?”  
  
    Mindfang exhaled sharply and looked at the golden jewelry in Porrim’s palm.  “I know what it means to you, dear heart.  It used to mean something similar to me once upon a time, which is why I gave it to you.  I suppose I shouldn’t let what it was to me get in the way of what it is to you.”  She gently closed her matesprit’s fingers around it.  “Do you still want to get your ear pierced so you can wear it?  I can make that happen, and sooner than later.”   
  
    “Of course!” Porrim said.  “I’m just thrilled it’s intact.”  She surveyed the scene of destruction around them and quietly added, “Unlike everything else here, though.  I’m so sorry, Aranea.  I was really looking forward to being back here with you, you know.”  
  
    Aranea embraced her and gave her a quick kiss.  “I know.  Believe me, I do.  I’m mad as hell that this happened, and have no doubt that I WILL hunt down those responsible,  but… despite all this sweet loot, the only thing that I really wanted to find was this pail.  A ‘first time’ is genuinely irreplaceable.”  
  
    “I suppose, but people are as well.  I’m just glad we weren’t here when it happened!”  Porrim swallowed the lump forming in her throat.  “I couldn’t imagine what I would do if I’d survived and you hadn’t.”  
  
    Aranea’s features took on a dark appearance that Porrim found a touch unsettling.  “I can absolutely imagine what I would have done to Cronus if that buffoon actually went through with what he planned to do to you.   It would have been nigh unspeakable, but after I ran him through, I would have left him to bleed out and burned this place down around his fins.  Or maybe blown him up with the self-destruct mechanism… yessssssss… that would have been most fitting…”  
  
    “Aranea, stop… you’re creeping me out.”   
  
    Mindfang looked at her matesprit and let her shoulders drop.  “Sorry.  I’m just… well, FURIOUS!!!!!!!!   And that’s the complete opposite of what I wanted to be when we got here!”  
  
    Porrim placed a soothing hand on Aranea’s shoulder.  “When you think about it, though, what’s important is that we weren’t here when this happened.  This is all just ‘stuff’, right?”  
  
    “I suppoooooooose…”  She surveyed the damage again, trying to find anything else worth salvaging.  “Although that Rodinn sculpture was irreplaceable… I had two of his original erotic paintings, too – he did far more than just sculpture, you know – and a Bossch as well… never mind the-”   
  
    “Just ‘stuff’, Aranea…”  
  
    “But really, really cool stuff, love!  And my collection of ancient soothstones…”  
  
    “Still just ‘stuff’…”  
  
    “And I had this one toy… oh, you would have loved it, Porrim, it was-”  
  
    “-blue and it vibrated and it felt really good when you put it in your seedflap or wherever else just like every other toy you have, right?”  
  
    Aranea squinted at her matesprit.  “I’ll have you know it didn’t vibrate.  It was made of this smooth blue stone and I’d worn it down to just the right shape.  Oh, it fit so perfectly, my dear…”  
  
    “All the more reason to get a new one.  Please, Aranea, I know it’s hard because we’re standing right in the middle of it, but understand it was all just ‘stuff’.  What matters most is that you’re here and still alive.”   She put her arms around Aranea and held her tightly.  
  
    Mindfang made to protest again but felt her anger and her anguish start to fade in Porrim’s embrace.  “But… But I… fiiiiiiiine.  You’re right.”  She returned the gesture and rested her head on Maryam’s shoulder for a while.  “It’s just such a pointless waste.  I’d actually have been happier if they’d stolen it all, but mindless destruction is just so… fucking petty!”  
  
    “I understand. I’ve never quite grasped why someone would do something solely for spite,” Porrim said.  “The point of cruelty has always escaped me.”   
  
    “May that never change, dear heart.”  Aranea gave Porrim a kiss on the lips and then a sad smile as she broke away, but took her lover’s hand in hers as she started walking back out of the randomly strewn mess that was her hive.  “I had such plans for us tonight...”  
  
    “Well, unless it was something specific that we could only have done here, couldn’t it be done elsewhere?”  
  
    Aranea looked skyward while she thought about it.  “In a way, it was… but it had nothing to do with my hive, believe it or not.”  
  
    This took Porrim by surprise.  “Really?  I have to admit, I’m a little bit curious, but I totally understand if the mood is completely wrong.”   
  
    “I just might need some time to get my pan around all this is all, love.  There’s no way I can replace any of it, nor am I going to.  In essence, you’re correct:  the only thing I have here that matters is you.  It wouldn’t change anything if my hive was still intact or not.  Tell you what, walk with me.  I’ll tell you what I had in mind, then we can both take some time to decide if we’re in the mood or not.  I’m just glad it’s a nice night.”  
  
    Porrim realized for the first time since they’d been ashore that she was breathing clean, fresh air and there was a gentle breeze.  “It is at that.  Sure, let’s go.”    
  
    Aranea gently guided her towards a path that was partially hidden by wreckage.  “At least I can still find this.  Watch your step, just in case; if one of us gets scraped up, I might have a hard time finding my needle and thread right now.”  
  
    “I’m glad to see your sense of humour remains intact,”  Porrim remarked as they started following the path that led up a hill she was quite familiar with.  
  
    “If I ever lose that, my sweet, then I’m completely lost.  I take it you know where this goes?”   
  
    Porrim smiled.  “I certainly do.”  
  
    “Gooooooood.  I’m quite grateful those filthy finfaces didn’t bring their guns to bear on this hill while they were at it, at least.”  Aranea looked back at Porrim and asked, “Any particular reason you’re bringing our bucket along?”  
  
    At this, Porrim grinned shyly.  “I’m… actually rather reluctant to let it out of my sight at the moment, all things considered.”  
  
    “I can appreciate that.”  Mindfang turned her focus back to navigating the pathway.  “Seems you can take the jadeblood out of the caverns, but…”  
  
    “Ha ha.  Would you prefer a drone haul it around?”  
  
    “Fuck, no.  But that does bring up an interesting question:  if you don’t trust drones for fear one might hand you over to the Imperials, how are we ever going to get our lovely bucket to the Mother Grub?  I don’t suppose you’d be interested in delivering it in person?”   
  
    Porrim didn’t reply right away.  “I never really thought about that.”  
  
    “Would you still be welcome there?  At the caverns?”  Aranea could feel the confusion running through Porrim’s thinkpan and opted not to press the issue further until her matesprit had given due consideration to the question.  
  
    “I suppose I would be.  No Sister has ever been turned away, but once her spot in the Solemn Six has been filled, she can no longer directly serve the Mother Grub.”  
  
    “But it’s not like they’d tell you to ‘beat it’ or anything?”  
  
    Another pause.  “What would I be ‘beating’ in particular?”  
  
    “Oh for the love… They wouldn’t say ‘get lost and don’t come back’, right?  They’d actually take the pail, yes?”  
  
    “I’m sure they would.  I’d suspect they’d be most curious as to what I’ve been through as well.”   
  
    Aranea laughed.  “Can you blame them?  And do you ever have a story to tell!”  
Porrim smiled at that.  “I suppose I do.”  
  
    As they crested the hill, Aranea took them to the side opposite where her hive was.  “I’d rather not look at that, lest it ruin my focus.  Come, sit.”  She waited for Porrim to do so and then followed suit.  She took a deep breath and looked at their surroundings: off to their right, the sea was tinted with green and pink light; to their left, rolling hills to the horizon and twinkling stars.  “I scarcely expected our night to go like this, so now I find myself trying to find the words…”  
  
    “That doesn’t seem like you,” Porrim said, but there was no trace of humour or flippancy in her voice.    
  
    “I know.  But there it is.”  
  
    “Well, I’m here and you’re here; tell me about what it is you’re thinking we should do?”  Porrim gently set the pail down and rested a hand on one of Aranea’s.   
  
    Mindfang waited for a few moments before beginning.  “Do you remember when you fought Girvin and her crew on _Fool’s Gam8it_?”  
  
    “Of course, but what about it in particular should I remember?”  
  
    “What it was like to share your mind with mine.”  
  
    Porrim considered this.  “Most of what I remember involved counting backwards from one hundred like you suggested, but there were moments… moments where I was taking note of the blood colour of the attacker or how many there were.”   She paused.  “And yes, there were times I could hear your voice in my head… but also times where I could hear you speaking with my voice as well.  It was like…”  
  
    “Like we were one,” Aranea finished.  “Wasn’t it?”  
  
    Maryam nodded.  “Yes.”  
  
    “What did you think of it?”   
  
     Porrim exhaled through pursed lips.  “Sometimes it felt like I was wearing you like a glove, and sometimes it felt like I was the one being worn.  Mostly the latter, quite honestly.  But it wasn’t unpleasant at all, just… different.  I could hear your thoughts at the same time you had them.  I’ve never been so… close to someone else before.  Is that what it’s like for you all the time?”  
  
    Aranea calculated her reply.  “Not allllllll the time… just some of it.  Except most of the time, I’m the one transmitting my thoughts.  I didn’t want to possess you outright but instead try and establish an empathic bond, one bordering on full telepathy.  You and I speak to each other through such channels; more often than not what you send to me comes through as emotional waves but the messages are clear enough because I know how to read them.  My transmissions tend to be much sharper and direct, meant to control and manipulate the actions of others, but over the sweeps I’ve come to fine tune them and I can adjust the degree of how far it goes.”   
  
    Porrim stroked the blue-tipped fingers under her hand.  “I pretty much deduced most of what you’re telling me, and by being a part of you for a while like that, I have an understanding of it that words couldn’t quite describe.  I’m just curious what it is that’s got you nervous; I’ve never seen you quite like this, save for the night where you asked me to choose my path…”  
  
    “And you chose the one that led up here.  Porrim, my sweet, you still have no idea how much that meant to me.  Maybe you have a chance to find out, though.”  
  
    “How do you mean?”  
  
    Aranea turned her gaze down to her crimson boots.  “I guess what I’m asking… There’s something I’ve always wanted to do with someone, but I needed to save it for a person I could trust completely.  Ideally, I wanted it to be my matesprit and that’s you.”  
  
    Porrim nodded expectantly.  
  
    “What I want to know is… well, could you imagine what it would be like to make love to someone in that state of shared emotions?  To feel what your partner was feeling?  To be inside them as they experienced those coital sensations?  To understand first hand their climax because it’s yours, too?  To actually become one in that moment?  Would you… want to know what that’s like?”   
  
    At first, Porrim wasn’t certain what to make of this.  “You’ve… never done that with anyone before?”   
  
    Mindfang shook her head.  “No.  I haven’t.  I mean, taking over someone is one thing; I could possess hundreds of lowbloods at once if I felt like it, but what I’m suggesting is establishing a link so that you could feel what I’m feeling as well.  I wouldn’t trust that to just anyone.”  
  
    “Not even Felida?”  
  
    “I’ve thought about it a few times with her,” Aranea admitted.  “And I do trust her implicitly, but our relationship is different than the one I have with you, especially where mating is concerned.  For her and I, sex is a pastime… one that brings us very close, yes, but I always wanted to save this for my matesprit.”  
  
    Porrim looked to Aranea’s blue eyes.  “You had a matesprit before me, though, right?”  
  
    Aranea sighed.  “First, that was a loooooooong time ago.  Second, my gifts didn’t work on her.   Third, even if they did, I’m glad I didn’t try it with her.  There’s a reason she’s my ex-matesprit, understand.”  
  
    “Fair enough.”  Porrim closed her eyes and tried to recall more accurately what her time with Aranea controlling her body was like, but she was having a difficult time doing so.  What she did remember was how her arm moved so expertly with a sword at the end of it, how she flowed without thinking across the brigblock floor with confidence and control the likes of which she’d never experienced before.  She then thought of the joyful times they spent together in the hive that was no longer behind them; yes, there was manipulation, both subtle and blatant, but there was also pleasure that defied description, a trust created in the ashes of a darker relationship that made it so much more.  Porrim thought of the deliciousness they shared on an island that she wished would never end; the wonder of loving and being loved that shook her very core.  “It sounds appealing, actually.  But would there be any danger?  Of us being completely lost in one another?”  
  
    “None at all, my sweet.  The link would last as long as I will it to.  Please understand it wouldn’t just be me feeling your sensations, though; I’d make absolutely certain that you would be receiving mine as well.  There will be times that I might be guiding your body now and then, too.  Do you think you could handle such a thing?”  
  
    The more Porrim thought about it, the more she wanted to think about it.  “I believe so.  But like you suggested earlier, we may need to just… relax a little first, especially considering what’s just happened.”  
  
    “I suppose soooooooo…  Listen, if you want to go for a walk, go right ahead.”  Aranea patted Porrim’s hand for emphasis.  “But if this is something you feel up to trying, maybe grab a blanket of some kind from the sub.  I just need an hour or so to get my pan together and maybe let some of this go.  Do you understand?”  
  
    “Of course.”  Porrim rose and placed a kiss on the top of Aranea’s head.  “I’ll be nearby and I promise I’ll stay out of trouble.”  
  
    “Of that I have little doubt, love.”  Mindfang watched Porrim take the path back down the side of the hill and then put her arms behind her head as she lay down on the grass.   _What the hell was I thinking?  Hey, Porrim, let me possess you again!  Doesn’t that sound like fun?  Who in their right pan would actually go for that?_  She took a deep breath, filling her air sacs as full as she could and then let it go slowly and deliberately.   _And yet, who else would even consider such a request?  She’s the most selfless creature in the universe.   We’re standing in the wreckage of my damn hive and not only is she trying to give me perspective, she’s actually succeeding.  If I was here by myself and saw this, I’d be kicking rubble and looking for a gun to start shooting holes in anything that moved.  But no, this mothering jadeblood has to go and talk sense to me.  Lousy stupid goddamn supportive matesprit…_  
   
    That last thought made Aranea chuckle to herself.   _And now I’m laughing.  How the actual fuck does she do it?  Shouldn’t I be hunting down every Navy vessel within a thousand kilometers to exact my revenge?  And instead, here I am, still offering to share myself completely with someone in a way that involves me opening my mind and body in a way that so few could ever do.  I’m sure she’s baffled by it all.  Although, in retrospect, that girl’s been through quite a bit; maybe she’s made of sterner stuff than even I can imagine?  Would she be willing to try, even after all we’ve seen tonight?_   
  
    She cast her eyes over to the dented pail sitting a meter or so away from her.   _At least we agree on what’s important._  Aranea closed her eyes and tried to let go of her anger and frustration.  A few minutes later, she was fast asleep.  
  
  
  
  
    “Aranea?  Aranea…”  
  
    Mindfang awoke to a gentle pushing on her shoulder.  “Whaaaaaaaat?”  She opened her eyes to see Porrim crouched beside her, holding a bottle of rum and wearing nothing but a kind smile.  “I seeeeeeee…”  She sat up and noticed a few dark blue towels laid out on the ground beside her.  “I take it this means you’re willing to try?”  
  
    Porrim nodded her assent.  “I’m actually kind of excited about it.  And you appear to be overdressed.”   
  
    “So I am.”  Her slender fingers began working on the buttons of her longcoat and before long it was shed, along with the rest of her outfit.  Aranea carefully placed her long red boots beside the pile of clothing and then turned to face Porrim.  “Normally, I would suggest that the booze might be a bad idea but admittedly, I’m trying to relax, not get smashed, so a sip or two ought to be adequate.”  As she took the offered bottle, she asked, “Wait… did you get this from _Deep 8lue_ or from my stash in the basement?”  
  
    “Your stash,” Porrim answered.  “I remember hearing your thoughts on the sub’s rum supply.  I believe it was something to the effect of ‘if I pissed in this swill, it would improve it significantly,’ correct?”  
  
    “True as it gets.  It’s pretty sad what passes for Navy rum rations these nights.  No wonder those poor saps were so easily dispatched; they were probably throwing themselves at our sword to avoid having to ingest that filth again.”  
  
    Porrim believed Aranea’s choice of “our” to describe the sword was entirely deliberate.  “Well, the good news is you don’t have to.”  
  
    “Thanks to you.  You do take such good care of me, love.”  She opened the bottle, took a sizeable pull from it and handed it to Porrim.    
  
    “Just a sip, I suppose.”  She did so and found it took her breath much like the last one.  “I think I’m going to have to get you to dilute mine for a while yet,”  she coughed.    
  
    “Very well.  Now, how about you come join me over here.”  Aranea lay down on the towels and waited for Porrim to accompany her.  “I do have to thank you for getting these, by the way.  The last thing I need to hear about in my pan is how there’s a rock digging into your ass somewhere.”  
  
    Porrim smirked at this.  “You have such a way with words, you know.”  
  
    “I do, don’t I?  Now, if it’s all the same, I look forward to having my way with you, my sweet.  Just relax and let’s start like we normally do.”  
  
    “We have a normal way of starting?”  
  
    “Yes, love: you say something snarky and then I roll my eyes, like this.”  Aranea demonstrated for effect.  “Then, we start kissing and it all unfolds from therrrrrrrre…”  She rolled the grinning Porrim onto her back and let her long hair fall all around her as she pressed her lips to her lover’s.  A few minutes later she was lying on top of the jadeblood, enjoying the sensations as their chests touched, feeling their hips begin to move seemingly of their own volition.  After a few minutes of touching and stroking, Aranea reached out mentally.   _Can you hear me, Porrim?  
  
    Yes…  
  
    Gooooooood.  I don’t want you to count backwards this time, but I want you to try and let go the same way.  If you feel you need to count, start from ten; you won’t reach one before you get there, I’m certain._  Aranea sat up, straddling Porrim’s hips.   _As you start, I want you to reach up and put your hands on my spheres.  Caress them the same way you always do._    
  
Porrim nodded and did so.   _Ten… nine… eight…_  She listened as Aranea moaned softly from the touching and continued.   _Seven… six… wait!_  Porrim opened her eyes to watch her hands caressing the blue-tipped breasts in her hands, gently squeezing the cerulean nipples between her fingers… but feeling the sensations as if it were Aranea doing the same to her.  She confirmed her matesprit’s hands were nowhere near her chest.  “Is this…”  
  
    Aranea nodded.  “That’s what I feel, Porrim, and I do love it.  Keep goinnnnnnnng…”   
  
    “All right…”  Porrim continued to do so, but watched with surprise as her left hand slipped down Aranea’s side and over the curve of her hip, then down to the delta of her seedflap.    
  
    _Mmmmmmmm… that’s right… are you ready for this?_  
  
    Porrim closed her eyes again; a second later, a wave of sensation made her gasp.   _Oh my…  
  
    Yessssssss… Let your fingers stroke my nub and my pleasure is yours…_   
  
    It was almost too much for her to process; Porrim was glad Aranea was the one controlling her fingers so that she could focus on the shocks of sheer pleasure that were rocking her thinkpan – shocks that weren’t created by her own body.  Instead of trying to speak either mentally or out loud, Porrim simply opted to close her eyes and take it all in.  She felt a shifting of weight and then lips were being pressed against hers, both above and below.  She kissed her lover, extending her tongue and it felt as though it were in her own mouth but from the front instead.  Strangely, Porrim wasn’t entirely overwhelmed by it all anymore.   _She must be sending me soothing thoughts as well…  
  
    Perhapssssssss… Or are you sending them to yourself through me?_  
  
    Porrim didn’t want to think about that; all she could think about was the dual sensations that were being created by Aranea grinding her seedflap against her own; where their nubs met, the feelings it created were unspeakably powerful and redoubled by Aranea’s own reactions to what she took to be her sensing both her own pleasure… and Porrim’s as well.    
  
    A moment later, they were both on their sides, still facing one another, tongues still exploring each other’s mouths as though it were for the very first time.  Fingers moved across soft spaces, dipping into wetness and tightness, stroking at centers of pleasure, with each movement and touch being reflected across two minds at the same time.   _So intense… gods, dear heart, do you feel what I feel?_ Aranea asked.  
  
    _Yessssssss…_  
  
    This reply caught Aranea quite by surprise but she continued to let her hands and Porrim’s hands continue their exploration, but with more of a focus on letting them draw circles on each other’s engorged nubs.   _Give yourself over to me completely, love… I’ll take this as far as it can go…_  
  
    Porrim replied with a nod that Aranea’s head made.   _All yours… All mine…  
  
    I am you and you are meeeeeeee…_  Aranea noticed that even their breathing was in perfect time.   _I can hold us together, dear heart… we’re almost therrrrrrrre…_  
  
    There was no further answer from Porrim either verbally or mentally; Aranea couldn’t quite even tell if Porrim was there but knew that she was more than just “there”.  Both women shook as their bodies started to resonate with imminent climax.  Tongues were withdrawn as sounds were made but not heard.  Seconds later, those sounds became wordless choruses as they went over the edge as one, the stereo sensations almost too powerful to bear.  They fell apart physically and emotionally in the aftermath, the sudden surges slamming into them together and then separately.    
  
    They lay on the mass of towels for a few minutes, semiconscious, completely immersed in a state that neither had known before, nor could articulate properly on if their very lives depended on it.  It was Aranea who first regained some semblance of cohesion; her eyes blinked open and she scanned the sky before turning her gaze over to her matesprit.  “Porrrrrrrrim… Porrim?  Are you all right?”  She extended a hand towards Maryam and touched her, which caused the jadeblood’s mouth to move soundlessly.  “I need to hear your voice, dear heart… yours and only yours.”  
  
    “Mmmp… nev... knoooo… soooooooo…”  
  
    Aranea sat up quickly.  She realized her lower half was near-completely streaked with green and blue but was far more concerned for Porrim’s mental state.  “Never knew what, love?  Speak to me as YOU would; remember who YOU are!”  
  
    “I know… who I ammmmmmmm…”   
  
    Mindfang swallowed hard.   _What have I done?  Oh shit…_  “Gooooooood… So will you tell me?”  
  
    A pause before Porrim replied.  “Araneaaaaaaaa… Serrrrrrrrket…”  
  
    “Oh gods no…”  
  
    “…is a worrrrrrrrywarrrrrrrrt…”   
  
    Aranea wanted to punch her matesprit and kiss her at the same time; she ended up punching her softly in the mouth with her tongue.  “And you call ME a brat?”  
  
    Porrim tittered happily.  “I do.  Because you are one.”  
  
    “Says you.”  She lay on her back and pulled a grinning Maryam over beside her; Porrim placed her head on Aranea’s chest and sighed contentedly.  “Soooooooo… what did you make of that?  Although I have a pretty good idea since I was there, too.”  
  
    “You were, indeed.  I could feel you completely, everything you felt.”  Jade streaks appeared on Porrim’s cheeks and formed small puddles on Aranea’s stomach.  “I never knew… how much…”  
  
    “The word ‘love’ pales, dear heart, to the purity of emotion.  It’s one thing for me to say that I love you; it’s another for you to feel it for yourself.”  
  
    “But I… don’t know what I did to… deserve it…”    
  
    Aranea gently placed her long arm over Porrim’s bare shoulders.  “If anyone doesn’t know what they did to deserve being loved, it’s me, Porrim.  After all we’ve been through, to feel how you feel for me… it’s both baffling and beautiful.”  
  
    Porrim swallowed and said, “You’re crying, too, aren’t you?”  
  
    “Maybeeeeeeee… How did you know?”  
  
    “I can still feel echoes of your emotions.  It’s almost overwhelming.”  
  
    Aranea looked up at the stars and tried to blink the blue from her eyes.  “In all my sweeps of having this ability, I’ve never been quite so… I guess ‘overwhelmed’ is the best word for it, yes.  To be so cognizant of the love someone else has for you…”  She tried to continue and found she couldn’t.  
  
    “The bond isn’t entirely gone yet, is it?” Porrim asked quietly.    
  
    “No.  Maybe I’m not quite ready to take it down yet.”  
  
    Porrim smiled.  “That’s fine.  I’m rather enjoying it, too.  It’s just…”  
  
    Aranea involuntarily held her breath while she waited for Porrim to continue.  
“No need to worry, Aranea; it’s not a negative thought.  What I wanted to say was that this is something we should only do in certain times and places.  The intensity was so great and there was some kind of… I can’t even put it into words…”  
  
    “Resonance?  Like a feedback or a vibration, except deep inside your pan?”  Aranea offered.  
  
    “Yes, that’s close.  It was so powerful that I think we ought to be careful that we’re alone like we are now when we do it; I have no idea how long I was out.  It could leave us even more physically vulnerable than we are emotionally.”  
  
    Aranea stroked her fingers on Porrim’s skin, still cool and damp from their exertions.  “Makes sense.  But isn’t it wonderful to be somewhere so private that we could try such a thing?  Now do you appreciate places like Blue Recluse Island and what they represent?  They’re places where we can be ourselves.”  
  
    “And each other now, evidently,” Porrim said with a smirk.  
  
    “How did I know you were going to say that?”  Aranea raised her head from the blanket covered patch of ground she was laying on and planted a kiss on Porrim’s head at the base of one of her horns; the jadeblood wiggled happily.    
  
    They lay like that for a while, sharing thoughts and feelings without a word, letting the warm night air envelop them.  “Aranea?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “Yes, my love?”  
  
    “What would you have done if your kismesis took my life?  And I don’t mean ‘how many different ways would you have gutted him’, I mean ‘what would you have done with your life?’”   
  
    A moment later, Porrim felt a sudden retreat in her thinkpan; she took this to mean Aranea was breaking their contact.  “Why did you do that?  I’m just asking a question…”  
  
    Aranea exhaled; Porrim could feel her breath tickle the back of her neck.  “Because I’m not sure you really want to know the answer, dear heart… or worse, that it would disappoint you.”  
  
    “Aranea, my love,” Porrim said, rolling over so that she could look on her matesprit’s face, “you have nothing to hide from me, nothing to be ashamed about.  If you would have continued pillaging ships solely for their treasures, you can say so.”  
  
    “Actually, it might surprise you that I likely would have carried on in your honour, trying to do what we’re planning to do now: liberating those who would spend their lives as slaves to the Imperial regime.  It’s just that the endgame might be too ambitious to tell you about.”  
  
    Porrim gave her a curious look.  “And why would that be?  Because it’s the same one you’d like to embark on now, even though I’m actually here with you?”   
  
    “Have I no secrets any more now, Porrim?  What have I wrought here tonight?” Aranea asked with mock exasperation.  
  
    “I’m sure you have plenty, Aranea, and you’re welcome to them.  It’s just that I’d like to know about things that might affect us in the future.  I received my first look into that pan of yours tonight and maybe I’m a bit curious to spend some more time there.”  
  
    Aranea shuddered.  “No, love; that’s the last thing you want, trust me.  It’s a dark, dark place, full of spiders and webs and the deceit associated with both.”  
  
    “Funny, I just found a place full of joy and love not terribly long ago,” Porrim said, absently drawing circles on Aranea’s left breast with a finger.  “Or was all of that from this pusher right here?”  She tapped the center of Aranea’s chest for emphasis.  
  
    “You know as well as I do that the pusher pumps blood and that’s all.  The side you see of me is a side I’ve shown to so very few, my sweet; it’s not who I really am at all.”  
  
    Porrim snorted.  “I don’t believe that for a second.  I saw - maybe felt might be a better word - felt that you’re far more compassionate than you’d like to let on.  Even in those darkest nights in your cell, I knew deep down that you wouldn’t actually hurt me.”  
  
    “But I did hurt you, Porrim!”  Aranea wanted to sit up, to push away, but couldn’t bring herself to with Porrim draped across her midsection.  “Emotionally, the worst way!  The only reason I was doing it was to pave the way for something far more valuable…”  
  
    “And I forgive you!  I forgave you long ago!  Stop beating yourself up over it!  Would I be here right now if I didn’t?  The love you felt in your thinkpan was as real as it gets, Aranea!  I love you!  More than anyone I ever thought I could love this way!  I genuinely believe that whatever it is you’re planning, it’s not something so nefarious or harmful that you couldn’t share it with me.”  She closed the few inches that separated them and pressed her lips to Aranea’s; there was a faint echo of the feeling of her own lips in her pan again and she pressed further, letting her tongue slip past, almost craving the feeling of their duality, but this was only a bare taste lingering, enough to remind her of the profound depth of the bond they shared a short time prior.  The last thing she felt as the last glimmer of the link faded at the end of the kiss was a great sense of relief emanating from Aranea and it set her mind at ease.    
  
    “Thank you, dear heart.  And I love you as well.  Sometimes I forget that you can see right through my eminence front, even when I forget I’m wearing it.”  
  
    “Aranea, I was so far past it there you might as well never put it up again.  I’m not entirely convinced that this bond will ever fully fade completely.”  
  
    “Maybe I can live with thaaaaaaaat.”  Aranea swept her hand through Porrim’s hair and let it slide down the length of her hooked horn.  “As much as it kills me to say it, we best get mobile.  The sun’s coming up soon and I fear this hive of mine won’t offer a whole lot of protection from it anymore.”   
  
    Porrim sighed sadly.  “Do we have to?  I enjoyed watching the sunrise here with you last time.”  
  
    Aranea shuffled around underneath her matesprit to encourage her to move.  “And I enjoyed what we did afterwards far more but that’s just my libido talking.  My poor eyes would thank you if we could start back to the sub, too.  I’d really rather not go blind, all things considered; I’d miss seeing your beautiful, elegant face so…”  
  
    With a resigned sound, Porrim got to her feet and offered Aranea a hand to do the same.  “Flattery will get you everywhere, you know.”  
  
    A broad grin crossed Aranea’s face.  “I DO know it, love.  And when it doesn’t, I happen to have all kinds of other ways at my disposal to get where I need to go.”  She gave Porrim’s backside a squeeze and her lips a quick kiss, then turned her attention to the mess of towels and piles of clothing.  “Something tells me there wouldn’t be much of a point in getting dressed right now.”  
  
    “What do you mean?” Porrim asked.  When Aranea pointedly looked down at Porrim’s legs and then back to her eyes to suggest the jadeblood do the same, she understood quite quickly.  “Oh… OH!  That was…”  
  
    “Volcanic, my sweet.  I can only imagine what your Sisters would make of a pail full of a coupling like that!”  
  
    Porrim thought for a moment.  “I have no idea how we’d even be able to direct it into a bucket!”  
  
    Aranea patted her on the head.  “You think about that and let me know when you come up with a solution.”   
  
    “As opposed to thinking about how you were actually going to answer my question about your plans?”  
  
    “Shit,” Aranea cursed as she picked up the towels and tucked them under her arm before trying to grab at her clothing as well.  “Didn’t work…”  
  
    “I was just inside your head not terribly long ago.  Did you really think it would?”  
  
    Once she had everything in her hands as balanced as she could get it, Aranea exhaled sharply through her nose and said, “No, but a girl can dream, right?  Listen, love, you know how rarely I use this word, but when the time is right, I promiiiiiiiise I will tell you.  There’s a long story that goes with this, one that I haven’t had a chance to share.  Despite your reassurances, I’m genuinely worried that it may change the way you look at me, but you can also relax in knowing that your beliefs about me are right: my plans are benevolent in nature.   Maybe on a greater scale than anyone has ever dreamed of.”  
  
    Porrim smiled.  “You know, that doesn’t surprise me in the least.”  
  
    “Hey, I can’t stop thinking big.  Never could.  Now come on, grab your clothes and our pail – I know you want to be the one to carry it, Sister – and let’s head for the sub.  There’s nothing left here for us, I’m afraid.”  
  
    As Aranea started down the hill, Porrim caught up to her.  “Are you certain there’s nothing here for us?  I mean, what’s to become of all of this?”  
  
    Mindfang shrugged.  “I’ll have someone come and haul it away.  I mean, it’s all naught but trash.  Broken stuff, as you say.  I might be able to salvage my computer core backups, but everything else… my respiteblock is nothing but a complete MESS now.”     
  
    Porrim contemplated pointing out that Aranea’s respiteblock was a complete mess prior to the shelling but decided against it.  “Actually, I was kind of wondering more about if we’d ever come back here for anything.  This was a special place for us before, and I’d… kind of like to think that it just became a lot more so.”  
  
    Any renewed anger Aranea felt dissipated as quickly as it formed.  “Yeah, I hear you.  Tell you what, dear heart, maybe somenight we can come back here and build a cabin of some kind over the docking port.  It can be a little place we can escape to when we want to get away from the world.  Does that rock your boat?”  
  
    “If you’re asking if I like the idea, then yes, I’m all for it!”    
  
    “Some nights, Porrim, I forget just how sheltered you were – or at least how sheltered you pretend to be now and then,” Mindfang grumbled.  “I swear I can hear you smiling in my mind right now.  Anyway, it’s about a three hour trip from here to Base Two in a sub so there should be plenty of time for us to have a shower… if you’re still innnnnnnnterested, that is.”  
  
    “Of course!  But who’ll steer the sub this time?”  
  
    “I have the coordinates for Base Two.  If we run a hundred meters below the surface, the autopilot should get us most of the way there no problem.  If all goes well, we should be arriving just in time to wake everyone up after they’ve nicely fallen asleep.”  
    
    “We could just call ahead and let them know we’re coming,” Porrim suggested as she tightened her grip on the bucket while she adjusted her clothes under her other arm; the golden earring attached to the handle clanked against it as she did so.  
  
    Aranea considered this.  “Hmmmmmmmm… yes, I like the way you think.”  
   
    “So I gathered.”  
  
    “You pipe down back there; I’m still figuring this out.  Okay, yes, that’s a good idea.  I want as many folks down there as possible when I make my offer.”  
  
    Porrim eyed her suspiciously.  “Offer?”  
  
    “Oh, relax.  My nights of full-on crew orgies are over and done with, remember?  No, dear, what I want is to see who wants to volunteer for our next voyage!”  
  
    “Ah.  I see.  I was admittedly kinda hoping that we might spend a few nights on solid ground.”  
  
    Aranea laughed dramatically.  “Nope!  We did enough standing around on Horuss’s island, love.  In fact, this is likely going to be the longest voyage you’ve been on to date.”  
  
    “Oh good,” Porrim replied with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.  
  
    “Don’t be such a stick-in-the-mud, Porrim; this trip is, in a large way, for your benefit, you know.”  
  
    “It is?  How so?”  
  
    Mindfang began stepping through the debris as the path came to an end.  “I was planning on keeping it a surprise until we got to Base Two, but since you’re being such a nosy thing, I suppoooooooose I can spill the gaspods now.  I’m taking you and Felida somewhere to celebrate your kismesissitude, such as it is.  And by that, I mean I’m happy about it, don’t worry; if it were any less pale a spade, this wouldn’t be a thing that’s happening, believe me.  Anyway, I gather how concerned you are about actually hurting someone by scarring them, so let’s just say I’ve come up with an interesting alternative that I suspect you both will be more than happy with in lieu.”  
  
    Porrim waited for Aranea to continue and when she didn’t, asked, “Okay, so what is it you have in mind?”  
  
    “What’s the matter, my sweet; don’t you like anticiiiiiiii…”  
  
    Another lengthy pause.  “Really, Aranea?”  
  
    “-pation?”   
  
    Porrim groaned.  “If I could put my hand to my face right now, I would.”  
  
    “But you can’t, so you won’t,” Aranea teased.  “Anyway, lover, if you can promise not to break it to Felida until I can do so myself, our next port of call will be none other than Southend!”  
  
    “Southend?” Porrim asked, a mix of shock and incredulity in her voice.  “Wow!  I never thought I’d get to see that in my lifetime.  That’s going to take us… wow…”  
  
    “About a week and a half to get there on _Fool’s Gam8it_ , yes,” Mindfang answered.  
  
    As she reached the bottom of the stairs that led to the docking bays, Porrim set her bucket down and flexed her fingers.  “Thank you for answering my next question.  I’m not certain I could handle a week or more underwater in this sub.”  
  
    “Oh I know.  That’s why we’re taking the flagship.”  Aranea set her clothes and the towels down and stepped onto the sub to flip the entry hatch open.  “Much as I would get a kick out of playing with my new toy, I know how much the breeze means to you so we’ll take _Fool’s Gam8it_ instead.  I like to keep my matesprit happy, after all.”  
  
    “And who am I to argue?  So… why Southend?”  
  
    Aranea rolled her eyes.  “Won’t let up, eh?  Fiiiiiiiine… I happen to know that there are many folks residing there who are quite gifted in one particular form of artistic expression.”  
  
    Porrim had an idea what she was talking about and was more excited about the idea than she thought she would me.  “Such as?”  
  
    “Here’s a hint…”  Mindfang flipped her long black hair to the side to expose her back and the spider web tattoo that covered the whole of her back, including the deep blue scars that ran across it.  “I remember the shop this was done in well; I can’t help but wonder if it’s still there.  What say we find out?” 

 

 

 


	22. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaerah Krysli finds herself in a High Justiceblock full of purplebloods and violetbloods, arguing as they often do, but the actions of one seadweller in particular have drawn the ire of another... one with a higher blood colour than them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure most of you saw something like this coming (one of you in particular!). :) Not gonna lie, I had some fun writing this one. Decided to create some closure where Redglare was concerned as well. NOTE: This marks the end of "Act I" of the story. The second arc picks up shortly after where the first ended. 
> 
> By the way, thank you to my Ao3 readers for making this the fastest story of mine to 2000+ views! Glad you're still enjoying it and I hope that the next Act is just as interesting!
> 
> Soundtrack songs: Both #31 and #32 come from an old SNES game I love, "Axelay", and if I were to have written music for seadwellers, it would have sounded an awful lot like this. By the way, are any of you listening to my soundtracks? I really need to get on songs for the next set of chapters. 
> 
> 8REAKING F8 SOUNDTRACK (ACT I): Link

   
 ** 21. **

    Kaerah Krysli looked out the window of the Grand Justiceblock  and watched the Grand Motherfucking Faygo Fountain spew its multicoloured swill at regular intervals, silently hoping that it would keep the Grand Highblood from pestering her for a while.   It also kept her from having to look at the grisly sight in the center of the block, laid out for all to see.   _It’s bad enough that he keeps what’s left of that poor tealblooded Neophyte in the middle of the damn hall but to just leave the blue sword in the middle of her seems somewhat… disrespectful._

    “Overseer!  Stop admiring the fountain and get over here!”

    _So much for blending in to the background tonight…_  Kaerah obliged and joined the rest of the highbloods that had gathered here, some in person, some by remote.  “Admiring is far too strong a word, Sir.”

    “Contrary to popular belief, Krysli, this is not a time for mirth.  All right, motherfuckers, gather around!”  

    Everyone in the block made their way to stand around the table in the center where the remains of Latula Pyrope lay.  Kaerah noted there were multiple viewscreens around, most of which were showing the faces of various violetbloods that were at sea or purplebloods who were elsewhere on the planet.  The assembled Admiralty kept to themselves, unwilling to stand too close to the collection of landdwellers.  The Subjuggalators were just as happy to stand apart from the violetbloods that looked down their noses at them; they weren’t thrilled about being talked down to by anyone, even those that Alternian society deemed their superiors.  

    “What the hell are we doing here, anyway?” one of the Admirals demanded.  “I have better things to do than stand around and let my sniffnodes by assaulted by that stench.  And it doesn’t help that there’s a corpse in the room, either!”

    The violetbloods cackled uproariously but their laughing died down when they realized that the Subjuggalators were laughing right along with them and just as loudly.

    “A seadweller with a sense of humour,” growled the Grand Highblood.  “That’s a rare sight.  I gather Ampora sorely lacked one or perhaps that sword might not have all up and opened his motherfucking throat.”

    “Still your purple tongue or I’ll have this chamber filled with seawater and see who’s laughing a few minutes later,”  hissed Malwil Syhale, current Admiral of the Fleet.  Only the ten-thousand sweep old Fleet Admiral Nimitz Yamato,  who stood ramrod straight in his dress uniform behind him, was his senior in the block, but since Yamato was reduced to little more than a mascot under the Condesce, Syhale had taken to the task of leading the Alternian Navy with savage relish.  

    “See what I mean about rare?  Thank you for proving my motherfucking point, Admiral,” Makara chuckled.  “And as for your sudden influx of seawater, the only person here who might be able to make that happen so quickly would be Overseer Krysli.  You can thank her for getting that lovely fucking Faygo fountain out front up and running in such a short period of time.”

    Kaerah tried her best to dodge the sudden attention being quite intentionally sent her way the Grand Highblood with a tight grin and a short wave, but she suspected the damage was already done.   _Thanks oh so much for rubbing my nose in that, Assclown.  You know just how happy I was to have that monstrosity built… which was not at all._  

    “I honestly couldn’t care less if she could shit sandwiches, Makara,” Syhale continued.  “I want to know wh-” He was interrupted by renewed guffaws from the Subjuggalators.  “What?  What’s so damn funny?”

    “You actually all up and proved me wrong, Admiral.  Maybe you do have a motherfucking sense of humour after all.”  The Grand Highblood looked past the cackling purplebloods and directly at Krysli.  “Tell me, Overseer, is that something you are, in fact, capable of doing?”

    Her eyes shot daggers back in response.   _When someone finally guts you, Kurloz, all I ask is that I’m there to see it happen._  Kaerah gritted her teeth and replied, “My nook lacks that particular talent, Sir.  Sorry to disappoint you, unless of course you’ve got a coprophagic streak I wasn’t aware of.  Sir.”

    This time it was the violetbloods who were hooting with laughter.  “My word, this one certainly is unlike any other purpleblood I’ve ever encountered!  Bit of a spitfire, eh?” Yamato remarked.  

    “I’ll say,” Syhale added, “She even knows how to dress herself properly, which is more than I can say for the rest of you lot!”  

    This time the Subjuggalators weren’t laughing, instead glaring at the uniformed Admirals across the block from them.  “Sometimes a uniform isn’t exactly uniform, Admiral,” snarled Makara.  “As for the Overseer of Capitol, if you seem to think so highly of her motherfucking talents, I’m sure that my wicked sister could entertain you in many different fashions if you ask her nicely enough.  Or even if you didn’t…”

    _Seriously?  Eat shit and die, clown!_  Krysli was about to less-than-politely decline the offer being made on her behalf when one of the Admirals on a screen piped up, “Enough of this nonsense!  The only question remaining is what to do next about Mindfang!”

    “Next?” the Grand Highblood asked.

    “Well, I suppose word hasn’t trickled down to the likes of you yet, but my fleet has already taken the liberty of knocking her hive down around her sponge clots.”

    _Oh no!  Tell me Aurana wasn’t in it at the time!_  Kaerah felt her pusher quicken but she tried her best not to let any emotion show.  
   
    “Well done, Onagan!” shouted Syhale, crossing his arms.  

    “And why the fuck did you do that?”

    “I wouldn’t expect a landdweller to understand,” Vice Admiral Onagan sneered, “but when someone crosses a troll of the Navy, they can expect the entire Navy to stand behind them.  Especially  when the one who was crossed was a violetblood!  We were able to find it based on records from Admiral Ampora’s datapad; I really have no idea if she was in it at the time, nor do I care.  While your little pet Neophyte did a fine job in sinking a fair number of her ships before she met her… er, demise, Mindfang still has plenty of vessels at her disposal and the means to obtain more.  The fact that she has a battleship in her possession is intolerable, but our next step is to find her and sink her scurrilous fleet once and for all!”

    “YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING.”

    Every single eye in the Grand Justiceblock was on the large center screen that hung on the far wall over the front entrance, for upon it was the face of Her Imperious Condescension.  The Subjuggalators, save for the Grand Highblood, bowed while the Admirals saluted, some more crisply than others.  “Your Highness,” Kurloz welcomed,   “I have assembled the Admiralty and my Subjuggalators as you have commanded.”

    “Good.  At least SOMEBODY here knows how to fucking listen!”  She looked around the hall.  “Which one of you imbeshells  was just bragging about knocking over Mindfang’s hive?”

    “I was!” answered Onagan, with a lack of courtesy that almost all present noticed immediately.  Even Kaerah, who very rarely saw the Condesce herself, felt her stomach tighten.  

    “I don’t see you… let me patch you in,” the Condesce said, entering a sequence of commands on a keyboard from aboard the Battleship Condescension.  “There.  Okay, shit-for-pan, what part of my orders to leave Mindfang the fuck alone didn’t compute?”

    Fleet Admiral Syhale watched through narrowed eyes.  The Grand Highblood smirked openly.

    “The part where it was one of my colleagues who lost his life at her hand!  Obviously you don’t give two fucks about it, but Cronus was a good friend and mentor to me!  I am honourbound to find his killer and avenge him, even if you can’t be bothered to attend to such things.”

    The Condesce smiled sweetly.  “Is that what you think, Admiral?  Please… do go on.”

    _You fool…_ Kaerah thought, but she couldn’t stop watching.

    “You know, there are a number of us who’ve had about enough of this lack of interest on your part, especially where the likes of Gamblignants like Mindfang are concerned!”  
Onagan continued, “I mean, how do you even call yourself a seadweller anymore?  More like a… a spacedweller, really!  If you actually gave a damn, you’d give us the go-ahead to hunt down the likes of her and drag her festering corpse through the underwater tubes of Capitol for all to see!  We’d mount her head like a fucking trophy!  THAT’S what you’re supposed to do to landdwelling TRASH that DARES to set foot on the sea without our permiss-  wait… what the… why is there counting coming over the… speakers…”

    “That, Admiral Onagan, as I’m certain your well-trained Imperial Navy thinkpan has deduced by now, is the sound of your self-destruct mechanism advising you that you have seconds to live.  You see, I thought I made it PERCHFECTLY CLEAR quite a few sweeps ago that Mindfang was NOT to be bothered!  She has free reign to take what she pleases and if that happens to include the life of a vain, mentally unstable, self-interested Admiral who can’t tell the difference between red and black, then SO BE IT.  She serves a purpose:  keeping the likes of you on their toes!  Without Gamblignants, you weak, pathetic fools would be even weaker and more pathetic, bobbing around and scratching your globes and flaps, waiting for something to shoot at to float by and more than likely just launching your missiles at each other!  I don’t give a floating fuck if she stole a battleship!  If she did, it was because you or your captains weren’t paying attention!  Or, and this is the most likely explanation, maybe she’s just smarter than you.  And I mean you in particular, Imasso Onagan.  Only the dumbest troll alive would even THINK about doing what you just did.  So conchgratulations on earning that distinction; it’ll be a rather short lived one, but I’m certain your crew will help you celebrate it in the afterlife.  So long, sucker!"

    Admiral Onagan didn’t even have a chance to reply before his screen winked out, along with his existence.  

    “Now,” the Condesce continued, “know what I found most finteresting about that little exchange?  The fact that he mentioned a number of you felt the same way.  Isn’t that codd?  He must have been saying that simply to make it seem like he wasn’t the only one who got to die today, right?  I mean, you violetbloods are just one big happy family where everybody gets along swimmingly and has each others’ dorsal fins if someone says or does something unkind about them.  That IS how it is, right?  WELL, GET THIS THROUGH YOUR THICK PANS: I’M YOUR FUCKING LUSUS!  IF ANY OF YOU SO MUCH AS FANTISIZES ABOUT KRILLING MINDFANG, I WILL RIP YOUR SORRY EXCUSE FOR A THINKPAN RIGHT OUT OF YOUR SKULL AND FEED IT TO GL’BGOLYB MYSELF, EVEN IF IT MEANS TREKKING ACROSS A FEW THOUSAND LIGHTSWEEPS TO DO IT!   I WILL DECORATE THE SEAFLOOR WITH YOUR BONES SO THAT THE FISH HAVE SOMETHING TO PLAY WITH!  DON’T THINK THAT I WON’T!  DO I MAKE MYSHELLF CLEAR?”

    Every single violetblood present nodded, as did the ones watching remotely.  She turned her focus directly on one individual in particular.  “ESPECIALLY YOU, SYHALE!  YOU’RE IN CHARGE OF THIS SORRY SCHOOL OF SHITPANS.  Chase her if you must, defend yourshellves against her if she attacks you, but if anyone actively harms so much as one single hair on Marquise Spinneret Mindfang without my say-so, I’LL HAVE A TENTACLE JAMMED SO FAR UP YOUR NOOK, PEOPLE WILL THINK YOUR TONGUE HAS SUCKERS ON IT!  DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME???”

    A solitary bead of sweat trickled down Malwil Syhale’s  face and dripped off of his square chin.  “Y-yes, your Highness.  I understand fully.”

    “Good.  Now as for you blithering idiots,” she said, looking at the collected purplebloods and their various strange outfits and makeup, “the same applies to you.  If she’s on land, let her be.  Let the Grand Highblood know what she’s up to, by all means, but if one of you decides that you’d like to juggle her head or something equally not allowed, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU WILL END UP IN A BOTTLE OF FAYGO!!!”

    Yamato squinted as he tried to remember something relevant about this.  “But I was under the impression that Faygo was already at least sixty percent…”

    “STOW IT, OLD MAN.  THEY DON’T NEED TO KNOW THAT.”

    “Right, yes, Your Highness.”

    The Condesce turned her attention to the body in the middle of the Justiceblock.  “As for Neophyte Whatsherspheres there, do what you want with her but that sword is MINE.  Kurloz, go get it.  Right now.”

    “As you wish, Your Highness.”  The Grand Highblood rose from his throne and walked past the rows of chastised violet- and purplebloods until he stood in front of Pyrope’s bloated remains.  He turned his head ever so slightly to look Kaerah in the eyes as he ripped the blue blade from Redglare’s midsection, causing the trapped gasses to escape.  Almost everyone in the block started gagging or tearing up from the foul odor; only Makara himself seemed unfazed.  He shook the congealed droplets of teal from the sword and then slowly returned to his seat, a satisfied smirk on his lips as he listened to the Admiralty do their very best not to retch before the Subjuggalators did.   _Good luck with that,_ he thought to himself as he took the stairs.

    The Condesce nodded approvingly as she saw Mindfang’s sword in the Grand Highblood’s grip.  “Well, it looks like my work here is done for the night.  NOW SMARTEN THE FUCK UP BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN ANYTIME SOON, GOT IT?”  The central viewscreen went black without any warning, leaving the assembled highbloods to deal with her command.

    Kaerah turned around in an effort not to lose her lunch but as she did, her HoneyComb vibrated in her pocket.   _Please be Aurana Please be Aurana Please Please Please…_  She snuck it out and took a glimpse.  The message made her pusher leap:  “Hey K!  Home at last!  Anything interesting happen while I was gone?”

    Kaerah was about to type out a response to the effect of _you wouldn’t believe me if I told you_ when the Grand Highblood bellowed, “YOU HEARD HER.  GET THE FUCK OUT, ALL OF YOU.”  The Grand Justiceblock began to empty and Kaerah decided it would be in her best interest to slip out with the crowd so she could write her reply when the sound she dreaded most filled her sponge clots.  “Not you, Overseer.  I have a need for you yet.”

    Hand shaking, she returned the HoneyComb to her pocket.   _I bet you do.  Need for humiliation, I bet.  Not tonight, you slobbering fuckwit._  “And what need would that be?  Sir?”

    “First, I need you to clean up this mess,” Makara said, gesturing to the puddles of vomit on the floor in the vicinity of where the violetblood Admiralty was standing a few moments prior.  

    Krysli sighed.  “Great.  I’ll get right on that.  Anything else once I’m done disposing of that chunder-chowder, Sir?”

    “As a matter of fact, yes…” he began.  “You can tend to Neophyte Redglare’s remains as well.”

    _Of course.  I better keep that puke mop right at hand while I’m doing that._  “Fine.”

    Makara exhaled loudly; the sound startled Kaerah.  “I want you to burn her body and store the ashes in the Columbarium of Honour.”

    This request caught Kaerah so completely off-guard she didn’t know what to say.  “Oh.  All right.  I can do that, Sir.”  A realization suddenly crossed her thinkpan.  “Well, I would have been able to do that except you blew up the Columbarium of Honour when you leveled the spot to build your Motherfucking Faygo Fountain.  Sir.”

    “Well then go build a new motherfucking Columbarium of Honour and put her ashes all up in it.  Don’t leave until it’s done.  Got it?”

    Kaerah’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times as various responses died in her throat unspoken.  Resignedly, she nodded and went to find a mop.  As she did so, she noticed Makara walk up to Pyrope’s remains, place his hand on her for a few moments, and then exit the Grand Justiceblock.   _Never thought I’d see the night,_ she thought as she extracted a cart with cleaning supplies from a closet.  As she deployed the mop, she started to consider her lot in life.   _I’m supposed to be the head of the civic governing body of the biggest city on Alternia and here I am, cleaning up violetblood vomit.  And then, when I’m done, I’m going to pull a columbarium out of my nook, apparently.  Might as well start writing the message now… “Hey A!  Glad you’re home!  Looks like I’m going to be working some overtime again tonight – the usual: building a giant fucking monument to put a dead tealblood into.  Whoever the hell this woman is, she must’ve done something pretty damn interesting to come back with Mindfang’s sword in her stomach!  Don’t suppose you’d know anything about it?”_

 


	23. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Fool's Gam8it arrives in Southend, a wild and wily part of Alternia, in search of shop where Aranea can present Porrim and Felida with a fitting kismesissitude gift: tattoos. Mindfang discovers the artist seems rather familiar but she can't quite put a finger on why...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those of you who have read my previous works, "Nobody Lives Forever" in particular, are going to have some theories concerning said tattoo artist. I'm going to leave it to you to figure it out. Those of you who haven't might want to visit that story and see how Mindfang was involved with another of the known Ancestors... it might make the next chapters that much more enjoyable (or as my editor, [Mercale](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercale/pseuds/Mercale), would say, heartbreaking).
> 
> Don't have the soundtrack ready for this Act yet, but for the opening sequence, check out Zero 7's "Look Up" for the start of it while you're waiting.

  
** 22. **

    “Magnificent…”

    “Aren’t they?  And here you thought it was just going to be the city itself that was breathtakiiiiiiiing…”

    _Fool’s Gam8it_ was, for one of the few times in its modern existence, running under sail power as it drifted towards the lights of Southend; all of its glowglobes were shut off so as to minimize light interference.  It wasn’t the city lights that awed Porrim, but the ones in the sky that twisted and turned and wended their way between the stars.  The entire crew was up on the deck, wide eyed as grubs seeing moonlight for the first time.  Only Mindfang herself had seen the spectacle before but she was almost as pie-eyed as they, enchanted by the shimmering greens and purples and blues created by the magnetic storm.

    “They’re called auroras,” Aranea explained.  “They’re created when large bursts of solar radiation hit the planet’s magnetic field.  I was hoping you’d get to see them while we were this far south, but I certainly wasn’t expecting they’d be so prominent as soon as we arrived!  Stroke of luck, this is.”

    “I’m not sure what’s more amazing:  that I can be so excited about colours in the sky or the fact that there can be colours in the sky so exciting!” Felida said, clinging to the railing and watching as raptly as everyone else.  

    Porrim couldn’t have possibly agreed more with that sentiment.  She simply gazed in silent wonder at the ribbons of light and colour, bending and twisting and dancing.   _I can’t believe this is even real!  Such wonders… I can only guess at what else this world has in store to see!  
   
    The next ones will be trollmade, love, but even the greatest things that our hands can make pale beside natural spectacles such as this one,_ Aranea silently said to Porrim as she came to stand beside her matesprit.   _One cannot command them to appear; they simply form due to circumstance.  We just happen to be in the right place at the right time.  Considering our misfortune as of late, I find their presence rather comforting; hopefully a sign of better things to come._

    “Do the people who live here ever get tired of seeing this?” Porrim asked out loud.

    Mindfang placed a hand on top of Porrim’s shoulder.  “Last time I was here, even the most beleaguered and downtrodden person was happy to see the Southern Lights.  Condy still isn’t charging for this light show, at least.  It’s a simple yet spectacular pleasure that everyone appreciates, land- and seadweller alike.   Of course, those finfaces need to actually pop their heads above water to see them, but that’s their problem.”

    Porrim chuckled but did her best to put things like bloodcaste out of her pan as she watched the colours in the sky shine; she swore there were even reds and violets together in amongst the bands of green and blue.   _Such an obvious metaphor but then it’s one I wish everyone could see._  

    “It’s thoughts like that one that actually inspire me you know, dear heart.”  

    “Sorry… Forgot I was broadcasting,” Porrim said sheepishly.

    “Don’t be sorry; I was kind of listening in again.  I like experiencing your wonder; it rekindles my own.  Sometimes even the way you look at the ocean reminds me why I love it so.”

    “Really?  Sometimes I’m still quietly freaking out about it when there’s nothing but water as far as the eye can see.   I bet that doesn’t exactly excite you.”

    “More than you know,” Aranea said reassuringly.  “You still have awe and respect for the sea, while I tend to tear across it rather cavalierly.  It helps remind me that even when all seems quiet, I still need to keep my wits about me, just in case.”

    Porrim recalled the storm that tossed them around three nights prior; she was grateful for Aranea’s soothing abilities as she was quite worried about whether her meals from the past week were going to make an encore appearance.  “Glad you can find something positive in it, then.  I still worry my inexperience is a burden.”

    “Far from it, love.  You take a shift on deck maintenance, Felida or I do weapons training with you, or you spend time below deck studying some of the files Horuss sent you.  And as for your other talents, I’m pretty sure Wexlin appreciates your sewing skills after that storm tossed that loose sword on the deck  at him; both he and his shirt needed stitching after that!”

    “I’m not convinced I didn’t leave that sword out in the first place!” Porrim lamented.  “It was the very least I could do…”

    Aranea sent her lover a reassuring thought.  “I’m sure he’s just happy you were able to fix him up.  He’s had lots worse than that, you know.”

    Porrim thought about the scars all over Dresel’s chest and arms.  “I don’t doubt that.  I just feel bad enough about adding to them.”

    “Funny thing is,” Aranea said, letting her fingers stroke the back of Porrim’s neck, “I gather he’s just as excited about finding a tattoo artist as you are.  I think he means to cover a few of those with ink.  Then again, maybe he just wants to get some body art.  Can’t blame the guy.”

    “Are you planning to get more done yourself, then?”

    Mindfang answered with a coy smile.  “Maybeeeeeeee…  Depends on a few things.”

    “Such as?”

    “Are you being nosy again, my sweet?”

    Porrim put her face against Aranea’s neck and started sniffing it, which made the blueblood captain laugh and playfully push her away.  “Is that what you mean by nosy?”

    “Noooooooo, but close enough.  What would you think if I did get a tattoo or two myself?”

    “It’s your skin, Aranea.”

    “Well, yes, but you’re the one who’s going to have to look at it for the rest of your life.”

    “As long as it doesn’t involve Dualscar’s face anywhere, I think I can handle it,” Porrim said.  

    Aranea touched her matesprit’s mind again.  “You’re only half-kidding, aren’t you?”

    “You tell me.”

    “Riiiiiiiight.  Okay, no Amporas.  I think I can handle that request, love.”

    “Whatcha talkin’ bout over here?” Felida asked as she sidled up beside them.  

    “Well, I’m taking bets on when Porrim starts throwing you over the side.  I have twenty caegars on next Wormsday, mid-evening.   See that you don’t disappoint me, ladies.”  She kissed Porrim and then Felida before putting her arms around both.  

    “Pssh.  Porrim’s gonna have to come up with her own pitch games, I think.  Swordplay sure seems to get her hot and bothered, though!”

    Porrim’s cheeks blushed with green as she grinned.  Even without Aurana there to instruct them, she and Felida often found their hand-to-hand combat practice ending up with more hand-to-flap blacktice.   Even Aranea couldn’t help but laugh when she watched it boil over once.  

    “Whatever works for you two.”  Aranea let them have their moments during the evening while she shared her bed with Porrim or Felida in the morning.  What had been most interesting to her was that if those sessions ended quickly or if there was simply no sexuality to be had that day, the three of them would sleep together in the same bed.  She could feel the sexual tension off of the other two and while she wanted to nudge all three of them in the same direction, Aranea still wasn’t certain Porrim was ready for that.   _I don’t think it’s far off; my darling Porrim is finding her way rather quickly and her confidence and comfort grow by the night.  I certainly hoped for something like this in a way, but never suspected it would happen quite like this.  When the dam breaks, the results could be… exciiiiiiiiting.  But all in due time, of course.  I have to learn to let things happen sometimes instead of forcing the issue…_

    “Actually, we were talking about what we’re planning to get for tattoos,” Porrim told Felida.  “I’m thinking of getting one of your face on my arm so I can scare off the next people who try to board the ship with it.”

    “Yeah, that’s funny; I was thinking of getting your face tattooed on my face so that I could do the same and make you have to look at your face all the time!”  She stuck her olive tongue out at Porrim for added emphasis.

    “You two are pathetic,” Aranea said.  “and I love it.  We’ll discuss our impending ink later, loves.  For now, just relax and look up…”

    The green and the pink moons above seemed to be embraced by the flickering streams of light and as Aranea embraced her lovers, she couldn’t think of a time when she was more at ease with the world in a very long time.

 

 

 

    “You’re sure the ship is going to be safe there?” Porrim asked as they made their way down the dock towards the bustling streets ahead.  

    “Quite honestly, love, it’s not safe anywhere, but the people I’m paying to keep an eye on it, not to mention the crew rotation I’ve set up to make sure there’s someone aboard at all times in case someone needs to get my attention, will make it as safe as it can possibly be.”   Mindfang held onto her matesprit’s hand as they stepped off of the wooden structure and onto the sidewalk.  “The people of Southend tend to be rather honourable, despite their reputation for being particularly tough.  It can strengthen a people’s spirit and desire for cooperation when pretty much everything around you is trying to kill you at all hours.”

    Porrim gripped Aranea’s hand with the jade ring that much tighter.  “What kind of things and where are they?”

    Felida pinched Porrim’s behind and chuckled when the jadeblood yelped and gave her a nasty look in return.  “Silver-Fingered Asspinchers.  They’re everywhere.”  

    “Somehow I suspect there’s only one of those and it’s right beside me,” Maryam said with mock accusation.  

    “I suspect you’re right,” Aranea answered.  “All that aside, you’re going to see some tough customers around here.  The good news is that you’ve got two of the toughest on either side of you right now so you should have little to worry about.”

    “For which I’m quite grateful, thank you very much!”  Porrim’s head was on a swivel as she took in the bright lights of the myriad of shops and pubs that ran almost as far as she could see.  It didn’t take long for her to notice what her matesprit was talking about where the people were concerned, though: much like Felida, she noticed quite a few of the sailors among the crowd were partially blinded or missing limbs; some had received the benefit of quality of cybernetics, but many either couldn’t afford a prosthetic or were using rudimentary wooden ones.   _This isn’t right.  Cost shouldn’t preclude people who work dangerous jobs from receiving the treatments they need._

    Porrim watched the sea of people flowing around either side of her and her quads ( _so amazing to actually be thinking of them like that,_ she thought, _a sweep ago I couldn’t have imagined such a thing_ ); many were laughing loud, carrying bottles of various interesting liquids and lost in celebration, while others toiled quietly or sat against the walls of the storefronts.  Many were playing instruments; one played something that appeared like a long wooden flute that produced bass notes that made Porrim’s horns tingle.   _What a peculiar sound; I feel it almost more than I hear it.  I won-_

    As one person pushed past her, another all but bumped squarely into her.  “Oi!  Watch out, eh?”

    She extended a hand to try and regain her balance and it rested on the stout man who bumped into her.  “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to-”

    Before the words were out of her mouth, the man began to howl loudly, which made Porrim jump back away from him.  What is going on here?  Porrim watched as Aranea raised his hand; two of his fingers were hanging in a most unnatural position.  

    “Those two are just broken.  You have eight seconds to apologize to my matesprit for trying to steal her token before I opt to remove them entiiiiiiiirely.”   When he didn’t respond right away, Aranea flicked one of the damaged digits to encourage him.

    “hhuurrggghhhh... Sorry!”

    “That’s better.  Now, move along and don’t let me see your face again.”  She released her grip on his wrist and gave him a shove to send him on his way.  “Now, Porrim, don’t let...”

    In the time it took Porrim to realize she heard the words “fucking bitch...” being muttered, she saw Felida suddenly turn and grab a knife being thrust at Mindfang’s back with her metal hand.  A split second later, that knife was in the chest of the man holding it with his undamaged right hand.  As he hit the ground, choking on his own blood, many of the crowd turned to look at the commotion, but then decided to mind their own business and keep walking.  Porrim was uncertain how much of this was Aranea’s influence or if this was just sort of an everynight occurrence here.  

    Aranea made a tsking noise.  “Some people are just too stupid to live, sad to say.   Let’s get going; I’d rather not be here when the Enforcers  find that, but to answer your question, love, let’s just say it won’t be the first random body with a knife in it they find tonight, nor the last.”  

    Porrim cast a look over her shoulder at their would-be-attacker; people passed by him on either side, some shaking their heads, others just stepping over the body.  

    “Don’t let this dissuade you from your altruistic thoughts earlier, dear heart; most of the people here are generally very laid back, but this particular part of town can be a touch... rough around the edges, let’s say.  This is why it’s imperative that while we’re here you should make certain you’re with either myself or Felida at all times.”  
“I’ve been to some pretty shady places before,” Porrim protested.  

    “And when you were there the only thing of value you likely had on you was your son and his message.  Granted, that was more valuable than all the gold in Condy’s jewelry box, but far less likely to be nicked by some adventurous cutpurse.  Not everyone here has done so well for themselves as we have, obviously; I do feel for them and think that there are many that would support the idea of a change in leadership, but for now, they’d be more than happy to help themselves to your token and trade it for far less than its worth.”  

    Porrim looked down at her large sapphire in its golden spider setting.  “I still feel like this is far too nice for someone like me to be wearing...”

    Aranea sighed.  “Haven’t we been through this, love?  It’s yours.  You deserve it.  I know you don’t feel the same way about opulent wealth as many do, but let it be your treasure.”

    Maryam reached into her sash and gently caressed the golden hoop she kept there.  “I kept another treasure of yours for some time, recall.”

    “Yeah, I know.  Don’t worry, that one will find a proper home verrrrrrrry shortly.”

    Felida gave them a curious look.  “What’s this I hear about treasure?”

    “You’ll see soon enough, my sweet.  Besides, my greatest treasures are walking right beside me.  I don’t think anyone would be foolish enough to dare and steal you two away; I’d say ask the last ones who tried, but suspect they wouldn’t have a lot to say on the matter anymore...”

    Both women beside Mindfang smiled at the thought, but Porrim noticed that Felida was already scanning the crowd around them again.   _Maybe Aranea’s right; I need to learn how to keep my eyes open; I may look like a Gamblignant now, but I don’t necessarily act like one._  She glanced down at the sword tucked into her sash.   _Strangely, I’m starting to get used to that being there._

    _In a way, I’m glad to hear it, love,_ Aranea replied mentally, _but in a way I mourn your loss of innocence.  Nonetheless, practicality must trump idealism sometimes.  Especially in a place such as this.  I honestly believe no one will give us any further grief tonight; woe to anyone who dares!_

    Porrim looked at her matesprit and smiled.   _Your confidence is infectious, did you know that?_

    _So I’ve hearrrrrrrrd..._  Aranea searched the alleyways ahead.  “If I recall correctly, we take a right between the cardshive and the brothel with the neon bucket sign...”

    As they approached those buildings, Porrim noticed that both appeared to be doing brisk business judging by the amount of people coming and going.  She also detected a wide grin on Felida’s face.

    “Remember what happened last time we went into a cardshive, Captain?”

    “I do indeed,” Aranea chortled.  “By the time we were done in there, half the clientele wanted to fuck us while the other half wanted to fight us.”

    Porrim swallowed.  “So... which half won out?”

    Felida was about to answer when Mindfang said, “Oh, look!  There it is...”

    “How convenient.”

    Both Aranea and Felida laughed while Porrim just shook her head.  “I think the Captain should tell you that story,” Felida said.  “Just know that if you ever have a desire to try your hand at cards, having an empath for a moirail or matesprit can make for a decidedly interesting night of gaming!”

    Porrim had never played a hand of cards for money in her life, but remembered that Mituna Captor was fond of playing a game called Watch Me until it became rather obvious he had an advantage that others didn’t and was promptly ejected from the premises.  If he could escape detection, the result was often enough funds for their group to live on when people were too scared to donate.  “I’ve seen what can happen when a ringer gets caught; I would say you’re probably lucky to have escaped but then, luck seems to be one of your strong suits, Aranea.”

   “‘Spinneret’ here if you please, love.  Just in case someone has nosy sponge clots.  And before you say anything about noses being nowhere near sponge clots, Snarky McFussyfangs, I already know.  Now, come on... I can’t believe this place is actually still here!  Sometimes I do get lucky, don’t I?”

    Felida tittered at Mindfang’s nickname for Porrim, who just rolled her eyes in response.  “Hey, Jadebutt, I noticed you’re not really one for handing out pet names.  How come?”

    “I don’t know... It’s just not something I tend to think of, I suppose.  You wouldn’t find it weird if I called you anything but Felida?”

    “Hardly!  The Captain doesn’t call me much besides that, other than her usual ‘my sweets’ and ‘loves’; she saves ‘dear heart’ for you obviously, and calls Aurana ‘pet’ now and then, but despite being her moirail, she doesn’t tend to call me much of anything... except in the respiteblock.”

    “Which is where those names shall stay, my sweet,” Aranea interjected.  “And I mostly call you those for your benefit, after all; you do rather like some of those expressions when the mood is right, but I don’t suspect calling you ‘my dirty little bucket guzzler’ on deck as a term of endearment would be appropriate.”

    Porrim’s eyes widened as she looked at Felida, who sported a toothy grin.  “See, Porrim?  You’ve got a lot to learn about nicknames.  I’ll have you calling me all kinds of things before long!”

    “Perhaps?”  She reached behind Mindfang and gave Felida’s rear a quick pinch in retaliation for the one she received earlier.  

    “Ah, new hate, eternal as the breeze,” Aranea remarked as she opened the door.  “Now, if you two can keep your hands off of each other for a few minutes, I’m going to find out if the original proprietor still owns the place.”

    Mindfang stepped into the foyer.  The lighting was dim save for a series of pot lamps overhead, which illuminated large books full of artwork and photos of work done on previous clients sitting on a broad curved whitewood counter.  “Hello?  Anyone home?”  She looked to her left, there was a glass door and behind it, a blueblooded fellow was sipping a cup of tea while standing at a counter, reading a datapad.   _Well, I’ll be..._

    She was about to call out to him when the door from behind the counter opened.  A maroonblooded woman emerged wearing a simple red smock and a matching red mask over her face; her hair was done up in braids that wound around the back of her head.  “I help you; boss not like be disturbed,”  she stated in broken Trollish.  

    “Oh…”  Mindfang looked the short woman over.   _No real surprises here; the woman who did my back wore a similar garb.  Said it was for hygiene.  Obviously not the same artist, of course; my back was done hundreds of sweeps ago._ “All right.  I’m looking to book tattoos for myself and two friends, as well as an ear piercing for one of them.  Do you have time?”

    “What colour your cash?”

    Aranea ran a quick scan over her.   _Nothing… just like last time.  I’m beginning to wonder if the boss has abilities like my own or if he just knows of cerulean talents and has found countermeasures._  “My cash tends towards the gold side.”  She reached into a small purse she kept under her skirt and retrieved a handful of golden caegars, which she dumped onto the counter.  “Does this mean you have an opening tonight, then?”

    To Mindfang’s surprise, the maroonblood didn’t get excited or rush to scoop the money up.  “Yes.  Bring your friends.  We start now.”  

    “Very well!  I appreciate your enthusiasm!”  The maroonblooded woman didn’t reply but set off to the back to prepare.   _Perhaps I spoke too soon…_  Aranea opened the front entrance and said, “Looks like we’re in business, ladies.  Come on in!”

    As Porrim studied her surroundings, she began to feel a touch of nervousness slip into her stomach.  “This is going to hurt, isn’t it?”

    Her matesprit nodded.  “Yes, dear heart, but then, many of the good things in life often do at first.  I’m certain you’d agree?  Perhaps we can even do something about those scars on your back; turn them into something positive?”

    Porrim thought about this.  “It would be nice, yes…”

    Felida glanced her over.  “When we get in there, pop that vest and blouse of yours off; I think I have an idea!”

    Maryam’s eyes got a lot wider.  “Oh!  You don’t think she’ll mind?”

    “You have got to be kidding me.  Tell me you’re kidding, Jadebutt.”

    “She’s not this time, Felida.  I think you should show her one of those books.”

    “Good idea.”  Oceleo grabbed the nearest book on the curved desk; it was massive and heavy, but full of laminated photos.  “I wonder how old some of these are.  Anyhow, check out this one.”

    “Oh my!  That looks… rather painful.”

    Felida chuckled.  “Yeah, I hear the rib ones are nasty, particularly over the old leg spaces.  Now have a look at… this!”

    “YOU CAN GET A TATTOO THERE?”

    This time Mindfang was cackling; she knew full well what Porrim was looking at.  “Why, yessssssss… Would you like one?  I’m sure this nice lady has inked her share of seedflaps.  Would you like teeth drawn around yours?”

    “NO THANKS LET’S SEE WHAT ELSE IS IN THIS BOOK SHALL WE?”

    Both Aranea and Felida were nearly in tears from laughing.  “Don’t worry, love; the only one of us who might actually consider it is Felida here,” Mindfang said.  

    “Nah.  I might get something pierced down there again but after what happened last time…”

    “Say no more, my sweet.  That was… unfortunate.”

    Porrim shot them both worried glances.  “Dare I ask?”

    “Ask Felida about her scar down there sometime.  I’ll leave it at that.”

    “Seems to be an awful lot of unfinished stories for some reason tonight,” Porrim quipped as she continued to leaf through the massive portfolio.  “Some of these flutterbys are lovely.”

    “I gather that’s this artist’s specialty,” Felida said as she stood beside Porrim, thumbing through another of the books.  “She does some pretty mean symbols, too.”

    “Really?  Let’s see…”  Porrim leaned over to see what the oliveblood was looking at.  “Those are some interesting variations.”

    Felida nodded.  “I know!  Actually, that’s kinda what I was thinking for your back…”

    Porrim looked at the photos again and then back to her kismesis-to-be.  “How so?”

    “The three scars you have: you can kinda weave something through them to make something like your sign.”

    “I think that’s a lovely idea, Porrim; one I was actually thinking myself.  In fact, I’d like to take that a step further.”

    Both of the greenbloods looked up at Aranea.  “Okay, I’m curious; such as?” Felida asked.

    “Remember when I said to you, Porrim, that the idea of scarring Felida permanently might not sit well with you?”  Porrim nodded.  “Well, here’s my alternative: instead of kismesis scars, why not get each other’s symbols tattooed on your body somewhere?”

    Felida beamed.  “I love it!  What do you say, Jadebutt?”

    “Well… I like the idea, but that could be an awful lot of tattooing for my first time.  What is your symbol anyway?  You don’t wear it on your clothing often.”

    “Actually,” Felida said, undoing her olive sash from her waist, “I do have it here.  You probably just didn’t notice it because you were so involved in pulling this off of me and throwing it in the corner – pretend you didn’t hear that, Captain!”

    “If I must…  Be nice to that, Porrim; it is a token, after all.”

    “She exaggerates just a bit…”

    “Hoofbeastshit!  You have that thing off me SO fast…”

    “Focus, Felida; let’s see it!”  Porrim was very curious as to what it looked like.    
“Here you go.”  

    Porrim looked at the embroidered sign:  a stylized eye with a vertical pupil running through the center.  “Wow!  It’s rather fitting for you, isn’t it?”

    Felida grinned.  “Yeah!  I got pretty lucky!  You like it?”

    “Yes I do, actually.  Where should I put it?  And don’t say ‘on my jade butt’, either.”

    “Awwwww…” Felida pouted.  “That’s totally what I was gonna say, though!”

    “Seriously?”

    “She has a point, Felida,” Mindfang interjected.  “That is such a choice ass, it would be a crime to mark it up, aside from the occasional vigorous spank, that is.”

    Porrim blushed to the point that she thought her face was afire.  “Thanks.”

    “Like this?”  Felida gave that part of Porrim’s anatomy a solid swat.

    “Hey!  It’s bad enough you pinch it…”

    “How about on your leg somewhere?  It’s usually a place people put early tattoos to keep the ‘prime real estate’ on the upper body open.”

    Felida put her hands on her hips.  “As long as it’s high enough to see outside of her boot.  I plan to put her sign on my back where it can be seen… maybe even in about the same place as her scars are?”

    Mindfang put a hand to her chin.  “Hmmmmmmmm… You know, I rather like that suggestion.  Mayhap I’ll do the same; put it on the edge of my web.”

    Porrim felt the heat rise to her cheeks again.  “I’m really… well, flattered you both think so highly of me that you’d have my sign inked onto your bodies…”

    “Really, dear heart.  You two are the most important people in my life.  I’ll even get Felida’s to match on the opposite side.  I’m just debating what else to add.”

    “Debate faster.  I ready to go,” the maroonblooded artist said as she reappeared from the back room.  “We start with piercing first.”

    With a tight swallow, Porrim followed this woman into the back, Aranea and Felida in tow behind her.  “This is going to hurt, too, isn’t it?”

    “I not lie to you, lady.  It hurt but it quick hurt.  I use hot clean needle, no worry.  You want be first to ink, too?”

    “Be brave, love,” Aranea said reassuringly.  “This is pain you can be proud of.”

    “Sure, why not.  This is my first time, though; just so you know,” Porrim said as she took a seat on a reclining chair.

    “No shit!  Wow, I never tell!  Close eyes if you want to.”

    Felida sniggered.  “Geez, Porrim; were you just outsnarked?”

    Porrim said nothing but took a few deep breaths.  “I’m ready when you OW!”

    “All done!  You have earring ready?”

    “Right here…”  Porrim fumbled around inside her scarlet sash and pulled the golden earring free.  

    “This nice.  Very expensive.  Good gold,” the woman said as she studied it.  “Feels like it not good once but it happier now.”

    Porrim didn’t elaborate but watched a slow smile creep across Mindfang’s features.  “I don’t think you’re too far off there.”

    A moment later, the earring was in its new home, dangling from Maryam’s earlobe.  “Stings… but not too badly.”

    “Good.  This going to sting, too,” the artist said, preparing her tattoo gun.  “Where you want to start?”  

    Porrim looked to Mindfang and Felida.  “I’d say start with your back; get that one over with first,” Aranea suggested.  Felida nodded her agreement.

    “All right then…”  Porrim looked over to the maroonblood, who made a hand gesture suggesting she get on with disrobing.  She undid her vest and shed it, then removed the white blouse underneath.  She covered her chest with her hands, which made the tattooist roll her eyes.  “I know you’ve seen plenty but I’m just getting comfortable with it.”

    “No worry.  Turn around and tell me what you want to do.”

    “Well, they suggested making these three scars on my shoulder and back into a variation of my symbol.”  Porrim was about to suggest that she look at her dress to see it, but then recalled she wasn’t wearing her robes; there was no Maryam symbology on her save for the colour of the clothing.  “Would you happen to have any paper?  I’ll draw it for you.”

    “No need.  All jadeblood are Maryams.  I know symbol.”

    Porrim was genuinely surprised to hear this.  “Oh.  I wasn’t aware of any other Sisters who got tattoo work done.”

    The maroonblood just shook her head.  “I just know symbol.  How you want it to look?”  
“I think you should get creative, Porrim!” Felida said excitedly.  “How about something stylish?  It would totally suit you.”

    “You think so?”

    The artist nodded.  “Okay, you let spheres get some air and then lay down on table.  You put face in cushion hole, Noobee, in case you not know.  I come back with idea.”  She walked over to a nearby table and grabbed a small paintbrush.  

    “I can’t say I’ve seen many tattoo artists prepare their pieces with paint,” Felida said.

    “Must be something they do here in particular.  I vaguely recall her preparing my… companions’  piece the same way.”  Aranea watched her hand move expertly across the paper.  “Maybe it’s just an Eastern Prefectures thing.”

    Porrim dropped her hands away from her chest.  “How do you know she’s from the Eastern Prefectures?”   She looked over to the maroonblood; while her smile wasn’t visible due to the red mask she wore, it was evident the woman was enjoying what she saw; she gave Porrim an enthusiastic thumbs-up and went back to her painting.  

    Once Aranea stopped chuckling over Porrim’s aborted attempts at modesty, she explained, “It’s her speech patterns; they’re rather distinct.”

    “That nice way of saying it,” the woman said, carrying her mockup over to them to show.  “So, what you think?”

    “Oh my…”  Porrim was quite surprised at the flowing lines and angles that connected the three vertical bars of her symbol in this painting and would soon turn her injuries into something beautiful.  “I would have never thought of that…”

    “That because maybe you not artist.  Question is do you like it?”

    “I do!  A lot, actually.”

    “Good!  Now, why you not face down on table yet?  It not because you suddenly like showing spheres to artist, is it?”

    All three of the women had a good laugh at this, even Porrim as her face flared with her blushing.  “Glad you like them.”  She climbed up on the strange bed with the hole in the head cushion and then rolled over onto said spheres to present her back.  “These scars are only a couple of perigees old,” Porrim told the maroonblood.  “Does that matter?”

    “Nah.  It hurt just as much.”

    “Oh.  That’s reassuring.”

    “Relaaaaaaaax, Porrim.  It’ll hurt for the first few minutes but after a while the endorphins kick in and you’ll hardly feel it.  In fact, you might even be downright giddy; it’s like floating on a cushion of pain.”

    Porrim picked her head up from the pillow and gave Aranea a look that screamed _Are you fucking kidding me?_

    _Not in the slightest, dear heart.  I’ll help you relax, though._

    A moment later, Porrim resumed looking at the floor through the hole where her face fit into the cushion.  She could hear a buzzing sound fill her sponge clots, getting louder as the artist approached.  “Your matesprit right.  If you can handle first few passes, you be okay.”

    “How did you know she was my matesprit?”

    “I just know.  Okay, you think about sunshine, lollipops and rainbows now.  I make part you hate most about yourself part you love most.”

    For some reason, that made Porrim smile.  That smile was quickly preempted by a stinging sensation and sudden heat on her shoulder blade.  “Whoooooo!  That stings, all right!”  She clutched onto the cushions of the bed as hard as she could until the first pass was completed.

    “When you tense up it make it hard for me to ink you.  You just keep breathing and I keep inking, okay?”

    “She’s right, love.  Just let it goooooooo…”

    Porrim closed her eyes and pushed a breath out through pursed lips.  She felt the next pass begin but found it wasn’t quite as bad.  A couple of minutes later, she found she was able to endure it without too much difficulty.  “It only really hurts when you run up against the edges of the scars.”

    “Sometimes there must be pain to make beauty.  Just keep breathing.”

    “Okay…”  Porrim just focused on the sound the tattooing gun made, the soft chatter between Aranea and Felida and the music that was playing in the background.   _A little harder than I’m used to but honestly, it’s not bad at all.  I can almost get lost in it…_  She was roused from her relaxed state by a feeling of cool liquid on her back.  “What was that?”

    “Just mopping up.  I do that a lot.  No worry, okay?  It feel nice, no?”

    “Yes.  Nice and cool, actually.”

    The artist didn’t say anything further but brought the needle back to Porrim’s skin and continued making passes.  Porrim found herself adapting to the sensations and much as Aranea had suggested, began to feel strangely lightheaded.   _Oooh… that does make it feel a bit less painful._  

    Before long, she was almost in a meditative state, kept from sleeping only by the occasional feeling of shock or cold, both of which surprised her considering she felt the heat of the needle more than anything.  What amazed her most was that she swore for a few moments she was actually experiencing pleasure.   _Was this what Felida was talking about?  The needle must be tripping nerves of all kinds so it does make some sense._

    Porrim noticed a lot more fluid being applied to her back followed by a towel being applied.  “What’s going on?  Is everything okay?”

    “Congratulation!  All done!  You survive!  Want to see?”  

    She rolled onto her side and sat up; the artist offered Porrim a hand off of the bed and handed her a small mirror.  “I’m very curious.”

    The maroonblood raised an eyebrow as she guided Maryam to a corner where two full length body mirrors were mounted.  “To have matesprit like her, I think you’d have to be!  Now put your back to this mirror and look at it using the small one.”

    Porrim wasn’t sure what the woman was getting at with her comment about Aranea but decided to focus instead on her handiwork.  “I’m most curious how it… oh!”

    “Oh?  That good ‘oh’ or what the actual fuck ‘oh’?”

    “It’s… beautiful…”

    “Lemme see!  Lemme see!” Felida shouted as she scurried over to get a look for herself.  “Oh wow, that’s DAMN cool!”

    Porrim found she was at a distinct loss for words; this artist had taken three horrific scars created by an act of spite and transformed them into an elegant expression of her sign, complete with sweeping yet sharp lines that made it wonderful to behold.  

    “My myyyyyyyy… She does do good work, doesn’t she?  Right up there with the woman who turned mine own scars into a part of me that people would actually want to look at.”    
Aranea couldn’t help but smile when she saw the wide grin on Porrim’s face; she could see Porrim was desperately holding back tears.  “So, was this an okay idea, dear heart?  I know my intent was to bring you here for tattoos for Felida and you but I really thought this might make your night.”

    “It really does!  Thank you!”  Porrim put the mirror down and put her arms around her matesprit, giving her a hard squeeze.  

    Felida turned to the maroonblood and said, “What you just did there?  Her symbol?  That’s what I want on my shoulder, and in about the same place as hers.”

    “You like that much, eh?  I can do that, but you no jadeblood.”

    “You don’t say!  She’s gonna be my kismesis; this is what we’re doing instead of scars.”

    The artist cast a look at Porrim and then back at the oliveblood.  “Her?  And you?  Kismesis?”

    “It’s not terribly dark,” Felida elaborated.  “Let’s just say it’s unfolding in a way we both need it to.  Does that make sense to you?”

    The maroonblood said nothing; she merely made a slow nod and said, “You want me to do yours right now or who going next?”

    “Well, since you’ve got the stuff out for it and the design is fresh in your mind, I’ll go.”  Without so much as a moment of hesitation, Oceleo was out of her white top and walking towards the bed.  As she hopped up on it, she gave the artist a sly look and said, “What, no thumbs-up for my spheres?”

    She studied Felida’s chest before answering, “I give you sound of one hand clapping?”

    “Gee, thanks…”  

    “I fully expect nothing short of full on applause when I take my coat off, just so you know,” Aranea added, touching the artist on the shoulder.  Porrim chuckled behind her.

    The artist looked at the blueblood and gave her a wink.  “Why?  Your tits sing song?  I like song!  What song do they know?”

    “It’s called ‘The Last Person To Be So Snarky With Me Ended Up As My Matesprit.’  I don’t suppose you have a quad that needs filling?”

    “No quads for me, I afraid.  I just servant.”  She picked up the paper she used to mark the outline on Porrim’s back and placed it on Felida’s.  “I belong to one master only.  Somenight that might change.”   The artist reached over and grabbed an ink feather.  “I need to add lines in middle; you not have scars in same place.”

    “I’ve got my share elsewhere, believe me,” Felida replied.  “Most of them are inside now…”

    “Never let that get you down.  They still part of you.  Both pleasure and pain leave scar; both run just as deep.”

    Felida smiled when she heard that, even though she was well aware no one would see it the way she was laying.  “I couldn’t agree more.”

    Porrim wandered over to stand beside them; the artist was just dipping the tattoo gun into one of the fresh inkpots she prepared.  “I’m sure about the etiquette of such things, but I suppose this would be a bad time to swat her on the rump?”

    “No.  Bad time would be when I actually have gun on her skin.  You go to town right now; get it out of your system.”

    “Oh!  Well, in that case…”  Porrim gave Felida a solid swat on the backside, eliciting a yelp from the oliveblood.

    “You just wait, Jadebutt… Your turn’s coming…”

    The artist laughed quietly.  “Now that more like it.”

    Aranea moved to stand beside Porrim.  “If you ladies don’t mind, I need to step outside for a moment and get some fresh air.  While I do like the antiseptic scent of a tattooblock, I do need to attend to something.  You’ll be all right here for a few minutes, love?”  She leaned in and gave Porrim a kiss just behind her sponge clot.

    “I suspect so.  It would be bad form to attack someone while they’re getting a tattoo, right?”

    “Generally.  I’ll be back in a bit, my dears.  Keep up the fine work and the witty repartee, will you?”

    “You no worry.  Your quads in my hands now.”

    Mindfang grinned.  “So they arrrrrrrre… I shall return verily.”  She slipped out the front door past the blueblooded owner, who was still standing quietly in his officeblock, reading a book, and into the busy streets.  She wasn’t outside for long; a few moments later, Aranea entered the building right nearby with the neon bucket sign.  The foyer was grand: open space with pillars and lush carpeting; dim red light made silhouettes of figures behind glass, male and female, grinding to rhythm that was felt more than heard.    
Behind a long glass counter which featured toys and handcuffs, chains and leather, a woman with her hair done up in long pink spikes that exceeded the height of her horns  by a significant margin gave Mindfang a welcoming smile.  “Hey, sweetie… That’s a wicked Gamblignant getup!  Fuck, I’d kill for that jacket.”

    “I don’t recommend you try,” Aranea replied, her tone of voice making it very clear that she was in no way, shape or form jesting.  “I’m looking for something in particular.”

    “Aren’t we all?  In fact, I happen to know that there’s at least three folks in the back who would LOVE to lick those boots of yours.”

    Mindfang pursed her blue-tinted lips as she thought about this.  “If you had made me that offer last sweep, I would have happily taken you up on it, but that ship has sailed, I’m afraid.  In fact, that’s why I’m here: I want to see your bucket selection.  And I’m not talking about those crummy plastic pails you hand out to the low-rent rendezvous types, either.  I know you carry some high end options for your wealthier clients.”

    The pink haired woman eyed Mindfang up again.  “I suspect you fit the bill.  Give me two shakes and I’ll see what I can come up with.”

    “Any other night I would have asked you what parts you’d like me to shake twice, but again… just the buckets, if you please.”

    “You sure you’re happy about having to buy these?  You kinda sound like you’re missing out…”

    Aranea sighed.  “First, one of them isn’t for me.  Second, the other one IS.  I couldn’t possibly be happier.  I just need to get used to the idea that I won’t be indulging wherever I wish anymore.  But be assured that when I do, I have a red and a rather concupiscent pale that fulfill my needs wonderfully.  Now, please keep in mind I didn’t come here for a psychoanalysis?  I just want to buy your buckets.  Your best, if you pleeeeeeeease.”

    The girl said no more and parted a beaded curtain behind her as she set off in search of something adequate.  Aranea looked to her left and found a few racks of clothing, although much of what was on display would have barely qualified as such:  some were little more than thin straps of vinyl stitched together.   _This is more Felida’s style, but I think she’s got plenty to work with already._  Her fingers slid a few of the plastic garments aside until she found some outfits made of gauzy cloth.   _Now this… I wonder…_  She extracted a sheer white piece of clothing that consisted of a thin upper sleeveless shift with ruffles and matching underwear.   _Porrim might even consider something like this._  She checked the size.   _Hmm… not quite… let’s see if they have it in… yes!  Perfect!_  

    Aranea tucked the item under her arm and continued to browse.   _This black one piece might suit Felida; would give her room for that tail._  That outfit joined the first with a minimum of hesitation; Aranea was quite certain about her moirail’s measurements.   _All right, I suppose I should choose something for myself as well…_  
She continued to sort through the lingerie, cursing the fact that such garments were few and far between on the Navy ships she chose to raid.   _Not that I’m hurting for funds, but sometimes it’s far more fun to find things out and about than pay the gold price.   Alas, too fluffy… too short in the body… ugly as fuck… grrrrrrrr… oh… OH!  This might doooooooo…_  She plucked the blue and black corset from the rack as quickly as she could and let her fingers run over the smooth satin cover; a silky panty set accompanied it.   _I dare say I can make this work.  I’ll keep the boots on and maybe get a soft cat-‘o’-nine tails for Felida’s enjoyment… I’ll cut one of the tails off because that’s just how it is.  What I need to do is see if Porrim can actually make stuff like this; I should find her some patterns somewhe-_

    “Excuse me?  Would you like to take a look at these?”

    Mindfang whirled to face the clerk, who was now in possession of two metal pails:  one was silver trimmed with black accents, the other a polished pale grey with red adornments.  “Well, well; what have we here?”  She strode up to the glass counter, set her outfits down and accepted the buckets from the yellow-and-maroon eyed woman.  “Quite nice… not gaudy or overstated… solid.  I must say, I’m impressed.”  Aranea set them back down and reached inside of her jacket to fetch a handful of caegars.  “I believe this will be adequate recompense?”

    The woman’s eyes popped as the gold coins slipped from Aranea’s hand onto the black corset, clinking delicately against one another.  “Yeah… That’s more than enough!”

    “Then feel free to keep the change.  I appreciate your efforts tonight; I certainly suspect the intended recipients will as well.”  Mindfang scooped the clothing and the buckets from the counter and was about to leave when she stopped and looked over her shoulder.  “I don’t suppose you have a box or a bag?  I would like there to be a bit of a surprise.”

    “Oh!  Sure!”  She rustled around behind the counter and came up with a black stylized bag large enough to encompass Aranea’s purchase.  As she loaded it up, she looked up at her blueblooded customer and whispered, “Look, never mind the ones in the back… I would love nothing more than to slowly slip those boots of yours off of those gorgeous legs an-”

    “Shhhhhhhh…” Aranea pressed a slender finger to the girl’s bright pink lips.  “I’m flattered, dear, but like I said, unless you know how to sail a ship and properly lob a warning shot across my bow or know when to step between me and someone who can do just that without me wanting to break your neck,  I’m afraid my nights of painting the town red are overrrrrrrr…”  She let the finger slowly side down the woman’s chin, picking up a bright pink frost as it did so, before turning to go.  “But if I should ever encounter another pair of boots such as these, I’ll bring them by if you’d like.  Of course, sometimes it’s not the clothes, but she who wears them…”

    The clerk watched her leave, never taking her eyes off of the tall Gamblignant until she was around the corner and on her way.  As she reached into her pocket and fished out her pink liplicator, she thought to herself _Whoever those two are in her red quads must be the luckiest ladies in the world…  Either that or maybe SHE is!  I wonder if she knows it…_  


 


	24. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindfang presents Porrim and Felida with her gift before taking her place in the tattooist's chair. Aranea learns much from the maroonblooded artist but can't place for the life of her where she knows this strange woman from...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much like the last chapter, those of you who have read my previous works will know full well who this is. And those of you who know are going to hurt for this. I'm sorry, but know that I have plans... Speaking of which, as you've likely gathered, my updating has been a bit sporadic. I will be reducing the update frequency to biweekly for the next two months at least as I am in the sell-my-house-and-buy-a-new-one phase and I can't keep up my writing pace (I'm on Ch. 33 as I type this) but rest assured, this story is far from over. I do appreciate your understanding during this most challenging transition.
> 
> Soundtrack? Yeah, I'm working on it. Anyone who enjoyed "Guardians of the Galaxy" will have an appreciation for the quality of that soundtrack. Best use of 70's music since Reservoir Dogs.

**23.**  
  
    Aranea wasn’t sure whose smile was brighter:  Porrim’s as she looked at the slitted eye symbol that now adorned her calf or Felida’s at seeing her sign tattooed on someone else.  “If I didn’t know otherwise, the way you two are grinning, I’d wonder if you weren’t filling a red pail instead.”  
  
    “Ha!  Well, if it helps, I’d say my symbol looks WAY cooler than hers,  but considering what this girl did with the design, I wouldn’t be telling the truth.  I wanna keep looking at it, but this bandage is in the way.”  
  
    “You can take bandage off in two hours.  Salve I put on heal it up good but you two need to put it on each other twice a night for two week so it not scab.  If tattoo look like shit because you not use salve, not my problem.”  The maroonblood began to apply the balm to Porrim’s second tattoo as she said this.  
  
    “I like the scent of it,” Porrim remarked, thankful for the cooling sensation it provided.  “Reminds me of wet grass, but with a bit of lemon or something.”  
  
    The artist shrugged.  “I not know what it made of, but it work.  That what matter.”  
  
    “I must admit that if this salve smelled like hoofbeast droppings, I might tend to avoid tattoo shops,” Mindfang added.  “Luckily for all involved that it doesn’t.”  The maroonblood said nothing; the mask on her face continued to hide her expressions underneath, much as whatever kept Aranea from reading her thoughts continued to do just that.   _Maddening, but what I can do about it.  Maybe I can get some answers from her._  “Soooooooo… I gather that I’m up next?”  
  
    “You gather right.  Let’s see these spheres I should be clapping for.  I like clapping!”  
  
    Both Porrim and Felida giggled at this and watched as Aranea shed her long coat with a flourish and then adroitly slipped her frilled white top off over her head and past her horns with barely a snag.  A quick twirl of it over her head and it joined the coat on an empty chair.  Aranea finished with a slow bow.    
  
    By the end of this, the artist was, in fact, clapping.  “Very good!  I certainly impressed!”  
  
    “But you’ve barely seen them,” Mindfang remarked as she straightened up and put her shoulders back slightly.    
  
    “Oh, I see plenty.  I clapping for how you got shirt off without shredding it!  Jadeblood matesprit have nicer spheres, though.  Heavy and firm like ripe melon.”  
  
    Felida wasn’t sure what she found funnier:  Porrim’s blushing or Aranea’s half-scowl.  
“Well, at least you found something worth applauding.  I suppose we should get to the task at haaaaaaaand.”  Aranea tossed her mane forward over her shoulder to expose her back.  “But before we do, I have a gift for you two.”  She went over to the counter she placed her bag on and extracted a silvery object.  “Since our dear tattoo artist seems to be rather open-panned about many things, I don’t think she’ll be terribly offended if I give you this in front of her.”  
  
    Porrim was too surprised to speak but Felida was decidedly thrilled.  “A bucket for us?  That’s so wonderful!  Thank you!”  She rushed up to her moirail and threw her arms around her.  “You’re the best!”   
  
    “Rumour has it, yes.”    
  
    Felida tittered and gave Aranea a kiss, which escalated into a rather passionate one.  Porrim chuckled to herself, but had to stop from laughing outright when she looked at the maroonblood:  even though most of her face was covered by her mask, her eyes were quite visible and displayed the artist’s eyebrow-raised confusion at their tonguemashing.  Maryam contemplated explaining it, but opted to just stay quiet.   _Aranea can fill her in if she chooses to._   
  
    Once Felida had broken away, she ran up to Porrim with her silver pail.  “Look at this!  Isn’t it gorgeous?  I’ve never seen one so nice!  It’s even got some black on it!”  
  
    Porrim had seen many, many buckets in her relatively short time at the Mother Grub caverns and while this one was decidedly nicer than the vast majority, she had come to view such things as unnecessarily opulent.   _But it’s the thought that counts; Aranea is trying to say she wants the best for us and this is how she does so._  “It’s certainly lovely,” she said, feeling the heft of the pail in her hands.  “Quality construction.”   
  
    Aranea made an exasperated sound.  “You would analyze the thing, wouldn’t you, love?  Don’t worry, it’s the best I could find.  Get this: it even came with a LID.”  
  
    “Now you’re just showing off,” Porrim said jokingly.  
  
    “Hey, don’t kick a gift horse in the mouth.  Or something like that.  Anyway, what I was thinking was that you two should make your way back to the ship and… you know… put that to use.  Kick Hyvare out of the bridgeblock and tell him to get his sorry ass to the place next door and have some fucking fun  before his globes explode.”  
  
    “I would ask which place, the cardshive or the brothel, but I suspect only one of those places would be helpful in preventing exploding globes.”  Porrim noticed a queer smile cross her matesprit’s lips and a quick glance at Felida’s face showed a similar expression.  “You two…”  
  
    “…have a LOT of stories to tell you, dear heart, but we have many sweeps to tell them.  Besides, I’d rather you two wrote one of your own before the sun comes up.  I’ll come back before sunrise, loves, so that gives you a few hours to play.  I’ll send the rest of the crew a message to do the same so no one bothers you.  Scuttlebutt says you two have experienced kismesis interruptus a time or two.”  
  
    Felida chewed at her lip.  “Scuttlebutt needs to be slapped upside the head with a can of ‘Never Fucking Mind.’”    
  
    “I’ve put four and four together myself, Felida; I gather I was the cause of one of those instances, for which I apologize, but then you were keeping your relationship with dear, innocent Porrim _sub rosa_ , after all.”  
  
    Oceleo gave Aranea a strange look.  “There’s a joke or two to be made here, I think.”   
  
    “I think you may be right, dear.  Like, ‘Hey, I thought I was the only sub here!’”  
  
    “Oh!  Or ‘I wasn’t the only one who’s been sub Rosa lately…’”  
  
    “Ooooooooh!  I got one!  Why didn’t you say, ‘Why didn’t you name the new ship that?   _Sub Rosa_?  Get it?”  Both moirails were cackling loudly by this point.  
Felida was about to answer with another witty response when Porrim set the bucket down, put both of her hands over her face and made a plainly frustrated sound.     
  
    “Something tell me she think you two funny like hovercar accident.  I think you just kick dead horse to death when he down.”  The maroonblood looked to Mindfang and asked, “Now, do I ink you tonight or do I charge you double to stand there and be not funny rest of night?”   
  
    “All right, all right.  You two go have a good time; I’ll show you my additions when I get back this morning.”  
  
    “What are you getting?” Felida asked.  
  
    “You’ll see, my sweet.”  Aranea stepped over to Porrim and used a small handful of hair to tickle the side of her lips.  “Look at that pouty faaaaaaaace… If I didn’t know better, I see a smiiiiiiiile… and it’s coming around the cornerrrrrrrr…”  
  
    Despite her best efforts to scrunch it face up and stop it from happening, Porrim’s face burst into a broad smile.  “You suck.”   
  
    “Only by request, lover, and you can request it whenever you wish.  Now, I’m requesting a proper kiss and then you can go a fill another pail for the first time!  Tell me that’s not exciting as all get out.”  
  
    Porrim’s smile was so wide, her fangs were quite visible.  “You could say that, yes. I’m just… worried…”  
  
    Aranea rolled her eyes in mock exasperation.  “You?  Worried?  My goodness.”  Aranea tickled the jadeblood’s nose with the hair in her hand this time.  “Whatever shall we do?”  
“Stop,” Porrim protested through her cheerful laughter.  “I just, don’t know how different it’s going to be.”  
  
    “I’m gathering you and Felida have actually had sex at some point, yes?” Aranea queried.  
  
    Porrim couldn’t understand for the life of her why she was blushing, but her cheeks were burning yet again.  “Well, yes.”  
  
    “It’ll be like that, then.  But with a bucket.”    
  
    “Gee thanks.”   
  
    “Anytime!  Seriously though, love, while I don’t know if she’s filled a red pail before, I know she’s done the black one.  Thing is, she was kind of the sub in that relationship; she’s obviously the more experienced one this time, so it might be different, but you know what?  Do what you two normally do and let it flow from there.  Just… catch the flow with this.”  Aranea picked up the bucket and put it in Porrim’s hands.  “Easy squeezy!”  
  
    “Oh, there’s gonna be some squeezy, all right,” Felida said through a sharp grin.  “C’mon, Jadebutt; let’s be kismesises!”    
  
    “I need my kiss first, though,” Aranea reminded her matesprit, who promptly provided a long kiss in a blatant attempt to outdo Felida’s.  The result was a loud sigh from the tattoo artist.   
  
    “Showoff,” Felida grumbled.  
  
    “Thank you.  For making this happen.”  Porrim placed her hand on Aranea’s cheek and was surprised to see a touch of green on her own fingers.  “You and those fangs… you haven’t bit me in a while.”  
  
    Aranea showed off her long fangs; one had a decidedly jade tinge to it.  “Maybe I’m a touch excited for you?  Do save a bit of that enthusiasm for another night if you can, dear heart?  I may happen to have another bucket in that bag of mine.”  
  
    Porrim smiled at this and brushed her fingers against Aranea’s ear before setting off towards the door.  Just before she and Felida left the building, Porrim froze.  “Oh my! I was just about to go outside with this bucket in my hands!  What would people think of me running around with a pail like this?”  
  
    “That you’re gonna get some?  Go on; trust me, love, no one cares here.”  
  
    “Well, when you put it like that…”  
  
    “Go!  Shoo!  Enjoy!”  Aranea all but pushed Porrim towards the door where Felida was waiting.  “Go get your hate on, already!”  
  
    Porrim and Felida waved to Aranea as they left, blending into the busy streets of Southend.  She watched them go until she was interrupted by a buzzing sound right beside her.  “Okay, buddies gone!  You mine now!”  
  
    “So I ammmmmmmm…”  Aranea stepped over to the counter where the paper and paintbrush were.  “Here’s what I have in mind.”  She dipped the brush in the red liquid and began to adroitly paint out a couple of designs.  “And this one would attach to what’s there already.”  
  
    “Where you want that?”  
  
    “Right here.”  Aranea moved her hair over to the other side, exposing her slender neck and the bright blue scar upon it.    
  
    “That look pretty fresh; you sure about that?  It hurt right away.”   
  
    Aranea nodded.  “Sometimes we must suffer for our art.  You being in the tattoo business would appreciate that more than most, I’d suspect?”  
  
    The artist closed her eyes for a moment and answered, “I know suffering.  Less said is better.  We here to talk ink.”  
  
    “Indeed we are.”  Mindfang wished she could pick up something, anything, from this maroonblood and cursed the fact that she wasn’t able to.  “The big one, however, will be this…”  She painted a picture of an arm and the design she wanted on it.    
  
    “That kinda big…”  
  
    “Have no fear; it will only need some creative shading as my skin is already grey, of course.  Should only take about three or four hours since you don’t have to colour it, no?”  
  
    “Sound about right.  How much of arm you want to look like that?”  
  
    “Allllllll of it.  Up to the wrist anyway.  I’d like to leave my hand as is, if you don’t mind.”   
  
    The artist issued a soft chuckle.  “It your caegar.  Where you want to start?”  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm… Let’s get the rough one on the neck done first.  It’s been a very long time since I was under the needle so if that’s the nastiest, the rest will be easy, right?”  
  
    “Everybody feel pain different.  If you think that work, then that how we do it.  I need to tie all this hair up first, though.”  She brought a couple of pieces of ribbon over and fastened them around Aranea’s considerable locks and then shifted the bulk of her hair over her left shoulder.  The artist then pressed the painting lightly against the blueblood’s neck, creating a hint of a pattern to follow.  “I start from web and move up from there, okay?”   
  
    Mindfang inhaled deeply and pushed the air out of her sacs slowly.  “Okay.  I’m ready when you are.”  
  
    The artist said nothing but fired up her tattoo gun and placed it at the periphery of the web on Mindfang’s back.  She followed the line that was there to follow, creating a new string of webbing that led up over Aranea’s right shoulder and up her neck.    
“Fuck… I’d forgotten… how much that burns!”    
  
    “You survive, I sure.  No way you could take a back tat like that and no handle pain.”  
  
    Aranea winced a bit as the maroonblood squirted some cool water on the area that was just inked.  “I just need to get the endorphins rolling is all.  Like I said, it’s been a long time!”  
  
    The maroonblood dabbed away the water and the cerulean droplets that crept through the recently tattooed skin.  “How long?”   
  
    Mindfang debated how to answer this question.  “Centuries.  But it was in this very shop.  Colour me amazed that it’s still actually still here and open for business.”  
  
    The woman began her next sweep towards the scar on Aranea’s neck.  “Owner blueblood.  He live way longer than lowblood like me.  I guess he like running tattoo shop.”  
  
    “Do you like working for him?”  
  
    “It ok.  I meet many interesting people in my work.  Nights like this are own reward.”  
  
    Aranea smiled.  “I’m flatterrrrrrrred.”  
  
    The artist said nothing but made her first line across the scar which made her customer inhale sharply, and then across it again and again.  “I sorry if this really hurt.  Your idea.”  
  
    “So it was, yes.”  She tried her best not to swallow as the needles tracked back and forth across the wound.  “Just get it… urgh… over with.”  
  
    “Easier if you not talk till I done.”   
  
    Mindfang didn’t reply but just set her teeth together and closed her eyes while the artist worked her craft.  A few minutes later, she stopped making the zigzag strokes and created a short line down from the area.  After that, she made some accent marks around the points at the peaks and valleys.  “All done?” Aranea inquired.   
  
    “Just changing colour now to add last part.  Give me two more minute.”  Once those two minutes were over, the artist set the tattoo gun down and cleaned the area.  “All done.  Look good, I think.”  
  
    Despite being slightly cloudy-headed from her body’s natural painkillers, Aranea was quite excited to see the results.  “Lemme see!”  A moment later she was handed a mirror; what she saw brought a fangs-out smile to her face: a line from the web on her back now ran up her neck, stitched back and forth over the blue scar to make it appear sewn shut, and ended with a small jade coloured spider with a tiny symbol on its back that matched Porrim’s own hanging from the thread.  “Perrrrrrrrfect.”   
  
    “Glad you like.  Where to next?”  
  
    “Let’s do the full arm piece next.  I’m still debating where to put the other one.”   
  
    “Sure thing.  Toss hair to other side now, okay?”  
  
    Aranea went to flip her hair back and forgot most of it was tied in a bunch.  “Dammit.”  Once her hair was where it needed to be, she lay back down upon the padded table and placed her left arm on the armrest.    
  
    The maroonblood pulled up a stool and prepped her equipment. “You relax now.  This may take longer but not hurt as much, I think.  Then again, who know?”  
  
    “Superrrrrrrrb…”  
  
  
  
  
    “You ready to keep going now?”  
  
    Aranea studied the series of lines that criss-crossed her arm all the way down from her shoulder to her wrist, giving the rough  appearance of a metallic limb not unlike that which her moirail wore for real, save for the untouched hand.  “I think so.  I’m sure it’ll really stand out when you finish the shading.”  She was more excited about getting to relieve herself than anything but was quite happy to see the results of the artist’s work in the full-body mirrors that adorned the corner of the workshop.    
  
    “For sure.  Come on; back in chair with you.”  
  
    “You crack a mean whip, don’t you?”  Mindfang quipped as she strode back over to the chair where the maroonblood awaited her, her red boots clacking along the checkerboard floor.    
  
    “You think I bad, you should try my employer.  Between you, me and fencepost, he need to die in fire.”   
  
    Aranea raised her eyebrows at this display of frankness.  “You sure he can’t hear you?”  
  
    She nodded.  “Quite.  He preoccupied with other plan right now.  Mostly just stand around a lot and talk.  Blah, blah, blah.  Make me want to shut him up for good.”  
  
    As Mindfang lay back on the elevated table and extended her arm for the artist to continue her work on, she tried to remember if she’d spoken to the shopkeeper at all during her last visit.   _I’d like to think I’d recall if he were a loquacious fellow, but then I was keeping some company back then that may have distracted me._  She looked over in the direction of the office, then turned back to the maroonblood and whispered, “Look, dear, if he’s abusing you in any way, I can see to it he stops.  Permanently.”   
  
    The artist sighed, the sound muffled by her mask.  “I appreciate offer, but trust me, it not what you think.  I have plan to make that white-headed shit-spewing slitherbeast go away once and for all.”     
  
    As the sound of the tattoo gun resumed in her sponge clots, Aranea tried to recall if “white-headed” was some sort of nasty slur in the Eastern Prefectures, but lost her focus as the shading process began over where her collarbone met her shoulder.  “Unff… all right, then.  Carry on.”  
  
    “Not mind if I do.”    
  
    Mindfang found she didn’t mind the broader sweeping sensations that accompanied the shading process as much as the dark outlines, save for when it moved over a bone or a nexus of nerves.  The sensations ranged from heat to cold to electrical shock and even a few moments of pleasure, but for the most part, the tattooing process just felt like dull, hot pain to her.  Nothing I can’t handle, mind you.  “So, you’re obviously from the Eastern Prefectures originally; where exactly are you from?”   
  
    The artist continued to work for a while before responding.  “I not remember, exactly.”  
  
    _Oh dear… Slave labour.  Porrim would have a complete shitfit if she knew.  I need to help this girl somehow._  “Hey, I was serious there; if that guy out front needs his head to be separated from his body, I can make it happen.”  
  
    “No, it… not like that.  Honestly?  Right now?  I happy as I been in long time.  You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”   
  
    Aranea was now entirely baffled, which was something she wasn’t used to being.  “Er… thanks?  You certainly seem like a nice girl…”  She had noticed that the maroonblood’s workshirt was now sporting two more open buttons at the top than it had earlier in their session.  Don’t tell me this one’s hot for me, too?  Admittedly, it’s nice to know I still got it…  “Can I ask you a silly question?”  
  
    The maroonblood set the gun down to apply water and a cloth to her latest shaded area.  “No such thing as silly question.  Wait, that not true.  Oh well… ask me anyway.”  
  
    “Well, with that rousing encouragement, how could I refuse?”  
  
    “See?  That silly question.”   
  
    Mindfang sighed loudly.  “You’re as bad as my matesprit, you know that?”  
  
    “Now that not silly question.  I much worse.”  
  
    “Okay, I officially can’t argue that.  Anyway…” Aranea continued, letting more than a hint of exasperation slip into her voice, “what I was wondering was if you and I have met before somewhere?”   
  
    At first, the artist said nothing; she picked up her tool and started back at her inking.  Mindfang chose to keep quiet and let her do so, but she was quite frustrated by her inability to read the woman working on her.   _I hate not being able to tell if she’s genuinely happy to see me or planning to try and cut my throat.  Her body language suggests she’s genuine, and I don’t think the open shirt is meant as a distraction away from anything dangerous.  She couldn’t possibly be the same artist that did my back; why does she seem so familiar?_     
  
    Finally the answer came.  “No.  I just… think you very pretty.  I can tell you love to make love and you now excited about being loved by someone else.  I very happy for you.  If you not getting tattoos for pretty matesprit with big spheres and for little kitty moirail, maybe I… talk to you about those things more.  But I can have no quadrants.  Too much work and I can’t leave.  Not yet.”   
  
    _This poor woman, she deserves so much better.  I can’t control her so this is kind of a gamble but I’m no stranger to such…_  Aranea’s face lit up with her most persuasive smile.  “Listen… maybe if quads aren’t going to happen for you, I can still offer you something to help you pass your time here?  If you think you can get away with it, of courrrrrrrrse…”  She hiked up her skirt with her right hand, reached under it and slid her blue panties to the side.  “I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.”  
  
    The response wasn’t one that she expected:  Aranea swore she could see the maroonblood’s lip trembling underneath her mask; the rapid blinking of the woman’s eyes was quite evident.  At last she spoke, “I… I can’t.  Please.  I want to suckle your nub more than anything else in world right now but I can’t.  Not this time.   You have lovely matesprit and moirail to do that and I can’t be all black with you.  I just… How about you just talk to me, okay?  Keep talking.  I love sound of your voice.  It soothing and I can hear it over tattoo gun, no worry.  Please.  Just talk.”  
  
    Aranea wasn’t exactly certain how to take this; she eyed the maroonblooded woman warily, and then returned her underwear to their previous position over her seedflap.  “Okayyyyyyyy… sure.  That’s fine.  I like to talk.”  
  
    It took everything the artist had not to say _Oh, I know…_  “Good.  Tell me of your voyage here.  What you see?  Were Southern Lights out?  Would you tell me about how you got this scar on your neck?  I know it recent by looking at it.”  
  
    Mindfang tried to ignore her throbbing nub and settled back in.  “Well, I can tell you that the Southern Lights are rather impressive right now.  I can’t help but wonder if you see them here in the city.”  
  
    “If you outside of city, in harbour, you see them, but here, no way.  Too much light pollution. It crime, really,” the artist answered over the loud buzz her tool made.    
  
    As Aranea mentally geared up to share the tale of how she got the neck scar, or at least how much of it she was willing to tell, she couldn’t help but wonder if Porrim and Felida were watching the lights dance or not…  
  
  
  
  
    “At least I don’t need a mirror to look at this one,” Aranea remarked as she sat back down on the table, fresh from a gaper break.  She studied the tattoo of metallic plates that now graced her left arm from her shoulder down to her wrist and enjoyed the cool breeze from a nearby fan on her stinging skin, thankful for the recently applied salve.  
  
    “I not sure you were gonna make it through the armpit part without squawking but you did.  I actually pretty impressed.”  The artist set about cleaning her equipment while her customer examined her handiwork.  
  
    “It’s soft tissue, really.  I found the needle going over my spine for my web one to be much nastier.”  
  
    The maroonblood set her tattoo gun down and prepared the ink for the next piece.  “What colour you say you want this?”  
  
    “Blue like my blood and jade like the spider.”   
  
    “Okay.  Where you want this one again?”  
  
    Aranea turned her right arm to expose the forearm.  “Right here.  I want it on hand so I can show it off.”  
  
    The artist raised her eyebrow.  “How come you say you want it on hand when you want it on forearm?  You make no sense sometime, lady.”  
  
    “And yoooooooou know exactly what I mean.”  Aranea lay back down and waited for the maroonblood to prepare the painting.  “I suspect you’re considerably smarter than you let on.”  
  
    “I suspect you right.  I also much more modest, too.”   
  
    This elicited a chuckle from Mindfang.  “It takes a smartnook to appreciate a smartnook.  But seriously though, I gather someone like yourself has all kinds of contact with people from anywhere and everywhere.  You hear things.”  
  
    As she applied the small painting to Aranea’s arm, the artist said, “How you know I hear things?  I thought that voice only in MY head!  You hear it too?”   
  
    Aranea shook her head as best she could in this position.  “Holy shit, woman, you ARE something else.”  
  
    “Nope!” came the cheery reply.  “I just me.”  
  
    “Let me try this again:  I bet people tell you all kinds of interesting things.  Am I right?”  
  
    The maroonblood retrieved her tool and dipped it in the black ink first.  “You are.  I also gather you angling for information.”  
  
    “Angling?” Mindfang asked.  “No, that’s more of a seadweller term.  Had my share of dealing with them for a while, thanks.  But yes, I am curious about what you know.  I’m actually looking for someone… Someone who might not exactly want to be found.”  
  
    “So why you want to look for someone who not want to be found?  They maybe not want to be found for reason.”  The artist put the gun to Aranea’s arm and began tracing the shapes.  
  
    “Urghh… Obviously.  However, I happen to have reason that this someone would be more than happy to be found by someone I know.  Let me cut to the chase…”  Aranea said between exhalations as she adjusted to the needle being applied to a new place.  “Can I safely assume you’re familiar with the Signless?”   
  
    “Just because I in Southend not mean I not know what happen in rest of world.  I know of him.”  
  
    Mindfang debated how to phrase her next inquiry.  “I didn’t doubt that for a moment.  What I’m most curious about, however, is if you happened to have heard a word spoken by someone as to the whereabouts of the Disciple.”  
  
    There was a long silence between them, punctuated only by the whirring drone of the tattoo gun.  Aranea desperately wished she could command this woman to pull that mask aside so she could see the expressions on her face, but then remembered that if she could, she wouldn’t need to.  Finally, the maroonblood answered, “I have heard some things.  In fact, I suspect I likely know very close to where Disciple is.  But all information have price.”   
  
    _Funny, I didn’t take her for someone who wanted a pile of caegars.  Maybe she’s after her freedom?  Either way, I can certainly provide._  “Of course it does.  I’d be curious to hear yours.”  
  
    The artist stopped her work and moved, slowly and deliberately, to stand in front of Mindfang.  “My price is this:  you not harm her.  You not kill her.  You not rape her.   You protect her from all those who would do those things to her.  All I know is this:  somenight she will come to great danger and you may not be there to protect her.  This not your fault, but you need to make sure she in good hands in your absence.   She very special and important.  Do you understand?”  
  
    This time the silence came from Aranea as she processed this unexpected information.  “I… do, yes.  I must say that I certainly never expected such a response fr-”  
  
    “Answer question!  You protect her: yes or no?”  
  
    “Yes, of course!  You needn’t worry about that from me!  I…”  
  
    “You promise?”  
  
    Mindfang narrowed her eyes.  “I tend to avoid that word…”  
  
    The artist narrowed hers even more so.  “You no avoid it this time!  You promise and swear or I no tell you a damn thing!”  
  
    “Fiiiiiiiine,” Aranea said through gritted teeth.  “I promise.  I will do everything in my power to see that no harm comes to her.”  She took a deep breath and pushed it out through pursed lips.  “That wasn’t too hard to do, you see; let’s just say my matesprit would ensure that I do the same anyway.  Her survival and well-being would be absolutely paramount, I assure you.”  
  
    After a few moments, the maroonblood nodded.  “I trust you.  You not know why, but I do.”  
  
    _I wonder if she meant ‘I not know why’  but it drives me crazy not being able to find out!_ Aranea thought to herself.   _In the grand scheme, it matters not…_  “I can live with that.  So, since trust isn’t an issue, I’d be most interested in what you have to say.”  
  
    The artist pressed the gun to her arm again and continued tracing the outline of the shape.  Once the perimeter was complete, she said, “I hear from sailor captain customer that his ship had stowaway.  He went to check hold and found wild-eyed oliveblood below; she was eating whatever she find and he worried from look she give that she might eat him!”  
  
    “Any oliveblood could have been the stowaway,” Mindfang countered.  “What made him so sure that he was carrying a wanted woman like her?”  
  
    “She have grey cloak covering most of her, but she have strange backpack with her.  Very small and captain say it look like it made from folded pair of grey pants.  Not every oliveblood have that.”  She watched her customer nod upon hearing this and continued, “He say she ask where boat going, he say special supply run to place on west coast near Byanbol that ask to trade for food.  Very isolated.  She tell him she not hurt him or crew but he need to ask no question.”   
  
    Aranea considered this.   _Isolated place that traded for food near Byanbol… I wonder…_  “I don’t suppose this place had a very small visible population… and yet an underground one that would be larger than most cities?”  
  
    “You getting warmer.”  
  
    “And would this place happen to have a rather high percentage of jadebloods about?  Say, the most jadebloods in one place period?”  
  
    “See?  You smart lady, too.  That as far as I can get you.  Where she go after that, I not know, but I get this info yesternight so trail still warm.  You probably sail long time to get here but if I you, I get back on boat and get going.”  The artist dipped her tool into the jade inkpot and prepared to commence shading.  “Once I done inking you, of course.”  
  
    “Of courrrrrrrrse.  I’ve come much too far to leave without having this finished.”   
  
    As the artist applied the shading needle, she added, “This true.  Just a few more minute to go; our time together almost up...”  
  
  
  
  
    “So when can I start showing this off?” Aranea asked.    
  
    “Anytime,” the artist answered as she finished cleaning the blue ink from her needle.  “That salve protect it and speed healing so no bandage needed.  Just put on all of those places two time a night.  I give you full size container because that arm gonna need it.”  
  
    Mindfang admired her design now brought to life on her forearm:  her symbol overlaying that of her matesprit’s, the tail of her own poking through the loop of other.  “Delightful.  I hope she gets a kick out of it!”  
  
    “It definitely you.”  She placed the tattoo gun back into a box and grabbed a container of salve from a nearby shelf.  “Here.  On the hive.”  The maroonblood tossed the squat cylinder towards Mindfang who caught it easily.    
  
    “Thanks.  Soooooooo… what I gave you was enough to cover your services, yes?”  
  
    “Quite.”  The artist watched as Aranea slipped the white blouse back on, covering her lithe, scarred and now freshly tattooed form.  “Working on you was my pleasure.  Would have done it for free.”  
  
    “Now you tell me!” Aranea winced as she put her left arm into her longcoat.  “That salve won’t wreck my clothing at all, right?”  
  
    “Nope.  And if it does, it make way less difficult stain to clean than blood.  I have feeling you clean your share of blood stain.”  
  
    Mindfang grinned.  “And whatever gave you that idea?”  
  
    “Call it hunch.”  The maroonblooded woman exhaled sharply, making the mask covering her face ripple visibly.  “So, you free to go now.”  
  
    “So I am.”  Aranea didn’t need her abilities to see that the artist had more on her thinkpan than she was letting on.  “Listen, this has been a most… interesting night.  You have no idea how happy I was to find this place and having you work your magnificent art on me has been an absolute pleasure, mind the pain, of course.”  She hesitated as she thought of what to add.  “I’m not sure I will get down this way again anytime soon, but if I do, I will stop by.  And as for the promise I made to you, it’s one I will keep.  I swear it.”  She extended her hand and the artist took it; Mindfang could feel the soft heat of the woman’s dark red blood gently warming her… and then embrace her as the artist suddenly pulled her close.  “Normally, I wouldn’t do this sort of thing with someone I didn’t know,” Mindfang protested, “but…”  
  
    “Shhhh…” the maroonblood whispered.  “No more word tonight.  No say goodbye, either.  Just… breathe.”  
  
    They held each other for a while in silence, only taking in the sound and scents of the other’s breaths, until finally the artist let go.  Aranea took two steps back, smiled and then disappeared through the door, her long black coat trailing behind.    
  
    The maroonblood locked the door behind her a few moments later and then removed her mask and undid her braids.  She walked quickly into the back room and shed her red smock and skirt before opening a closet door and hauling out the bare form of a woman that appeared to be sleeping with her eyes open.  A minute later and that woman was once again dressed in the outfit she wore to work that evening while the artist set about putting on her felt green dress.    
  
    “Chair should be good place for her,” the maroonblood mumbled;  she picked up the limp form of the artist who normally worked in this tattooblock and settled her onto the black leather chair that she herself had occupied for the better part of the night.  
   
    She entered the front room and looked to her right; the blueblooded owner was still where she left him, standing in front of his datapad, time passing at a distorted rate to his consciousness.   She opened the door to his office and helped herself to a small metal key he kept around his neck.  After that, she returned to the glass counter and extracted the metal caegarbox kept behind it. _ <This should make their night,> _she thought as she swept Mindfang’s golden coins into the box.  A minute later, the box was once again locked and returned to its previous place, as was the key. _ <There.  Now I can go.> _ The maroonblood unlocked the door to the tattooblock and stepped out into the throng.  She waited until she had slipped into the space between the building she had just vacated and the Bucket Brigade next door before releasing her temporal grip on the two people inside.  <All done.>  And in that dark alleyway, alone with nothing but the sounds of Southend around her, Damara Megido wept for what was gained and what was lost.

 


	25. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once aboard the _Fool's Gam8it_ , the freshly tattooed Porrim and Felida consummate their kismessisitude in a manner that attracts some rather unwelcome attention. In the aftermath, Mindfang and Hyvare Chelte find they need to shake the attention that they've picked up on the streets of Southend. Aranea also reveals the nature of their newest mission to her matesprit...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must apologize to you, my dear readers; I've spent the better part of the last three weeks on the road here and there with my kids and haven't had a chance to upd8 properly. I will likely be updating every other week for the next little while and I'll advise if there needs to be a greater delay due to moving, etc. Don't worry, new chapters are still in the works; I will see this project through, I promise! On the bright side, here's a MASSIVE chapter for you!

**24.**  
  
    Porrim was almost breathless by the time they reached the boardwalk that led to the docks.  Despite Aranea’s reassurance that no one would mind her carrying a bucket around on the promenade, she wanted to rush through the crowd and get back to the _Fool’s Gam8it_ as quickly as her feet would carry her.  Felida was on her heels, all but chasing her between the people that formed the throng that filled the streets, and Porrim couldn’t help but wonder if her breathlessness was from the run or from the excitement of having her kismesis pursue her.  
  
    She found their ship easily enough and took off towards it, boots pounding out a rhythm on the dry wood as she sprinted the last few meters to her goal.  Porrim could hear the heavier clunks Felida’s mechanical foot made as she continued the chase, which spurred her on even faster.  As she took the gangway leading up to the main deck, she tossed a quick glance over her shoulder to gauge Felida’s position.  “Told you that you couldn’t catch me!”  
  
    “I could totally take you anytime I wanted, Jadebutt!” Oceleo shouted back.  “And I plan to, believe me!”  
  
    Porrim made the deck without dropping her payload and then wondered what she should do next.   _I made it; now what?  Where would Hyvare be?  In the bridgebl-_  
  
    She was interrupted by a pair of hands grabbing her from behind and rolling her over to the side as she fell.  The jadeblood let out a scream as she dropped the pail and was pinned to the wooden deck.    
  
    “Told ya!” Felida said, pressing her lips to Porrim’s hungrily.    
  
    Porrim had no answer save to return the kiss and put her arms around Felida’s back, hoping to avoid putting her nails into her kismesis’s new tattoo as she tried to ignore the pain her own was causing her, or at least trying to do as Felida did before and make the pulsing sensation work for her instead of against.   
  
    They weren’t there long when they were interrupted by the soft whine of a pulse rifle charging.  “Oh Jegus, it’s just you two,” Hyvare Chelte said with a mix of relief and annoyance.  “What the hell are you doing back already?”  
  
    “Relieving you, if you must know,” Felida said, releasing her grip on Porrim and getting to her feet.  “I’ve got fifty caegars with your name on them from the captain if you put that damn rifle down and go get your bulge wet somewhere.  Y’know, since she’s not the one doing that anymore.”  She reached into her pocket and produced a small blue cloth bag with a gold tie around it.    
  
    Chelte caught it as she tossed it his way.  “Apparently neither are you.  I’m kinda missing your Rainbow Games some days.”  
  
    “First,” Felida said, grabbing the rifle from him, “the less said about that in front of dear, sweet, innocent Porrim, the better.  I gotta admit, it would be a lot harder for me to give that up if I didn’t have her to chew on, but hey, I do.  So you get to go into town with a bag of cash and chat up some lucky person at the Bucket Brigade instead.  How’s that sound?”  
  
    He looked at the bag, and then at Porrim.  “Promise you’re not going to raise anchor and strand us all here?” he asked kindly enough to let her know he was teasing.    
  
    “Tempting as that may be, I suppose we could remain here long enough for you to do what you need to,” Maryam answered.  
  
    “And as for what WE need to do,” Felida said, less than gently nudging the goldblood towards the gangway down to the dock, “once you’re down there, we’re pulling up the plank for at least four hours so don’t come back before that, okay?  Now make like a tree and get out of here!”  
  
    “Okay, okay… geez, it’s like you two need to fill a pail or something!”    
  
    Porrim tried her best not to blush again but failed spectacularly.    
  
    “Aren’t you as funny as a barrel of shitflinging screechbeasts!  Scram!” the oliveblood said, giving him another shove towards the gangplank, which he mounted hurriedly.  
  
    “Sure I can’t just stay and watch?” he asked from the dock as Felida hauled up the wooden ramp.  
  
    “My friend Mr. Pulse Rifle here says you should go pound sand,” Felida replied.  “How about you go pound some poor orgasm facilitator instead?  It’ll hurt way less… unless you pay for pitchplay.  Probably still hurt less than what Mr. Pulse Rifle is capable of.”  
  
    “And you used to be so much fun,” Hyvare teased.  “Speaking of which, have fun, you two.  See you in a few hours.”  
  
    “Don’t hurry back!” Oceleo shouted as he left, reveling in his upturned middle finger reply.    
  
    “You’re so mean!” Porrim said, shaking her head in disbelief.  
  
    “Nah.  He’s a good dude.  Just yanking his chain - but not literally this time.  Nope, it’s just you and me and a silver pail now, Jadebutt!”  
  
    “As long as Mr. Pulse Rifle doesn’t figure into the equation, I’m good with that.”  
  
    “Mr. Pulse Rifle has no place in the respiteblock.  Even Aranea wouldn’t dare to try that!  Now, you just wait here and I’m gonna put Mr. Pulse Rifle back where he belongs: in a locker on the bridgeblock.”    
  
    As Felida turned to do just that, Porrim couldn’t help but feel a shiver of excitement – which was soon tempered by a realization that she hadn’t the slightest clue what to do next.  She turned her attention to the silver pail, shining with the reflected light of the auroras overhead.   _I never thought I’d see a night like this.  A sweep ago I was on a boat fighting for my life and now… now I’m going to fill my black quadrant with the moirail of the woman who fills my red one._    
  
    The warm burn from her leg and her back vied for her attention but she chose to pick up the bucket and hold its cool metal in her hands.   _I almost wish I could put this on my back but-_  
  
    “Hey Jadebutt! Catch!”  
  
    Without even thinking, Porrim dropped the bucket and caught the hilt of the sword being thrown her way.  “Dammit, Felida!  What if I wasn’t paying attention?”  
  
    “Good news!  Looks like you were!  And since you were fondling one piece of metal, I figured you wouldn’t mind adding another one.  Now come on, we’ve got a warm breeze and the deck to ourselves; let’s dance!”  
  
    Porrim gave her a questioning look.  “With a sword in my hand?  I thought you needed both hands free to dance properly?”  
  
    “Porrim, my name’s not Aranea Serket and we’re not doing that kind of dance, dumbnook!  I swear, sometimes I wonder how much of this naïveté an act or if your thinkpan is still swimming with endorphins or something.”  
  
    “Why don’t you put your sword up and find out how cloudy my pan is?”  Porrim fell into her stance without even thinking about it.  “I suspect you’ll find me more than an adequate challenge.”  
  
    “Holy uckfay, keep that gumbeating up and I might mistake YOU for Aranea!”    
  
    “Funny, she says the same thing to me about you.  Now, are you done querying me about my mental state so we can actually, as you call it, dance?”  Although she wouldn’t admit it to her kismesis, the parallel between dancing with her matesprit and this pending swordplay was a rather apt one; both found her equally aroused.    
  
    Felida flipped her sword in the air and caught it without even looking.  “I don’t recommend you try that trick yet, grub; as cool as it is, I don’t think both of us should have a cybernetic arm.”  
  
    “I have a suggestion about a way both of us could share the one you have,” Porrim offered, “but I thought you wanted to actually rattle sabers?”  
  
    “Come over her and rattle mine then!”  The oliveblood used her free hand to beckon Maryam to come closer.  
  
    _Here goes…_ “Keep in mind you asked for this!”  In three steps, Porrim closed the space between then and opened with a series of high and low feints that Felida matched easily.    
  
    “I asked for an amateur display of swordstrollship?”  Felida cackled as she pushed Porrim’s sword aside again and again.  “Funny, I don’t remember that.  Let me make you an offer, Jadebutt:  for every time your sword touches my body, I’ll take off a piece of clothing.  How’s that grab your shoutpole?”  
  
    Porrim stopped for a moment.  “Grab my shoutpole?  How would you even do tha-”  
  
    Before she finished her sentence, Felida lightly poked her just above her right breast.  “Ha!  Points for me!  Off with the vest!”  
  
    “Hey now!  You made the offer!  I never agreed to this!” Maryam yelled with all of the false indignation she could muster.  
  
    “Uh uh, no backsies!  Tit for tit, lady!  You want to see mine, you gotta wager something yourself.”  
  
    “Like your itty bitty kitty titties are your most exciting feature,” Porrim grumbled as she slipped the jade patterned vest off, leaving her white shirt beneath in place.   
  
    “Nope!  But yours are pretty impressive!  ‘Ripe like melon’, I believe?” Felida said, doing her best imitation of their tattoo artist’s assessment earlier that night.  
  
    “This isn’t fair.  Do you know how hard it’ll be for me to poke you in the ass with a sword?”  
  
    “Hey, not my fault I’m so fast; that’s your problem to solve.  Now get your sword up again before I sneak another shot in.  I’d like to drag this out for a couple of minutes at least!”   
  
    Porrim picked up her blade and settled into her stance again.  “You do realize the longer we do this, the more likely we’re going to get interrupted again.  I know how much you love it when that happens.”  
  
    Felida made a rather nasty dismissive sound.  “I got the gangplank up here.  Ain’t no one going anywhere without it!  This ship is all ours for now, hon!  Now come at me, lady; I’d like to think you can score at least one poke on me!”  
  
    “Careful what you wish for!”  Porrim leaned in, back and faked leaning in again to draw Felida from her spot.  As Oceleo’s sword zipped past her, she stepped inside, grabbed her wrist and spun in to pop the tiny oliveblood in the stomach as she did on her first day of training.    
  
    “Unnff… That doesn’t count, shit-for-pan!”  
  
    “Maybe not, but this does!”  As Porrim spun back out, she touched Felida on the shoulder with her sword.    
  
    “Right.  So it does.”  Felida bit her lip as she put her sword back in her belt and quickly pulled her white blouse off.  
  
    “I can’t believe you keep falling for that,” Porrim taunted.    
  
    Felida grinned, showing off her pointed teeth.  “Maybe I wanted to?  Had to at least make this interesting.  Some of us only wear one piece of clothing on their upper body, after all.”  She shook what she had to shake at her kismesis for emphasis.   
  
    Porrim tried not to let on that she was enjoying this.  “Those are… cute…”  
  
    “Cute?  CUTE?  I’ll show you cute…”  Felida drew her sword and dashed in, causing Porrim to take two steps backwards towards the side of the ship.  The jadeblood’s eyes flicked to the sides as she tried to gauge just how much space she had left to work with but as she did so, Felida took advantage and tapped her on the right hip.  “Gotcha!  Off with the skirt!”  
  
    “No fair!  I was worried I was going to pull a ‘Felida’ and fall over the side!”  
Oceleo snorted with indignance.  “I’ll have you know the only way I go overboard is if someone throws me, and there’s no way in hell you’re gonna do that anytime soon.  Now, how about you just drop that skirt?  Take it right off.”   
  
    Porrim looked around nervously; there were all kinds of large ships in Southend’s harbour, some of which weren’t that far away from _Fool’s Gam8it_.  “What if someone’s watching?”  
  
    “Then they get to see your - as Aranea calls it - choice ass, which I’m kinda waiting to do as well.  Seriously, Jadebutt, Southend is a place where people go to get AWAY from their ships!  There’s probably nothing left on board any of them but a skeleton crew and anyone on the docks below can’t see up here because of the railings anyway!  It’s just you and me now, so don’t worry.  Well… you, me and the surveillance droids…”  
  
    “WHAT??????”  
  
    “Kidding!  Come on! Drop it, let’s go!”  
  
    After taking a few more glances skyward to confirm Oceleo was, in fact, kidding, Porrim undid her sash and then slipped her skirt down to the deck where she stepped out of it.  “There!  Happy now?”  
  
    “You better believe it!  How’s it feel to have nothing but the breeze on your bottom?”  
  
    Porrim thought back to her time with Aranea on Blue Recluse Island and how liberating that was.  “I’ve done that before… once or twice…”  
  
    Felida grinned and adjusted her grip on her weapon.  “Maybe, but I bet you weren’t swinging a sword at the same time!”  
  
    Maryam let out an involuntary yelp of surprise as Felida pressed in on her again.  It took everything she had to repel this series of thrusts; any hope of falling back on her training dropped away and she simply continued to parry the tiny oliveblood’s attacks as best she could without any regard to countering.    
  
    “I can totally tell you’re off guard, Porrim; you gotta learn to fight naked, you know!”  
  
    “Why would I need to learn that?”  
  
    “Because you never know when you’re going to have to do it!  Better to get over the oddness and immodesty of it before you actually find yourself outside bare as your pupation night, impaling a boarding party as they scale the side of your ship!  If you have to think about what you’re doing, you won’t be able to do it very effectively!”  To underscore this, Felida dipped her blade to bait Porrim into blocking low and then flicked it up to score a hit on her white blouse.  “Game, set and match, Jadebutt!  Show ‘em to me!”  
  
    Porrim hung her head; beads of sweat dripped from her hair and onto the wooden deck below.  “Fine.”  As she moved to put a hand on her shirt, the one holding the sword suddenly leapt up and tapped the flat of the blade on Oceleo’s brown shorts. “Ha!  Got you!  Your turn!"  
  
    “Game’s over, lady!” Felida said, laughing.  “I get to choose when I drop these now!”  
  
    “Last time I checked, we were both still wearing clothes,” Porrim retorted, tipping her chin at Felida’s boots.    
  
    “Those don’t count!”  
  
    “And why not?”  
  
    “Because…” Felida wracked her pan for an answer.  “Because… um… I don’t really get turned on by bare feet?”  
  
    Porrim touched the tip of her blade to both of Felida’s brown boots, making a mark on each.  “Sorry, Kittie, that excuse just doesn’t cut it.”  
  
    Felida ran her tongue over her teeth and nodded.  “Fine.  Okay, then.  You win.”  She dropped her sword to the deck and stepped out of her footwear.  Once done, she undid her olive sash and then pulled her shorts down.  “Now, since the game’s over, let’s even this up!”  
  
    “What do you… OH!”  In a split second, Felida closed the distance between them and tackled Porrim to the deck.  The jadeblood did her best to land on her shoulder to protect her back but still had barely a second before her kismesis was on top of her and facing away, spitting curses and pulling Maryam’s black footwear off  before hurling them towards the bow of the ship with more than a little force.    
  
    “THERE!  THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR THROWING!”  With the barest effort, Felida turned herself around to face Porrim.  “Okay, Winner Winner, guess what I’m having for dinner?”  
  
    Porrim looked at her and blinked her eyes.  “Is it me?”  
  
    Felida tried her best to rein in her laugh but failed miserably.  “Take a wild fucking guess, dimbulb!”  
  
    “Oh… Well, maybe you might want a bucket?  In case you want to save some for later?”  
  
    “OH SHIT!”  Oceleo hopped up and fetched the pail from where Porrim had dropped it earlier.  “Good thing your thinkpan is still working right; apparently mine took a hike with my clothing.  No thanks to you for that.”  
  
    Porrim smiled knowingly and waited for Felida to return with their gift from Aranea.  “Hey, I just thought of something…”  
  
    “Does involve what you’re gonna do to me to help fill this pail?”  
  
    “Kind of… Actually, it has more to do with remembering what you said about doing this sort of thing on the deck… the part about slivers in the seedflap in particular!”  
  
    Felida rolled her eyes.  “Oh fuck, you would remember that, wouldn’t you?  I was kidding, you twit!  Even after all the shit and corruption that went down with that tealblood and the boarding party that came after, this deck is as smooth as your seedflap, sweetie.  No way in hell you’d get a sliver from it.”  She made two deliberate stomps with her mechanical leg. “Polished dense woodcore.  You’d have to do some serious damage to this to make it splinter.”  
  
    “Are you suggesting we should try?”  
  
    “No, but I tell you what,” the oliveblood said, walking over to one of the lifeboats and extracting a large piece of fabric, “it could get nasty on the knees if you go ass-up to fill this bucket, so how about we grab a tarp and fold it up a couple of times… like so… I SAID like SO… FUCKSAKE…”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t help but chuckle at Felida’s frustrated attempts to fold the tarp up to a more useable size.  “Wow… You really are terrible at that.”  
  
    “I could tie this festering piece of trash… into about FIFTY THREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF KNOTS… but I couldn’t fold it TO SAVE MY SORRY LIFE! RRGGHH!”  She hurled the wadded up fabric to the deck in disgust.  “If you can make this work, be my guest!”  
  
    Porrim stood up, threw Felida a “watch this” look, and in seconds, folded the tarp into a near-perfect rectangle four layers thick that was still more than large enough for them to sit or lay upon comfortably.  “Aranea tells me you’re a quick learner…”  
  
    “I AM!  It’s just… everyone has their thing they can’t do.  I can’t fold worth a tin caegar!”  
  
    “Don’t feel too bad; neither can she… but then I suspect you already knew that.”  
Felida nodded.  “Yeah, no shit.  Good thing we’re Gamblignants, not parachute packers.  Now, where were we?”  
  
    “I believe I was about to simultaneously claim my victory prize and be on the menu at the same time.”  Porrim pulled Felida close and placed her lips on the oliveblood’s with more vigor than Felida expected.    
  
    “Damn, girl, this is a side of you I like to see!” Felida remarked once she came up for air.  “Now sit your butt down, Foldy McRoundass, it’s officially ON.”  
  
    “What the… ‘Foldy McRoundass’?”  
  
    “NEVER MIND!  Just sit down before I sit you down again!” Felida shouted.  
  
    “Well, when you put it like that, how could I resist?”  Porrim lowered herself onto the beige tarp and let her legs fall open; moments after, Felida was on top of her, her olive tongue in Maryam’s mouth and her hands pinning the jadeblood to the deck.  In time Felida’s mouth found its way downward, across stiff jade nipples which were lightly chewed on; kissing Porrim’s abdomen, making her twitch and writhe on the tarp; almost engulfing her jade seedflap and letting the soft folds escape her mouth with only the barest nicks from those sharp teeth while soft moans escaped Porrim’s.  “You can fold a blanket, lady, but you know I own you when it comes to this!”  
  
    Porrim raised her head to look at her black lover who was now on her knees, looking back at her from between her thighs.  “Get owning then!”  
  
    “Don’t mind if I do!”    
  
    The next thing Porrim experienced was a hard sucking on her nub; the sound that escaped her lips had no words.  As that oral embrace continued, she could feel Felida’s fingernails lightly dragging down the inside of her thighs and then back up again; the light scratching irritated her at first but she came to enjoy the additional sensations in concert with what Felida’s tongue was doing.  “How do you know… to do that?”  
  
    “Not my first rodeo, Jadebutt,” Felida replied when she took a moment to breathe.  “You like it?”  
  
    “Yeah… Spreads the focus a bit…”  
  
    “Glad you approve.  Tell you what, might be time to flip you over and see if you’re done.”  
  
    This elicited a laugh from Porrim.  She rolled to her side and over the recently inked portion of her back, which put a premature end to that laughter.  “Ack!  That hurt right away…”  
  
    Felida reached for the nearby pail.  “Yeah, but it’s a good hurt, right?”  
  
    “Like a bad sunburn… it’s throbbing.  Is it supposed to do that?”    
  
    “Absolutely.  Just let it pound,” Felida encouraged.  “You can focus on it; feel it accelerate with your pusher as you go over the edge.”  
  
    Porrim got onto her knees and then leaned forward, placing her forearms on the tarp-covered deck.  “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”  
  
    Felida placed the silver bucket between Porrim’s thighs and then wet the first two fingers of her left hand in her mouth.  “Good luck keeping much of anything in mind for the next few minutes, girl.  You’re all mine now…”  
  
    “Well, technically I also belong to Aranea but in a differe-”  
  
    “I said ‘Mine’ and ‘Now’, didn’t I?  Maybe I can get you to knock off the chatter if I can make you moan instead…”  Those two wet fingers found themselves in Porrim’s seedflap while her thumb came to rest on her nook.  This alone caused Porrim’s sounds to lose coherence but those emanations became far louder as Felida began pushing and pulling those fingers in and out of her, slowly at first, but much more vigorously as her natural wetness made it easier to do so.  “Tell me what you feel more now: this or the tattoos?”  
  
    Porrim tried her best to speak but could only reply with a chattering sound; she pushed back against Oceleo’s fingers, letting the rapidly building excitement flow over her.  The pain from her back and her leg beat out a steady rhythm but it was, as she was told it would do, picking up speed.    
  
    “Cat got your tongue, eh?” Felida taunted.  “Well maybe she should share hers with you…”  The oliveblood used her right hand to lightly sink her nails into Porrim’s curvaceous backside and pull what was under them slightly to the side.  Without stopping what her left hand was doing, she extended her tongue onto her kismesis’s nub, then tilted her head up, dragging that olive tongue all the way up alongside her flap and onto her nook, and relishing the noises that came from her ebon lover in response.  “Ooh, I know that song!  Let’s hear it again… and again… and again…”    
  
    The wet feeling of Felida’s tongue running along that track and pressing against the flared tightness of her nook while those fingers pounded away on the swelling inside of her was almost more than she could bear; yet there was something about the hint of pain caused by those sharp yellow nails in her backside that added a note she found oddly exciting.  She wanted to tell Oceleo to bring her home already but when she tried, all that came forth was a guttural moan.  
   
    “Yeah, I know; it’s getting SO wet back here, Porrim… I can’t wait for you to show me what you’re gonna do to me after!”  She began to thrust her metallic left hand even harder into Porrim’s seedflap, creating a wet slapping rhythm that made the jadeblood howl even louder.  “Come on… you want a piece of me, don’t you?  Then fill that bucket, bitch!  Put some in that pail and I want to wear the rest of it on me like a badge.  You’ll all mine… all mine… that’s it… yeah…”  Felida gripped Porrim’s rear even harder and returned her tongue to her nook in an effort to take her kismesis to her climax… and it was enough to make Porrim screech as her jade expulsion surged out almost before Felida knew it was happening.    
  
    Porrim had already crashed back to the deck before she was done releasing but couldn’t stop herself if she wanted to; the pounding from both her freshly inked places and from Felida’s digits had slammed into her until the climax slammed her from inside.  It took nearly a minute before she was able to lift her head and ask, “Did… did any get in?”  
  
    The next sound she heard was a pail being set down beside her head.  “See for yourself!”  
  
    She wearily looked over to find their bucket, tipped so she could see the jade-tinged contents inside.  “Thank goodness… I was worried…”  
  
    “Don’t be!  As much as half of it made it in there!” Felida said cheerfully, showing Maryam her decidedly jade coloured left hand.  She then used that hand, slowly and deliberately in front of Porrim’s field of vision, to smear the leftover jade all over her own seedflap before placing the two fingers that were quite recently inside of Porrim into Porrim’s mouth.  “Just giving you a taste of what’s to come, you dirty girl…”  
  
    Porrim didn’t complain; the scent and taste of both of them together was strangely appealing.   _The pheromones must be off the charts… compelling… gods, I want her!_  
   
    Once Felida’s fingers slipped free of her lips, Porrim bared her fangs in a strange smile that made Felida’s eyes open wide.    
  
    “Well, well!  That’s… an interesting look right there!  What do you have in miiiiIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!”  
  
    Felida had no time to react; Porrim was on her, pinning her to the tarp, chewing on her neck with barely restrained bites, while she could feel the jadeblood’s left hand frantically searching between her thighs for moist openings.  “Holy shit, Jadebutt; looking for something?”  
  
    Porrim didn’t reply; she just continued sucking and nipping Felida’s neck until her fingers found purchase inside of the oliveblood’s wettest place.  “Found it,” she whispered into the space under her caliginous partner’s chin.    
  
    “And what do you plan to do with it, then?” Felida sighed, baiting Porrim on.  
  
    No words came from Porrim, only a curling and uncurling of those fingers inside the front wall of Oceleo, which caused Felida to sing out as she often did.  Porrim found those sounds rather loud and strange with her sponge clots so close to Felida’s throat, but the strange, primal sounds actually spurred her on further, so much so that she introduced another finger in hopes of making her squeal even louder. Her efforts were rewarded: Felida screeched and caterwauled with every thrust of Porrim’s digits, her high pitched keening making Maryam want to accelerate the process not only because she knew her partner was into it, but also because the noise was getting disturbingly loud.   _Someone’s going to hear that… but I don’t want her to stop either!  She must really be enjoying that… and I really enjoy doing it to her!_  
  
    Porrim pulled her face away from Felida’s neck long enough to spot the bucket within reaching distance.   _Better bring that over here, just in case._  She pulled it closer and said, “You’ll let me know right?”  
  
    “UH HUH FUCK YEAH SURE”  Since Porrim had slowed down what she was doing with her left hand for a moment to make sure she had the pail in a better position, Felida answered by slamming herself against that hand to encourage Maryam to continue.  As soon as Porrim did so, she resumed her howls of pleasure, interspersed only with occasional lewd comments that were all but unintelligible.    
  
    After a couple more minutes of this, in concert with sucks and nips at Felida’s erect nipples, Porrim dared to try adding her little finger as well and found a place for it with the others.  In response, Felida arched her back and wailed, sending a spray of sweat flying from her body.  The oliveblood began to shudder against Porrim’s hand, and this was enough of a signal that even someone as inexperienced as she could tell that the end was close.  Without stopping her motions, Porrim tried to adjust herself and bring the pail as close to Felida’s seedflap as she could.   _And just in time!  Oh my…_  A hard squeeze and Porrim’s hand was forced out followed by an olive torrent and a bellowing screech –   
  
    “Oi!  You up there!”  
  
    Porrim’s head whipped around towards the source of the call.  “Who?  What?”  
  
    “You on the ship!  Show yourself!”  
  
    “FUCKOFF!!!!!” screamed Felida, “WE’RE BUSY!”  
  
    “Right!  Bruuce, get the ladder, then!  We’re coming aboard!”  
  
    “You have GOT to be KIDDING ME!”  Felida leapt to her feet so suddenly that Porrim barely had a moment to catch the pail before it tipped all the way over.  She stormed over to the edge of the railing to see who dared to interrupt her:  standing on the dock beside the Fool’s Gam8it were three trolls in white uniforms looking up at her, one of whom was holding a long wooden ladder.  “THE FUCK DO YOU DOLTS WANT?”  
  
    “G’night, Madamm!  Southend Port Authority!  We’re checking into a complaint...”  
  
    “YOU WANT A COMPLAINT?  HERE’S A COMPLAINT: YOU’RE INTERRUPTING MY KISMESIS AND I!  PISS OFF!”  
  
    “Ah!  Right then!  Not the first time that sort of thing has happened!  You see, we got word from someone in the area who was a bit concerned someone was culling screechbeasts on board this vessel in a rather illegal manner.  First of all, under Section 612 of the Southend Port Docking and Lading Act, screechbeast meat is forbidden for sale or trade, but this was more of a complaint concerning the potentially cruel and brutal treatment of livestock based on the manner of noises coming from this vessel.  Might we come aboard and inspect your hold?”  
  
    Porrim found herself giggling at first, but this rapidly escalated into gales of laughter.  
  
    “Oh, you think this is fucking funny, huh?” Felida spat back at her, but her own face was quickly starting to show hints of a smile.  She chased that grin and returned to the trio of Port Authority officials.  “Listen here, you blithering shitpans, there are NO screechbeasts aboard this ship, and I do NOT sound like a fucking screechbeast when I’m getting fingered!”  She stopped for a moment and looked skyward in thought.  “Saber-fanged mountain-dwelling purrbeast in estrus maybe, but not a fucking screechbeast!  Seriously!  Whoever the hell made that complaint needs their sponge clots flushed!”  
  
    “Listen, Madamm, unless we have substantial proof that those noises were, in fact, produced by… er… yourself, we’re going to need to take a boo at your carriage!” came the reply from the clipboard-toting fellow below.    
  
    “You want a ‘boo’ at my fucking ‘carriage’?  Well fine!  Here!”  Felida turned around and bent over at the lower point of the railing where the gangplank went, wiggling her hips at the three of them.  “Finest carriage you’re gonna see tonight, fuckers!  Now fuck off while I still feel like letting you!”  
  
    Porrim was nearly in tears from her laughing.   _No wonder she and Aranea get along so well.  Cut from the same cloth, those two.  Felida’s cloth does seem quite a bit coarser, mind you…_  
  
    Much to Porrim’s dismay, however, the inspector was not going to be so easily swayed.  “While I would be hard pressed to disagree that’s a mighty fine carriage, Madamm, unless you can offer some irrefutable proof that it was you and your kismesis making those manner of… noises, we will have no choice but to board your vessel and conduct a full review.”  
  
    “And here I thought you guys were known for looking the other way… You want proof?  Fine!  Here’s your fucking proof!”  Before Porrim could lodge a protest, Felida grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her to her feet, still cackling away.  A moment later, both women were standing at the railing, Felida triumphantly thrusting Porrim’s hand, still drenched in olive emissions, into the air with her right hand, while her left, still bearing a distinctly jade shade, carried the silver pail filled with their caliginous mating.  “WE DID IT!  WE MADE IT HAPPEN!  ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?”  
  
    The three white-clad figures on the deck began to shift around uncomfortably at the sight of the nude trolls and their filial pail, but still the one pressed onward.  “On behalf of my esteemed colleagues, Bruuce and Sheela here, we’d like to congratulate you on the consummation of your kismesissitude, but there’s still the wee matter of the noises themselves.  We’re going to need you to place your hands on the rails there and stand back while we come aboard.”  
  
    “Oh, I’ll put my hands on the rails, but the only ones coming aboard this ship are me and her!  You want to know where those noises came from?  I’ll fucking show you once and for all!”  Felida looked up at Porrim as she placed her hands on the rail and spread her feet slightly apart.  “Giddyup, Jadebutt!  Let’s ride!”  
  
    Porrim gave her a horrified look.  “You want me to… do that?  Right now?”  
  
    “Would you rather these shitwits get on deck?  It’s not the fact that we’re not carrying any real contraband, but it’s the principle of the thing!  Gamblignants do NOT like being boarded by anyone!  Aranea would have a complete shit if the likes of them set foot on her flagship!  Now, grab your baton, conductor; it’s symphony time!”  
  
    With a rather self-conscious swallow, Porrim put her fingers together and slipped them in between Felida’s thighs, gently pressing up into her partner’s still moist seedflap.  The grin on Oceleo’s face changed from one of vicious glee in anticipatory triumph to one of glorious pleasure.  “Ohh… Ohhhh… yeah… mmm… fuck yeah, Jadebutt… OHHH… stick your thumb in my nook, too, that gets me…Ooo ohhhhhh… FUCK YES… _ROHHHHWWWWW_ ”  
  
    By the time Felida reached full volume, the three inspectors were looking on with a mix of both awe and horror, but there was no question as to the source of the sounds any longer.  “Crikey,” said the chief inspector under his breath as he shut off his datapad.  “Right!  Okay, carry on, then!  Sorry to have interrupted you ladies!  We’ll just see ourselves off!  G’night!”  
  
    Felida made no reply as they hurriedly escaped down the dock save for her caterwauling.    
  
    “They’re leaving,” Porrim noted, “Did you want me to stop?”  
  
    “FUCK NO! I WANT THOSE NOOKSNIFFING LAPBEASTS TO HEAR THIS ALL THE WAY FROM DOWNTOWN!”    
  
    Porrim voiced her concern, “Aren’t you sore?”  
  
    Felida bared her teeth.  “Oh hell yeah…”  She pushed back onto Porrim’s hand and ground against it for emphasis.  “Love it.  And push that thumb of yours further in, bitch; I wanna FEEL it…”   A fresh chorus of screeches and howls escaped Felida’s throat and Porrim opted to assist as best she could by placing her mouth on her kismesis’s neck and chewing once more.    
  
    By the time Felida climaxed again, Porrim swore she could hear distant applause.

 

 

    “You sure you don’t want another go, Jadebutt?” Felida panted as she nestled in beside the jadeblood on the tarp.    
  
    “Quite.  You certainly gave me all I could handle tonight!”  Porrim looked up at the waves of green and purple across the sky, surprised to see those colours despite the fact that neither moon was high.    
  
    “I hear it’s good luck to do it under the Lights.”  Felida reached up to touch Porrim’s face with her organic right hand.    
  
    Porrim made a snorting sound.  “You could sure use some!  Everytime we try this we get interrupted by something, it seems!”  
  
    “Not every time!  We got away with it in my block before we got to Horuss’s island without something going sideways on us.”  
  
    “That’s true.  But still, you have some awfully strange luck!”  
  
    Felida rested her head against Porrim’s full breasts.  “You’d think that hanging around with Aranea would help with that but no such… luck.”  
  
    Porrim leaned in and kissed the top of Felida’s head and then on both of her horns.  “Well, hopefully it gets better from here.  We did get to fill a bucket together at least!”  
  
    “Yeah… yeah, we did!”  Felida looked over to the silver pail resting just beside them; both shades of green were present and accounted for.  “Can you believe it?”  
  
    “I can believe that, yes, especially considering we literally just filled it.”  
  
    “Smartnook…”  
  
    “Someone has to be.”  
  
    Felida rolled her eyes.  “Don’t make me bite you.”  
  
    Porrim pulled her head back a bit to look at Felida’s neck.  “Actually, I’m the one who should be saying that; I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly…”  
  
    “Are you kidding?  I fucking loved that!”  
  
    “You’re still bleeding there a bit, you know.  Do you think I should stitch it up?”  
  
    “Nah.  A little rum oughta take care of that… Give it some flavour, you know?”  
  
    “Not sure that’s the flavour I’d want,” Porrim said with a shiver.    
  
    “Ha!  The rum or the blood?”  
  
    “I’m not sure yet.”  Porrim put her arms around Felida, taking care not to irritate the area that still bore the bandages from the tattoohive.  “I’m just glad we got to finally do this.  I still can’t believe it.”  
  
    Felida sighed contentedly.  “Believe it.  You know, maybe part of the reason I felt so… drawn to you is because I know you’re not going anywhere.”  
  
    Porrim was curious what she meant.  “How do you mean?”  
  
    “Well, by being Aranea’s matesprit, I know you’re not going to just bugger off somewhere.”  
  
    “Isn’t it uncommon for kismesises to cohabitate, though?  Wouldn’t the tension get to be too much?  And think about how bizarre that would be for the matesprit.”  
  
    “That’s just it.  We’re different.”  
  
    “Speak for yourself.”  
  
    Felida lightly placed her teeth on Porrim’s right breast but didn’t bite down; this still made Porrim twitch.  “I told you not to make me bite you!  Anyway, you turd, you’re weird enough in your own way.  What I meant was that our situation is different.  We’re not actively beating on each other constantly; we know what we want and it’s happy coexistence.  We all have our quadrants and no one’s going to get hurt or killed because of it.”  She paused for a moment and took a deep breath through her nose.  “I guess maybe I like the security of it all.  We’re all together in one place and it’s wonderful.  I don’t have a whole lot else of worth in my life.”  
  
    “Surely you must have your share of Aranea’s take from your… missions?”  
  
    “I heard how that last word came out, Porrim, and yes, I’ve got all kinds of caegars, but remember that I’m more interested in what we have as a group.  I’d rather we find our successes together, you know?  And just maybe… I like having the people I love – or technically hate – close at hand.  It’s worth more to me than any bag of caegars.  
  
    “I suppose it’s also why I liked the idea of the tattoos so much.  It’s a sign of that permanence.”  She looked up at Porrim and invited a kiss from her.  “Just like Aranea, from now on, I’m yours.  Always.”  
  
    “Always,” Porrim echoed.  They sat that way on the tarp for a few minutes, hand in hand, watching the light show above.  The only interruption came with a soft clicking sound being made on the deck.  “Do you hear something?”  
  
    Felida looked around; her eyes alit upon a glittering object a couple of meters away.  “Where did that come from?”  
  
    “Is that a caegar?”  
  
    “Sure looks like one.”  As Felida picked up the coin she felt another strike her right horn and clatter to the wooden deck.  “Ow!  What the fuck?”    
  
    Porrim looked around nervously.  “Is it raining money or something?  I don’t suppose that’s a regular occurrence around these parts?”  
  
    “Not that I know of…”  A third caegar whistled past Felida’s right sponge clot and she now had a direction to work with.  She dashed to the railing and looked down at the dock, half expecting to see the Inspectors again or even worse a squad of Enforcers but instead discovered most of the crew of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ assembled below.  “What the hell are you guys doing back already?  And why are you showering me and my kismesis with caegars?”  
  
    “To get your attention so you’d throw the fucking gangplank down!” replied Cessai Calbem, a reedy maroonblooded woman holding a pail full of golden coins.    
  
    “Figures that’s the only kind of bucket you’d fill in a place like this with a face like that,” Felida jibed.  “Porrim and have this ship to ourselves for another hour or so!  Go spend your loot on a quickie somewhere!”  
  
    “Not happening tonight, I’m afraid,” answered Niedys Bycros, a young goldblood Felida was helping to groom for his own command as of late.  “The Captain told us to get back here as quick as we could because we had somewhere to go.  I’m not thrilled; I mean, we just got here and…”  
  
    “Yeah, yeah, I know.  I have no idea what this is about but if you’re all back here, it must be for a reason.”  As Felida picked up the gangplank, she looked over to see Porrim hurriedly gathering up her clothing.  “Relax, Jadebutt, no one cares if you’re naked here.”  
  
    Porrim gave Felida a wide-eyed look.  “Perhaps, but it’s not like I’m exactly clean right now – and neither are you!”  
  
    The oliveblood looked down at her bare form and the decidedly jade tint to a fair part of her body.  “Meh.  Nothing they haven’t seen before.”  
  
    “Well, I can’t say I have that distinction, so I’m going to get my clothes and tidy up down below.  Take your time dropping the gangplank, please and thank you!”  
  
    Felida sighed.  “Fine…  Hey, while you’re at it, if you’ve got a free hand, take the bucket down, too.  You’re heading to my respiteblock, right?”  
  
    “I could be.”  
  
    “Good.  Take it with you and tuck it in my closet, please!  See you down there as soon as I find out what the deal is, okay?”  
  
    “Sure!”  
  
    As Felida watched Porrim scramble down the stairs to the lower decks, she gave herself another once-over, shrugged and sent the plank down to the waiting Gamblignant crew below.  “Here you go, you gits!  And not one word about my state of dress unless it involves a high five!”  She silently counted them as they came aboard.  “Okay, so we’re all here except the Captain and… Hyvare?”  
  
    Niedys was about to comment on that when a voice was heard:  “We’re all here, my sweet.  You might just want to pull up the plank right behind us, though!”  
  
    Both Felida and Niedys looked further down the dock to see Mindfang in full flight, Hyvare Chelte right behind her in a state of undress not entirely unlike Felida’s own, and about three Enforcers in pursuit.  “Oh shit… What did you do?”  
  
    “I’ll tell you in a moment!” Mindfang shouted.  “Get someone to start the engines right now, though!”  
  
    Bycros didn’t need to be told twice; he ran for the bridgeblock to fire up the _Fool’s Gam8it_ ’s engines.  Felida was never happier that there was always a charged battery ready for emergencies such as this; she took up position beside the plank, ready to haul it up as soon as both were on board.  Mindfang’s crimson boots hit the deck first, followed by Chelte’s bare feet; the gangplank came up right behind.  “GO!  Full reverse!”  
  
    The ship shuddered as power was rapidly applied and the vessel pulled away from the docks as the Enforcers reached the end of their available range to chase.  “And we’re clear!” Felida shouted, watching the frustrated Enforcers catch their breath.  A few moments later, all about grabbed the railing as the ship turned and headed out to the open ocean.  “What the hell’s going on?  Do you think they’ll dispatch the Sea Division to cut off our escape?”  
  
    “For this?  Nah.  Not a chance.”  Mindfang was grinning ear to ear as she sucked in sacfuls of air.  “Not worth it.  Glad it was for ONE of us, though!”  
  
    Chelte had already collapsed to the deck.  “Felida… this is… totally… your fault!” he wheezed.  
  
    “My fault?  Whatever could you possibly mean?” A sly grin crossed Oceleo’s features.    
  
    “Those caegars… were FAKE!”  
  
    Felida made a dismissive sound.  “No way!  They were completely one hundred percent genuine!”  
  
    “Completely… genuine… candy!” Hyvare puffed.  
  
    Mindfang shot her first mate a disbelieving look.  “Felidaaaaaaaa…”  
  
    “What?  You know, Hyvare, I almost felt bad about doing it until you started dragging your feet about leaving, you bucket voyeur!  I was just hoping it would make your night a little more interesting, either at the pailhouse or the cardblock.  Was I wrong?”  
  
    “That’s not the kind… of interesting… I was looking for!” he said, slowly rising to his feet.    
  
    “Well, I think that makes up for your lack of assistance in sending Aurana my way right before she left.  I totally heard you call her over right before she went by.”  
  
    “She already knew you were there!” Hyvare protested.  “She just wanted to bait you and play it up!  Besides, she offered me use of her respiteblock while she was gone.”  
  
    Oceleo crossed her arms.  “So you sold me out for a block to yourself, eh?”  
  
    This set Mindfang laughing.  “Oh, the delicious irony…”  
  
     “I’m almost afraid to ask…” Felida said, looking from her Captain to the disheveled goldblood.  “But not that afraid!”  
  
    “Fuck me…” Chelte mumbled.  
  
    “Precisely,” Mindfang began.  “You see, I just happened to be on my way back past the tattooblock after stopping for a drink further up the street when I felt a very strong pulse of emotion from someone I knew.  I turn around to see Hyvare here running out of the Bucket Brigade, sporting a colour other than his own on a certain part of his anatomy – much like yourself right now, Felida – and two very upset people right on his heels, yelling about how his money was no good.  Naturally, I was curious as to what was going on and caught up to him.  He shouted something about giving them candy by accident which made me realize precisely what had happened.   I can’t believe that’s what you opted to do with them, Felida; they were such excellent caegar replicas….”  
  
    “I know they were!  Perfectly weighted and everything.  Still don’t know how they were able to get the foil that tight.  But what else was I going to do with them?  I didn’t want to eat them so I decided to put them to use!  How did they even figure it out?”  
   
    With a snort, Hyvare replied, “Well, far as I can tell, their caegarbox must have been located near a heat source because I was just nicely finishing up with my rentsprit when the door flies open and here’s this seething gal from the front counter, looking scary as fuck with pink spiked hair and a handful of brown stuff that couldn’t possibly have come from any blood colour I’d ever seen before, screeching about how my money was worthless and I was going to have to stop.  I’d just finished and I asked her what I was supposed to do; it’s not like I could just cram it all back in!  Wrong thing to say, I guess; she comes after me and I pretty much do a barrel roll off the bed and out the door!  I scurried down those stairs as fast as I could; no way was I going back for my clothes!  I’m out the door, she’s right behind me with some hulking guy joining the chase, and next thing I know, here’s the Captain running beside me, asking if I needed a hand.  Obviously I did and I look back to see both people chasing us suddenly hit the dirt.  I was about to say thanks, but before I could, three Enforcers appear…”  
  
    “And they were damn indigobloods!” Mindfang spat.  “As it turns out, we had a good lead on them so we pressed on and here we are!  You should be thanking dear Felida, Hyvare; she certainly did make your night far more interesting than you expected!”  
  
    “Yeah… Real fucking interesting, all right.”  
  
    “It must have been, as the number of naked people on this ship has doubled since I went downstairs,” Porrim remarked as she emerged fully dressed from the stairwell.  
  
    “You realize I could significantly increase that number if you so desire, dear heart,” Mindfang said with a mischievous grin.   
  
    Porrim sighed loudly.  “That’s quite all right, thanks.  It’s bad enough I carry the blame for one of them.”  
  
    “Quit bragging,” Felida replied and then stuck her tongue out in response.    
  
    “I’m just curious as to what’s going on?” Maryam asked, looking to her matesprit.  “I was trying to get into my skirt when I felt the ship lurch under my feet.  I almost banged my head on Felida’s daystand!  Are we fleeing from something?”  
  
    “Yes and no,” Mindfang answered.  “Let’s just say the immediate cause for our accelerated departure is no longer a factor.  However, we do have somewhere else to be; the sooner we get there, the better our odds of finding what – or in this case, who – we are seeking.  Consider it a treasure hunt where the treasure is not only mobile, but great indeed.”  
  
    All around Mindfang looked to her with unabashed curiousity.  “What do you mean, Captain?” Felida asked.   
  
    “If it’s all the same, I’d like to talk it over with Porrim and you before I make it known to the crew at large.”  Mindfang looked to the crew, most of who were now assembled on the deck in front of her.  “I know you’re all upset about having to leave here so soon, but when I reveal to you the nature of our quarry, I’m certain you’ll understand my motivation.  Besides, I have something I’m just aching to show you!  But I need to show it to these two first.  As you werrrrrrrre…”  She started for the stairs; Porrim and Felida looked at one another and fell in behind her, leaving Hyvare and the rest to try and guess at what adventure this latest excursion would yield.    
  
  
  
  
  
    _Does this have to do with who I think it does, Captain?_ Felida thought to her moirail as she emerged from Aranea’s gaperblock, clean and dressed.  
  
    _Let’s find out…_  Mindfang gave the oliveblood a quick mental scan.   _Yes, it does, but let me tell Porrim.  This has to come from my lips._  
  
    Felida’s face displayed an excited grin that Porrim picked up on.  “What’s so exciting?  I feel like I’m missing out on something.”  
  
    “Have no fear, my sweet; all will be revealllllllled.”  Aranea began to unbutton her coat, which made Porrim concerned.    
  
    “Um, if this is going where you getting undressed usually goes, I might have to respectfully take a pass; I’m actually rather fatigued from our paili-”  
  
    “Shhhhhhhh…  You can relax, Porrim, my love; for once, this has less to do with the sexy side of things and more about ‘show and tell.’  The first part, however, is most decidedly ‘show’…”  With a flourish, she let her long jacket fall to the floor and flipped her long hair back to expose her neck and the spider-and-stitching tattoo that now adorned it.  “This is for you, dear heart:  forever a reminder of how your selflessness and skill saved my life.”  
  
    Porrim approached her to get a better look at the work.  “Look at this!  Didn’t this hurt?”  
  
    “Nowhere near as badly as the act that caused the scar in the first place.  It was worth it, believe me.  Do you like it?”  
  
    “I… Yes, I do.  It’s just that…”    
  
    As the jade tears welled up in Porrim’s eyes, Aranea embraced her matesprit and softly kissed her cheek.  “I know.  What you did deserves a genuine tribute, and as you wanted to turn something awful into something wonderful, so did I.  I hope you like it.”  
  
    Porrim nodded and stepped back to take another look, particularly at the green spider with her own symbol on its back.  “I certainly do.”  
  
    “Glad to hear it.  But wait, there’s more!”  Aranea began to unbutton her blouse this time and ended up just pulling it over her horns like she did in the tattooblock.  She turned to show her left arm to Felida, which made her First Mate gasp with surprise.  “This one is for you, to honor the sacrifice you made.  It could just as easily have been me who needed a new arm when that night was over and I felt you shouldn’t be the only one to wear a metal one.”  The sheen of the salve glistened in the soft light of the respiteblock, giving the stylized shapes something akin to a metallic glint.    
  
    Felida’s hands were over her mouth in shock.  “Oh… oh wow! That’s… amazing!”  From a distance, the arm looked like a more heavily plated version of Felida’s own, but up close, especially at the shoulder, there were more details and designs, some of which looked like spiders or symbols where the “metal” met the unadorned flesh.    
  
    “A fitting homage to your dedication, I trust?”   
  
    Oceleo simply nodded; she couldn’t quite find the words to reply.    
  
    “And here’s the last.  I simply couldn’t resist this one, Porrim, especially with the two of you getting symbols done.”  Mindfang turned her forearm upward to face her matesprit’s gaze.  “I am showing this to absolutely eeeeeeeeeveryone, just so you know!”  
  
    “Aranea!  You… rrgh…”  Porrim put her hand over her face at the sight of Mindfang’s sign poking through her own, but behind the exasperation was a smile at the silliness of it.  
  
    “Does that mean you like it, love?”  Aranea grinned, letting her fangs show.  “I do hope so!”  
  
    “It’s just so… you.”  
  
    “Well, of course it is!  Wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t!”  She held it up for Felida to see; the oliveblood started to cackle at the sight of it.  “See?  Felida likes it!”  
  
    Porrim snorted.  “I would question Felida’s taste in art if she wasn’t sporting my symbol on her back right now.”  
  
    “And your leg has never looked better, lady!  I think Aranea has something she needs to tell you, though,” Felida suggested as she took a seat in one of the cushioned blue chairs.    
  
    “Oh does she?”  Porrim crossed her arms and waited for a further explanation.  “I would like to know what necessitated such a hasty departure.”    
  
    “Would you, now?”  Aranea strode up to her and let her blue-nailed fingers caress Maryam’s cheek and chin.  “What if I asked to trade you a piece of clothing for every piece of information shared?”  
  
    “I should inform you I already played that game with my kismesis tonight and came out on top,” Porrim said, smirking.    
  
    Mindfang glanced over to her moirail, who was deliberately looking anywhere else.  “Realllllllly?”  
  
    “Maybe…  Just tell her already!  Please?  I want to hear what she has to say!”  
  
    “Okay, now I’m quite curious.”   
  
    “Very well…”  Aranea took both of Porrim’s hands into her own.  “Here’s the deal:  you and I are going home!”  
  
    Porrim eyed her warily.  “Our hive was a smoking ruin last time I checked.”  
  
    “Note that I didn’t say ‘hive’, love.  I said ‘home’.  It’s also Felida’s home, too.  As well as the home of everyone on board this lovely ship.”  
  
    “Base Two?”  
  
    Aranea shook her head.  “It’s also the home of every single troll alive.  The thing is, my sweet, you know it far better than anyone else I’ve ever met.”  
  
    As soon as Porrim made the connection, her jaw dropped.  “THE CAVES?  But… why there?” she sputtered.    
  
    “Because, love,” Aranea said, shooting a quick glance over to the eagerly smiling Felida, “a friend of ours happened to tell me that your sistren there may have some information as to the whereabouts of someone you were once very close to…  Someone who I’m quite certain would love nothing more than to see your lovely face once again, especially after all that you both have been through this sweep…”  
  
    Porrim blinked away the tears forming once more.  “Meulin?” she whispered.

 


	26. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doc Scratch decides the Damara has endured her solitary confinement long enough and discovers his unwilling apprentice possesses skills that surprise even someone like himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, yes, but one that not only ties up a loose end or two but may also untie a few as well... Much more to come, don't worry!

**25\. – intermissi0n**  
  
    “Against my better judgment, I have decided to commute your banishment to the closet, Damara.  My employer has made a most convincing argument that his needs are best served with you active versus… what… what have you done in here?”  
  
    “ <Ow!  My eyes!  Why you have lights so fucking bright all the time?>”  
  
    “You have completely and utterly defaced the walls of your closet with this… graffiti!”  
  
    “<What?  You art critic now?  I like to see you do better, no talent shitlord!  Only talent you have is beating gums you not have!>”  
  
    “Hmm… In retrospect, perhaps I was a touch hasty.”  
  
    “<About what?  Letting me out of closet or my art?>”  
  
    “As much as it may surprise you to hear it, your drawings.  Upon further review, I can see that you have spent much of your solitary time honing your craft.  Not that I am moved in any way by viewing these, but I find it fascinating that you were able to achieve this with such little light and in a confined space.”  
  
    “<I almost be moved to say ‘thank you’ but you the reason I in closet with such little light in first place.>”  
  
    “Hardly.  Your interference in the affairs of Aranea Serket earned you that punishment.  As for this, I can’t help but wonder as to your choice of medium.  Your physiology would only permit two viable options and considering your personality, I have a strong suspicion which one of the two you would opt for.  That doesn’t mean I can entirely rule out blood, however.”  
  
    “<Nope!  I like to keep blood inside body.  This paint much easier to come by.>”  
  
    “Your crude wit remains intact, evidently.  If only you took to learning the tasks I assign you with as much fervor as you do this, perhaps we wouldn’t have as much issue wi- what is that?”  
  
    “<Oh!  You looking up my skirt now?  I knew deep down you filthy pervert just like me!  Keeping poor innocent girl locked up in closet… You have fucking weirdo written all over face you not have!>”  
  
    “Why do you have your… art drawn on your body as well as the walls?  There’s no practicable means for you to achieve such precision using solely your fingers.  In fact, those marks on your thighs are far darker than the substance you used to create your pictures on the walls with.”  
  
    “<You give me wands, remember?  Sometime I think your thinkpan stop functioning but then I remember you not have one and your stupid head full to brim with hoofbeast shit.  It wonder I not smell you coming.>”  
  
    “You have actually developed a means of using your majjyk wands to tattoo yourself.”  
  
    “<It not tattoo really as there no ink.  It more like burn.  If I actually needed to eat anymore, I would say I smell really good when I cooking.  Kind of like snoutbeast.>”  
  
    “You never cease to amaze me, Damara.  I never thought I would add self-cannibalism to the list of bizarre ideas you come up with.  However, the idea of you sporting such designs upon your corporeal form is unacceptable.”  
  
    “<How come?  You say you like my drawings!  Fuck you!  You not my lusus!  What you going to do about it?  Go take wand and tattoo ‘I Need To Die In Fire’ on your stupid round head, you festering wad of… hey, what you doing?>”  
  
    “These so-called artistic marks are no different than superficial wounds.  I made them disappear.  Essentially, I healed you.”  
  
    “<I not want that!>”  
  
    “Your wants are irrelevant.  I will not have your skin so defiled while in the employ of our shared master.  If you are to strike terror into the hearts of our enemies, you will have to do it with your actions, not due to your primitive subdermal etchings.”  
  
    “<Tattoos respected in my culture!>”  
  
    “Your sorry culture has been dead for thousands of sweeps.  It continues on in some form or other but anyone you have known has been gone for centuries.  No one remembers you, Damara.  None but I know who you are.  However, in due time, they will come to know you as the Handmaid.  They will know you as the harbinger of the destruction to come.  Why waste any thought for the denizens of your homeworld?  They shed no tears for you.  Don’t spend another moment dwelling on those you think you know, Aranea Serket least of all.  Her life is now her own and will be extinguished in time without so much as another thought of you.  I have no idea what motivated you to take up artistic endeavours, but it truly matters not a whit.”  
  
    “<Holy fuck, you depressing.  Maybe you should go die in fire; you might feel better.  Now, if it mean I not have to listen to you blather on, I have job to do, right?>”  
  
    “I suspected that a stint in a place of solitude would whet your appetite for your work.  Now, here is what is expected of y- where did you just go?”  
  
    “<What you mean ‘where I go’?  I standing right here whole time!  You not have eye, how can you see anything?>”  
  
    “Don’t play coy with me, girl.  I detected the temporal distortion.  You were gone for four hundred and thirteen milliseconds.  Where did you go?  And why are there tracks of red under your eyes?”  
  
    “<Maybe I not like what you make me do, okay?  Pusherless beast!>”  
  
    “I hadn’t even provided an assignment yet.  Something tells me your emotional outburst is your own doing.”  
  
    “<Perhaps…>”  
  
    “It matters not.  By the time you reach your true potential, emotions will become as irrelevant to you as they are to me.”  
  
    “<You wrong.  You so wrong on that.  You never more wrong than you are right now.>”  
  
    “Damara, if I were to count the number of times I have been wrong about anything on my fingers, there would be fingers left over.  All of them, in fact.  Prescience has its privileges.”  
  
    “<But I know it possible.  I know things can change on you.  Aranea proof of that.>”  
  
    “Simply because someone didn’t accept my offer of that gift of foresight does not mean I was wrong to offer it.”  
  
    “<Whatever.  Someday, when it too late for you, you might see.>”  
  
    “What your blueblooded friend does with her decidedly finite existence is no longer my concern, nor should it be any of yours.  Our focus will remain on getting you prepared for your future in our employer’s service.  Your first task will be to clean your closet from top to bottom, and that includes the walls.”  
  
    “<WHAT?>”  
  
    “All art is temporary, Damara.  And the sooner you rid yourself of such pointless emotional attachments, the sooner you will be in a state to receive the lessons to come.  You will find the cleaning supplies required, rather fittingly, in your closet.”  
  
    “<…>”  
  
    “I didn’t catch that; say it again?”  
  
     “<You just wait…>”  
  
    “That, girl, is exactly what I already do.  In fact, I shall spend the whole of my existence waiting.”  
  
    “<Fine.  Maybe you should try and wait more quiet, then.>”  
  
    “Save your truculence for someone more deserving.  Despite your rather diminutive stature, you should be able to reach the highest drawings with little difficulty; you did put them there, after all.”  
  
    “<…did you just call me ‘short’?  Roundhead shitheel who live in glass house not have leg to stand on!  You no taller than me!>”  
  
    “While I continue to marvel at how you massacre analogies, my height is even less relevant than your emotional outbursts.  Now get scrubbing; I want to see you erase the whole of this.”  
  
    “<Somenight maybe I erase whole of this place…>”  
  
    “Be assured I wouldn’t permit you the opportunity to mark up anything outside of your closet, particularly with your medium of choice.”  
  
    “<You know what I talking about, stinky green globesac…>”  
  
    “And it’s an empty boast at best, a ludicrous flight of fancy at worst.  Enough of your chatter; I must admit I was actually starting to enjoy the peace and quiet your confinement afforded me.  Cross me again and I may indulge a second time; on the bright side, at least you’ll have a blank slate to work upon…”

 


	27. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim returns to a place she swore she would never see again and finds that one can, in fact, go home again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longtime readers will recognize the names I chose for the Solemn Six Sisters at the end of "Nobody Lives Forever", but now I get to flesh them out a bit! There are all kinds of surprises in store as I start to explore the Rainbow Drinker mythos and lay down the groundwork for future chapters...

**26.**  
  
    Despite the wind and rain that pelted her face, Porrim paced the whole of the _Fool’s Gambit_ ’s deck from stem to stern, trying desperately to come to grips with what she was about to do and who she was about to see.    
  
    _Will they even let me in?  They’ll probably shun me as a significant hazard and what nothing further to do with me.  I’m the one who left, after all; they’d be well within their rights to do so.  But I’m certain Her Elegance will want to at least know about Eadnii and Motina; she may even be willing to take my pails but beyond that, I can’t see why she’d want me around at all.   Who says she’d even be willing to tell us anything about Meulin’s whereabouts?  This is a pointless mission… but the chance to see Meulin again is worth the gamble, isn’t it?_  She came to a stop and bit down on her lip while she wiped some of the moisture from her face.   _How many times have I gone over this the last week?  Now that we’re only a short time from the docks at Byanbol, I’m right back to where I started.  And yet, isn’t that the root of the problem?_  
  
    Mindfang and her First Mate watched their shared quad complete another circuit of the deck from the warm confines of the bridgeblock.  “If I didn’t know how resilient that deck was, I’d be worried she’d wear a trench  in it!” Felida remarked, shaking her head in disbelief at Porrim’s soaked form.  
  
    “You should have seen her in her makeshift cellblock.  She’d put in hundreds of laps around her bed a night.  Literally hundreds.  No word of a lie, I feared for my flooring; it’s nowhere near as durable as that.”  Aranea considered sending a wave of calming to her matesprit but decided to reserve that for when it might be necessary.   _Better to let her get it out of her system now, or at least come to terms with what it is she’s about to do prior to our arrival.  Concerning that…_  “Niedys, how long till we arrive?”  
  
    “Ten minutes, Captain,” came the reply from the helm.   
  
    Mindfang could still sense the frustration pouring off of the goldblood at the events of the previous night.   _I gather that he’s not the only one who’s not impressed about last night, Felida.  I wish I could share with them what it is we’re doing here but I need to know this isn’t a wild honkbird chase first.  
  
    Well, let’s see,_ Felida replied mentally.   _We sailed for a week and half to Southend only to have shore leave canceled a few hours after we arrived and now, nearly a week later, we get a Navy cruiser in our sights ripe for the picking, but abandon any attempts at taking it without an explanation.  I don’t think anyone would dare cry ‘Mutiny!’ over that but they’re all agitated at not getting to do what Gamblignants do, Captain.  
  
    Particularly Niedys Bycros here,_ Aranea thought.   _He’ll make a good captain sooner than later.  He served under Iomare Lexium on_ 8rigadier _until that thrice-damned tealblood punched a hole in the side of it at pointblank range and sent it to the bottom.  Lexium was an incredibly talented veteran; he’d been with me longer than even you, dear, and Niedys just ate up everything he was taught.  The guy’s a natural; let’s make sure he gets a ship soon, preferably one he has a hand in taking.  That will, of course, have to happen after this operation.  
   
    Do you think any of them will be of any use in a ground search capacity?  
  
    They’re going to have to be, Felida. Based on what Porrim tells me of her, I don’t suspect we’ll find the Disciple swimming about in the ocean.  Last time I checked, you olivebloods didn’t come equipped with gills and if you did, I’m pretty sure I would have seen them by now.  I know every square centimeter of you inside and out, after all…_  
  
    Felida shivered happily as her moirail slowly dragged blue fingernails down the nape of her neck; a soft purr escaped her lips involuntarily.   _Oh, sure… tease me when I can do nothing about it!  
  
    That’s the ideaaaaaaaa… Besides, I thought you got your fix a couple of nights ago anyway._  
  
    Oceleo smiled as she thought about her last session with her Mistress while Porrim was fretting on deck in the daylight but was equally happy that there had been nights that the three of them shared the bed in Mindfang’s respiteblock, even though there had been no overt activity taking place.  Overt was the key word; she couldn’t help thinking about how Aranea teased her while Maryam slept beside them and how it took every effort not to sing out as those slender fingers invaded her from behind.  When she did release onto Aranea’s lap, the pillow took the brunt of her desperate attempts at silence.  Porrim discovered the damage when she woke up that evening and asked why there was a bite taken out of it; Felida claimed she was dreaming of eating a giant swampmallow but suspected her kismesis wasn’t entirely convinced.   _Do you think she’d be ready to try something involving all three of us yet?  
  
    Not in this state of mind, no._  Mindfang sighed as she watched Porrim reenter her field of vision.   _She needs to deal with this visit to her Sisters more than anything else and then the prospect of finding her closest surviving friend.  There will be time for that in the future I’m certain but, for now, Porrim’s focus is elsewhere.  Alas, this means ours must be as well._  
   
    Felida’s shoulders dropped ever so slightly.   _I hate it when you’re right, Aranea.  
  
    No more than I, my sweet._  “Cessai, contact Byanbol Docking and transmit one of our Shipping Fleet codes.  Also, confirm that our visible markings have been masked.”  
  
    “Yes, Captain,” answered Cessai Calbem from the communications console.  After a short delay, she added, “Code transmitted and accepted.  We’ll have mooring, Captain.”  
  
    “And one can only hope there won’t be a Navy presence waiting for us on the dock.  Thank you, Cessai.”  She turned to Oceleo.  “What say we haul our rather damp friend inside and towel her off a touch before we arrive?”  
  
    “I say that’s probably a good idea, Captain.”  Felida headed for the door, flung it open and bellowed, “HEY, JADEBUTT!  GET IN HERE BEFORE YOU GET COMPLETELY WATERLOGGED!”  
  
    A few moments later, a sopping Porrim Maryam stood beside her in the decidedly warmer confines of the bridgeblock.  “Are we there yet?”  
  
    “Close, love.  We just thought we should try and make you presentable so that the Sisters don’t think we mistreat you or something.”  
  
    “At least, not unintentionally,” added Felida, giving Porrim a firm smack on the rear, which created a squishing noise from her saturated skirt.  
  
    “I fear we may have to wring you out!” Mindfang said, looking at the puddle forming around her matesprit’s black boots.    
  
    Porrim shivered.  “While I would normally be rather excited about the prospect, please pardon me if I’m a little distracted at the moment.”   
  
    “Completely understandable, my sweet, but I believe it rather unnecessary.  I’m quite certain you’ll be welcomed here.”  
  
    “The more I think about it, the more I suspect you’re right, but it still worries me.”  
  
    Mindfang responded with an empathic soothing.  “Relaaaaaaaax, Porrim.  Felida and I will be there with you.  At a distance, initially, because that’s what you asked for, but we will be supporting you, have no fear.”  
  
    “You know, I really wonder what it is I fear most when it comes to this,” Porrim said, squeezing some of the water out of the thicker hair in the back.  “Am I afraid they’ll reject me outright?  Or is it that they won’t share what they know about Me-”  
  
    “Remember, love, the crew knows nothing about who we seek.  I will reveal all in time,” Mindfang announced loudly enough for the crew members on the bridgeblock to take notice of, “but for now, worry not about it.  You take care of reacquainting yourself with your Sisters and the crew will take on fresh supplies.”  
  
    Porrim grimaced.  “Thank goodness.  I was wondering if I’d ever get to taste anything other than stale loaf again!”  
  
    “Hey, I shared my last snoutbeast  sandwich with you, didn’t I?” Felida huffed as she grabbed onto Porrim’s red sash with plans to extract some of the rain from it.  
   
    “For which I’m ever grateful.  I just wondered as to your motivation when you crammed it down the front of your shirt first.”  
  
    Aranea couldn’t help but chuckle at this.  “She learned from the best, darling.  I do believe I’ve baited her that way a few times myself.”  She stood facing Porrim and did her best to shape the jadeblood’s wet hair into something remotely resembling its usual style.  “I suspect it will just get flattened again when you step outside next, but it’s the effort that counts, yes?”  Porrim nodded and tried her best to smile.  “That’s the spirit.  Now come and sit beside me; only a few more minutes and we’ll be ready to go.  How’s that sound?”  
  
    With a sharp exhale, Porrim answered, “I can’t wait…”  
  
  
  
  
    The crunch of the gravel under her boots seemed just that much louder to Porrim’s sponge clots as she approached the entrance to what appeared to be a rather non-descript hole in the side of a large hill.  The rocks beneath were smooth and polished, suggesting the ocean had once been here; now only the thin estuary of a river flowed past, but Porrim knew there was access to the sea in the caverns below for those of a certain blood colour who needed to find their way out.  As the familiar grey and brown stones began to thin out and grasses replaced them, Porrim stopped for a moment to shed her boots, which was the only part of her outfit that would not be welcomed where she was going.  When she bent over to take them off, a loud honk startled her so badly she almost tipped over and twisted her ankle.  “Was that really necessary?” she shouted back to the occupants of the hovertruck parked a hundred meters behind her.  
  
    “Just trying to keep you on your toes!” Felida hollered from the passenger seat that Porrim had occupied a few minutes prior.  
  
    “Funny, it almost had the opposite effect!” Porrim yelled back.  
  
    “Relax, love!  You’ll be fine and we’ll be right here,” Aranea shouted.  “I don’t think you’ll have to wait long – look!”  
  
    Porrim turned her head to the entryway; her breath caught as she saw a black and jade clad woman take a look at her and then retreat back into the cave.   _I’ve been spotted; no turning back now._  She swallowed hard and continued her now barefoot trek towards a place she hadn’t seen in many sweeps.   _I have nothing to fear from these people… at least, not physically._     
  
    A calming sensation fell over her and Porrim knew her matesprit was helping her.   _I do appreciate this, Aranea.  More than you know.  
  
    There is nothing to fear here, dear heart.  Let any fear you have pass over and through you.  No matter what the Sisters say or do, you will have us.  We are your family now._  
  
    This brought a smile to Porrim’s face.  Before she could mentally reply, though, a series of figures emerged from the cave, illuminated by the lights from the vehicle alone for the cloud cover was thick enough to obscure the moons.  Porrim stopped where she was and watched as six people walked towards her, wearing gowns of jade and black, their heads covered by cowls to protect them from the showers of rain.  There was no question in her mind who these women were; the way they moved as though they were gliding over the ground left no doubt that these were her Solemn Sisters.   _There are six,_ she noted silently.   _I have been replaced but then, that is not a surprise._  
  
    As the six approached her, the one in the lead continued on while the five behind her gently came to a stop.  Porrim never turned her eyes away, watching intently as the tall figure approached; there was an almost regal bearing to her that was so familiar and intimidating at the same time: the Grand Maryarch.  It was enough to make Porrim feel as though she were a foolish young grub again, left dumbstruck in the face of an authority she had dared to turn her back on.  The compulsion to show respect was too much; without a thought, she dropped to one knee and bowed her head.  “Your Elegance…” was all she could muster.  
  
    She dared to steal a glance up at the barefoot woman now standing in front of her.  With a fluid motion, the cowl was thrown back and a face Porrim hadn’t seen in too long a time, softly lined and faintly aglow, looked back at her.  “Porrim?  Is it really you?  Stand up and let me take a good look at you.”  
  
    Porrim did as she was asked and let the stately jadeblood place a hand upon her face.  “It’s me, Your Elegance.  I have come to visit.  Am I still welcome here?”  
  
    The glowing face broke open in a broad smile, one that revealed a long pair of fangs.  “Of course, child.  You will always find friends here, no matter what.  You’re not the first Sister to set off into the world in search of a different life and I strongly suspect you won’t be the last.  You have, admittedly, partaken in quite the unusual adventure, haven’t you?”  
  
    “That would be one way to put it, yes.  I was just worried that… well, that I wouldn’t be welcome here because of my choice.”  
  
    “Porrim, I’ve seen many things in my life.  Whether or not I agree with that choice matters not; what matters is that you made it.  The implications may be more far reaching that you could have imagined but it doesn’t change the fact that you are a jadeblood like myself and all of the Sisters before us.  I’m just quite happy that you’re not only alive, but also well!”    
  
    The Grand Maryarch put her arms around Porrim and embraced her; much of Porrim’s remaining concern and apprehension melted away.  After a few moments, the elder Maryam said, “And when you have a moment, would you kindly tell your ceruleanblooded friend that her empathic scanning won’t tell her much about me?   I mean you and yours no harm, but I am a bit concerned about what kind of crowd you’re running with here.”  
  
    “You can tell she’s doing it?” Porrim asked, not even bothering to hide her surprise.  
  
    “Of course.  I’ve seen a few grubs with that ability come and go; not a lot, mind you, but enough to know what it is and how to deal with it.  I’m just curious about whether or not there are friends of yours or simply thieves who offered you a ride?”  
  
    Porrim’s shock continued to grow by the moment.  “How did you know they were thieves?  They’re Gamblignants, actually, but…”  
  
    “Did you see where they rented that vehicle from?”  
  
    “Um… no, actually.  Come to think of it, it didn’t take them terribly long to pick one up from the rental shop.”  
  
    “That’s because they didn’t rent it.  It belongs to the fellow who delivers our supplies from the docks.  He also happens to operate the vehicle rental shop in Byanbol.”  
  
    _Aranea!_  
  
    “Hey, she’s smart like you, Porrim!” Mindfang called from the driver’s seat.  “I like her already!”  
  
    “Do you trust these two implicitly, Porrim Maryam?  This is very important.”  The Grand Maryarch looked her former charge squarely in the eyes as she awaited her answer.  
  
    “Of course, Your Elegance.  One is my matesprit, the other is my kismesis.”  
  
    A murmur erupted from the assembled Sisters that Porrim found both curious and comical.  The Grand Maryarch turned to shoot them a “cease and desist” look and then returned her attention to Porrim.  “You have Gamblignants as your red and your black mates?”  
  
    Porrim straightened herself up as tall as she could under the Grand Maryarch’s inquisitive gaze.  “I do.  You should know that, despite their tendency to occasionally obtain things that aren’t theirs…”  She paused to shoot a withering glower at the two in the hovertruck, who were both grinning like fools.  “…these two and the fleet at their command are dedicated to finding ways to help, not harm.  Their focus is to help rescue those who would be doomed as slaves for the Empire… or worse.  If it wasn’t for the actions of my matesprit, I would not be alive to speak with you here tonight.”  
  
    The Grand Maryarch nodded grimly.  “Indeed.  And your love for her is your own?  I ask this only because, as you just said, I’m well aware of what she’s capable of.”   
  
    “I have no doubt in my mind that she has no control of me where my heart is concerned.  She has made me well aware of her abilities and gave me the opportunity to choose whether to take my freedom or be with her.  I made that choice of my own free will and we are now declared matespr-”  Porrim watched with surprise as her left hand suddenly jerked forward and began waving the large sapphire token around in big looping motions in front of her former guardian.  She looked over to the stolen hovertruck and shouted “Hey!  Quit that!”  
  
    The laughter Porrim heard was coming from the occupants of the truck but from the Grand Maryarch herself.  “It’s quite all right, Porrim.  I can tell from this that your love for her – and her love for you - is quite genuine.  Ceruleanbloods tend to be on the mischievous side, but I strongly suspect you’ve figured that out by now.”   
  
    “You could certainly say that, Your Elegance.”  
  
    “Please, dear, you no longer serve the Mother Grub outright.  You may call me Lamiea now,” the eldest jadeblood said kindly.    
  
    Porrim looked at her as though the woman had just requested to be called the Empress.  “I would feel very odd about doing so.”  
  
    “Nonsense.  We all have names and I hear my own far too infrequently around here.  As for your companions, the reason I asked if they could be trusted is that if I were to invite them in, I need to know they would keep their hands to themselves.”  
  
    “You would permit them entrance?”  Porrim’s mind raced at the thought; she recalled the number of visitors the Sisters allowed into the caverns to be very few, and mostly only those who provided supplies for them as needed.    
  
    “If they are your quadrantmates, it would be rude of me not to.  Did you intend for them to simply sit in the vehicle and wait for you while you visited here?”  
  
    Porrim went to speak and then stopped herself.  She looked over to the vehicle at Aranea and Felida’s smiling faces and then back to the Grand Matriarch.  “Actually, I wasn’t certain what they were going to do.  I guess I was more concerned with how you would welcome them, if at all.  Besides, I fear we cannot stay long as we’re on a bit of a mission, but it’s one we were hoping you may be able to assist us with.”  
  
    Lamiea raised an eyebrow at this.  “Do tell.”  
  
    “I’d rather not do so in the open, even in a place as secluded as this.”  
  
    “Then we’ll do so over a warm meal.  I’m certain your sistren would be more than happy to indulge in the finer sauces on a night other than the Seventh night, am I correct?”  The Grand Maryarch looked over her shoulder to the collected jadebloods behind her who nodded their approval.  “Then what are you waiting for?  Go tend the grubs that need tending and then prepare the fresh loaf.  We will have three guests this night, so ensure there is enough of the special pastes to go around.  Yakaya, please make certain that the lavender paste is one of them?”  
  
    “And so it shall be done,” came the reply and the five Sisters retreated back inside of the cave entryway, happy to escape the rain.  Porrim couldn’t help a smile of delight at the prospect of enjoying a treat from her youth and was doubly thrilled that her mentor remembered it to be such.    
  
    “Now, please invite your matesprit and your kismesis to join us.  And, if I suspect correctly, you may also bring your respective pails along as well.”  
  
    Porrim was about to ask the obvious question but realized the Grand Maryarch would understand the unlikelihood that Gamblignants would have access to, much less any interest in the seeking out of, Imperial drones.  “Th-thank you, Your Eleg-”  
  
    “Lamiea now, remember.  And you’re quite welcome.  I will wait here for you to bring your mates along.”  
  
    Answering with a quick nod, Porrim strode quickly back to the orange hovertruck where Aranea and Felida were waiting.    
  
    “We didn’t get you into too much trouble, did we, my sweet?” Aranea asked, her tone light but the undercurrent of genuine concern was quite present.    
  
    “Not at all,” Porrim answered, approaching the open driver’s side window.  “In fact, Her Elegance would like to invite you both in to join us for a meal.  And she has asked that if we have buckets…”  She stopped short, the emotion in her voice too much to dare speaking further.  
  
    “I know, love,” Aranea said, placing her hand against Porrim’s cheek, wet with rain and traces of jade tears that had slipped past her defenses, “This is a night you thought would never come.  Well now it’s here and I’m elated that we can spend it with you.”    
  
    Once she had Porrim’s emotional state under control, she looked to her moirail.  “Come, Felida, let’s show darling Porrim’s dear jade sisters what wonderful guests we can be.”  She reached into the back seat of the truck and withdrew the shiny new pail she purchased in Southend, which now bore the transferred contents of the bucket found in the ruins of her hive, while Oceleo grabbed onto the one she and Porrim filled barely a week before.    
  
    Porrim sidestepped and let Aranea exit the vehicle, which the Gamblignant captain made a point of leaving unlocked.  As the three of them walked towards the tall, striking figure waiting for them by the entrance to the cave, she whispered, “Can the two of you actually try your best not to say or do anything too… peculiar here?”  
  
    “Heyyyyyyyy,” Mindfang responded, “it’s me!”  
  
    “I know.  That’s why I’m asking…”   
  
  
  
  
    It was everything Porrim could do to contain herself as Lamiea led the three of them into the guest dining hall.  Watching Aranea and Felida’s expressions as they touched the smooth stone of the cave walls provided her some distraction, but upon seeing this hall again with its high arched ceiling and the Sisters standing behind their chairs awaiting the arrival of their honoured guests, it struck her strange that she was one of the guests on this occasion.  
   
    “Come in and choose one of the open seats at this end of the table,” the Grand Maryarch instructed.  “Porrim, you may wish to take the end opposite me so that you can face the Sisters while you tell your tales.  I’m certain you have much to share with us, and be assured there are thirsty sponge clots here!”  
  
    “Of that I have little doubt.  I’m just as certain that you have all kinds of questions to ask,” Porrim replied, taking her place behind the chair on the end as was requested.  While she waited for Lamiea to arrive at the head of the ornate stone table, she whispered to her quadrantmates, “Do as the others are doing and stand behind your chair for now.  The Grand Maryarch will lead with a prayer and then let you know when to sit.”  
  
    Both Aranea and Felida nodded and moved to either side of her.  Aranea noted that even the chairs themselves were hewn from stone and polished to a shine.   _I’m most curious how heavy these are,_ Aranea thought to Porrim, _Could a maroonblood even move this, I wonder?  
  
    That’s the kind of question better not to ask aloud.  And have no fear of that; the chairs are lighter than they appear.    
  
    _ Aranea chuckled softly and then turned her attention to the elegant form of the Grand Maryarch as she glided to her station.   
  
    “In the name of our Mother Grub from whom we all are given life, we give thanks for this gift of this feast and for the company that from which it necessitated.  We who serve the Mother Grub sometimes forget that what seems mundane for us is wondrous to those who had long left these caves to take on their new lives and it is a pleasure to reacquaint them with that which they left behind.  Let us share stories about the world without and the world within over a meal prepared with kindness so that we may all have a fuller understanding of the world in which we all live.  And so it shall be done.”  
  
    “And so it shall be done,” came the echoed reply, one which Porrim joined in without even thinking.    
  
    “Honoured guests, before you take your seats, allow me to introduce myself and my Solemn Sisters.  I am Lamiea Maryam, the Grand Maryarch and the eldest of the jadebloods that serve the Mother Grub.  To my left is Sister Kakaka, Sister Yakaya and Sister Kayolo.  To my right, Sister Papaya and Sister Baraka.”  As each Sister’s name was called, she undid her cowl and slipped it back over her horns, revealing a series of lovely faces, some with longer hair and others favouring a shorter, more pointed style.  The one who stood directly to Mindfang’s right, however, chose not to remove her hood.   
  
    _Porrim, my love, who is this beside me?_ Aranea asked mentally as she shot a quick peripheral glance the one who opted to keep her cowl up.    
  
    Porrim took a look herself and did her absolute best not to show any outward signs of shock.  Unlike the others, this Sister showed very little of the radiant beauty of the others: her face appeared to be set with a series of sharp teeth in a decidedly wicked grin and there was no hair at all peeking out from underneath her hood.   _I don’t know her, I’m afraid; she must have been the one to replace me but I’ve never seen anyone quite lik-_  
  
    “Please pardon Sister Baraka; she is rather self conscious about her appearance and chooses to keep her face hidden whenever possible.”  
  
    “No worries at all, Lamiea,” Mindfang answered.  “We all have our preferences, although I must admit I generally prefer to keep my boots on.”  She wiggled her toes and let her feet adapt to the warmth of the smooth stone floor below.    
  
    “It may surprise you that the reason for being unshod has nothing to do with any religious bent or superstitious motivation,” Lamiea explained.  “We keep our feet bare, and ask our guests to do likewise, so that should a rogue grub happen to make their way somewhere they are not expected to be, we do not step fully upon them.  If we were wearing footwear, we may not perceive their presence until it was too late.  Those grubs that emerge from the trial caves have already had to deal with much; it would be cruel if they survived that only to be trod upon by our careless feet.”  
  
    Aranea nodded.  “I can get behind that.  I suspect there’s a good reason that rule exists?”  
  
    Porrim gave her matesprit a look that suggested she ought not to ask further.  
  
    “There is indeed,” Lamiea confirmed.  “Admittedly, we are somewhat concerned about your kismesis’s prosthetic...”  
  
    “Oh, don’t worry,” Felida answered, displaying her metal arm for those assembled around the table.  “I have temperature and pressure sensors all though them.  I can feel my hand and foot almost as well as the original, and my foot will stop just as quickly if I need it to.”  
  
    “I am pleased to hear it.”  Lamiea turned her attention back to Porrim.  “You’ve introduced your quadrantmates to me, but would you kindly do so again for the rest of the sistren?”  
  
    “Of course, Your Elegance.”  Regardless of the Grand Maryarch’s insistence, Porrim felt as though calling Lamiea anything but her proper title in this block would be nothing short of sacrilege.  “To my left is my matesprit who goes by the name Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, captain of the ship _Fool’s Gam8it_.  To my right is my kismesis, Felida Oceleo, First Mate of said ship.”  
  
    “If I may be so forward,” the Grand Maryarch began, “pseudonyms and aliases are utterly unnecessary here; we keep to ourselves and have no desire to share your identity with anyone.  You left these caves with your name already given and recorded, thus we already know it.  You can be yourself among us.”  
  
    Mindfang matched Lamiea’s gaze and spoke, “While I appreciate that, my name is not something I share terribly frequently.”  
  
    “As I said before, there is no need for hiding it for we already know it.  Let’s make a challenge of this:  if we can tell you your last name, you confirm your given one.”  
  
    “I do love a good wager,” Mindfang purred.  “Very well, then.  You get one guess and one only.”  
  
    “That’s all we need.  In fact, this would be a good opportunity for test our second youngest Sister on her knowledge of more obscure symbology.  Papaya, please tell me the last name of our guest based on what you see.”  
  
    Papaya Maryam was the shortest of the jadebloods, not quite as diminutive as Felida, with decidedly rounder features which made her no less striking; her hair extended down past her shoulders before coming to a folded sharp point.  She leaned forward to get a better look at their guest; running her eyes up and down over Mindfang’s slim body, looking for any clues that would help her answer the question posed to her by her superior.  “Ah, there we are,” she began as her gaze locked upon the top right section of the blueblood’s jacket.  “I can see your symbol embroidered into the pattern there.  You are… a Serket, and likely the only one on the planet right now.”   
  
    A slow smile spread across Mindfang’s face and she began a slow clap.  “Impressive!  I must admit, I’m curious if it was easier because of the relative scarcity of bluebloods compared to, say, maroon or bronzebloods.”  
  
    “Actually,” Lamiea said, “it’s more challenging because we see very few new bluebloods compared to the warmerblooded on the spectrum.  We’re much more familiar with their nomenclature and symbols because of their shorter lifespans.  However, we make it a point to study all of the names and symbols.  Mastering it can take fifty sweeps or more.”  
  
    “I wonder how well Porrim would have fared,” muttered the Sister to Lamiea’s immediate left.    
  
    “Kakaka, I will have none of that at our table,” came the pointed response from the Grand Maryarch.  “She is of our blood and is now our guest.  Perhaps once you have heard her tell her tale you may gain a greater understanding of her motivations.  Pray for knowledge and enlightenment, Sister.”  
  
    “Yes, Your Elegance.”  
  
    Porrim studied the slender, pinched features of the second eldest jadeblood:  although her downcast eyes suggested Kakaka was contemplating the nature of the rebuke, the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of the woman’s thin lips suggested there would be little likelihood of her opinion of the wayward jadeblood changing any and that smile was a message aimed directly at Porrim herself.    
  
    _What’s her issue?_ Aranea asked inside of Porrim’s thinkpan.  
  
    _Kakaka’s never had much use for me.  Nothing I did ever met her standards.  For a long time I thought it was because she was challenging me to be better, but I came to know that someone as regimented as her simply couldn’t accept my curious nature.  Can you read her?  
  
    No… In fact, the only ones I can are the one beside Felida and the one who answered the question.  The rest including… this one beside me are as obscured as the Grand Maryarch herse-_  
  
    “As per our wager, I believe you were about to share your given name with us?” Lamiea gently interrupted.  
  
    “Ah, yes.  I don’t normally enjoy coming up on the losing end of a bet but this time, knowing that you are yours are as trustworthy with it as they come, I will do so happily,” Mindfang said with all of the charm at her disposal.  “You are absolutely right, Sister; my name is Aranea Serket, the one and only.  Porrim has spoken very highly of what your order is capable of; I’m pleased to see that her glowing accounts were well founded.”  
  
    Both Lamiea and Papaya bowed their heads slightly at Aranea’s compliment.  “Thank you for your kind words, as well as for permitting us to both test our abilities and allowing you to enjoy our company without the need of the defenses a pseudonym provides.”  The Grand Maryarch gracefully spread her arms and added, “I believe we have all waited long enough for this:  please be seated and enjoy your repast with us this night.  There is both water and bloodwine available for your drinking pleasure as well.”  
  
    Both Aranea and Felida’s eyes were on Porrim as soon as the word “bloodwine”  was spoken.  “Relax,” she whispered to them, “I’ll explain in a moment.  Just take your seats.”  
  
    The last words of Porrim’s sentence were almost lost in the sound of stone chairs being withdrawn.  Aranea found her seat moved easily but suspected the strength her blue blood provided made it so.  Once seated, everyone removed the cover of their nutrition plateaus (both cover and plateau were crafted of a polished black stone with fine filaments of jade green streaked through them, Aranea noted) and the scent of warm fresh grubloaf filled the diningblock.    
  
    Felida looked at the four steaming grey slabs of loaf in front of her and inhaled deeply.  “Damn, that’s amazing… Especially after a week of nothing but stale stuff.  I’m sure you ladies have heard this a zillion times, but when I was young, I used to worry that grubloaf was made from actual grubs, not just named for what we ate while we were in the… well, in here, I guess!”  
  
    This was greeted by the sound of soft, knowing laughter from the collected jadebloods; Aranea couldn’t help but think it went on just a little too long, but she was distracted by the sound that passed for a chuckle from the cowled woman beside her.   _Okay, that’s just creepy… but why?  Reminds me of someone else…_  
  
    Once she had finished chewing what was in her mouth, Lamiea said, “We do know of the stories about grubloaf, yes.  I’d honestly be more alarmed about what is speculated to be in that Faygo swill the Her Imperious Condescension is pushing these nights.”    
  
    Aranea needed no empathic abilities to detect the revulsion the Grand Maryarch seemed to have for the Condesce; the look on her face as she spoke the title lasted but a moment but it was most decidedly present.    
  
    “As for the beverage offered here, however,” she continued, “the name ‘bloodwine’ comes from a rather serendipitous event.  Many, many sweeps ago, a vintner was picking the stainberries from the vines to prepare her batch.  As I’m sure you know, the spines on the stainberry bush are long and sharp and this night, the vintner was pricked quite deeply.  Whereas most vintners discard any berries which may have come in contact with blood, this one decided she would leave the contaminated ones in, even going so far as to squeeze a drop of her blood into the stainberries that had noticeable openings, just to see if it would affect the flavour.  She had no intention of sharing this batch with anyone, but it was said that one night when she had guests about and much merriment was had, she forgot herself and served wine from the bloody batch.    
  
    “One of her guests was a jadeblood on her Sojourn to find suitable mates and she told the vintner, privately of course, that not only could she detect a decidedly metallic tang to the wine but that she found it utterly invigorating, like nothing she had ever experienced before.  The vintner shared her secret with the Sister and they kept it to themselves from then on, making new batches and enjoying them together.  In time, the vintner and the Sister became matesprits and lived very, very long and happy lives together.  In fact, on one of their visits to the Caves, they shared that recipe with the rest of the sistren and, with the help of some dedicated vintners that live in the valley nearby, we have been making it ever since.”  
  
    “Faaaaaaaascinating,” Aranea said, helping herself to a nearby bottle and filling the black chalice before her.  
  
    Felida, however, eyed the bottle cautiously.  “And this is safe to drink?”  
  
    “Quite,” Lamiea answered.  “The alcohol content renders any organisms the blood contains a nonissue.”  
  
    The oliveblood shrugged and poured filled the glass before her; the dark maroon liquid was difficult to discern from the black vessel it was poured into.  “Hm.”  She swirled the contents around and looked over to Porrim, a wily grin creeping across her features as she passed the chalice to her kismesis.  “You first, Jadebutt!”  
  
    Another chorus of chortles from around the table, the loudest of which came from Porrim herself.  “Oh my.  I wonder if I shall ever survive this experience.”  She took the offered drink and swallowed heartily from it.  Once drained, she returned the chalice to Felida and grinned.  “Alas, I live.  Your turn.”  
  
    Instead of immediately refilling the vessel, Felida pointed to her mouth where her left fang would be if hers protruded like Porrim’s did.  “Got some red on you.”  
  
    “Oh?”  Slowly and deliberately, Porrim extended her tongue and without taking her eyes from Felida’s, drew it across the fang, taking the stray droplets of bloodwine with it.  “Thanks.”  
  
    Felida was biting her lip at this display.  “Anytime!”  
  
    Porrim was about to say something to effect of “Just not at the dinner table” when the sound of someone clearing their throat stole the thought from her thinkpan.  She looked up to see Kakaka looking very sharply at her due this display of ebon affection and she just as quickly dropped her head and stared at her food.    
  
    Aranea, however, was laughing.  “Porrim Maryam!  I wish I’d known about this stuff sooner!  If I can’t help you develop a taste for rum, then perhaps I can acquire some of this lovely libation for your enjoyment!”  Once she saw this restored the smile to her matesprit’s face, she looked to the head of the table and added, “But I shan’t obtain it from here, I swear.  Not without your say-so, anyway.”  
  
    “Which we appreciate,” Lamiea replied.  “Now, dig in, please.  The sooner we finish our meal, the sooner we can enjoy this wine and each others' stories.  There are two in particular we’re quite anxious to hear, Porrim, and both have to do with something you’re wearing…”


	28. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with the Solemn Sisters proves to be a most interesting experience for Porrim, Aranea and Felida. One of the Sisters reveals a heritage that startles Mindfang in a way she can't describe to Porrim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What better way to celebrate a Homestuck Upd8 with one of my own? I must admit I had a real hoot writing this chapter... and the next! The jadebloods haven't been described in too much detail by Hussie so that gave me a bit of room to play with the Rainbow Drinker mythos; hope you find it interesting. The good news is that I have been writing again after an extended break (life continues to suck but hey, adversity visits us all from time to time) and have split one of the future chapters into two parts and added a bit, so there should be more frequent upd8s with slightly shorter chapters; how's that sound? Thanks again for sticking with me and this tale; lots more to come!

**27.**  
  
    Baraka took Porrim’s plate, empty save for the barest hint of lavender sauce that she couldn’t pick up with the grubloaf, and Porrim wished she could get away with licking that plate without hearing about it.   _I used to do that when I was the youngest and charged with being the stewardess.  I would hide in the preparationblock and lick my plate clean before washing it with the rest._  
  
    Aranea beamed at the thought.   _I can’t help but wonder how many hundred others licked those plates before you did, dear heart.  
  
    I tried not to think about that.  
  
    How can you not, though?  And I don’t mean in the ‘ew, gross, all of my ancestors licked this plate’ kind of way, I mean how old IS this place and everything in it?  It’s almost overwhelming to consider!  
  
    Like anything else, you get used to it, Aranea.  I’m sure even the Empress takes her palaces for granted and I hear everything in them is solid gold.  
  
    I hear you’re right.  Oh hey, look! More wine!_  Aranea latched onto the nearest bottle and refilled her black chalice as quickly as she could in hopes her matesprit wouldn’t continue down that line of thought.  
  
    Porrim instead looked over at Felida, who was chatting happily with Kayolo Maryam.  She looked at Kayolo’s seemingly ever-present smile and kind eyes and remembered how much she enjoyed her Sister’s company.   _I remember wanting to do my hair just like hers once,_ she thought, looking at the familiar rounded, almost bouffant fullness of Kayolo’s hairstyle, piled on top and a few locks falling down around her bright features.  She recalled how they would joke about how serious Kakaka took the “walking training”; she would giggle for hours in Kayolo’s respiteblock watching her closest friend amongst the Sisters do ridiculous imitations of the second eldest.   _She was always so interesting; willing to try new things.  It almost felt like this life was a chain around her neck and yet she never fled.  Lamiea and Yakaya always figured it would be her who would leave far too soon on a Sojourn and never return because the caves had become too small; they never suspected it would be me, much less why I left.  Speaking of which, I suppose it’s time to talk about that.  Not sure what the point of that will be; it won’t change Kakaka’s opinion of me, and I don’t recall Papaya having a whole lot of time for my thoughts on how things could be different than they were, either.  It doesn’t matter; I’m here and so are they.  I’m just grateful Aranea and Felida are here with me._  
  
    As Baraka returned to the room, head down and cowl still covering her sharp features and strange toothy smile, Lamiea cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention.  “Ladies, your attention to me for a moment.  I think it’s time for stories to begin so everyone please focus.”  
  
    “And so it shall be done.”    
  
    All of the eyes in the room found themselves upon Porrim; she suddenly felt quite self-conscious and reached for her glass in an effort to wet her throat.  Finding it empty, she set it back down; it had barely touched the table when Aranea refilled it for her.  She picked it back up and gave her matesprit a wide grin; Aranea responded with a reassuring wink.    
  
    “Porrim, one of the stories, particularly the one involving the silver chain you’re wearing, is well known to us.  We will get to that later, but the question on all of our lips is since you’re wearing clothing made of the gowns belonging to Motina and Eadnii, can you tell us what became of them?  Unless, of course, that is an elaborate replica that you created as a tribute; your skills where fabrics and textiles are concerned remains a point of discussion among the Sisters to this day.”  
  
    _I bet they do,_ Porrim thought, stealing a glance at Kakaka, who was considered the most capable seamstress of the Sisters until the night Porrim picked up a sewing needle and, without any assistance, stitched together a tablecloth for the round table that the Sisters dined at normally.  Unfortunately for her, the material she used was intended by Kakaka for a new banner to mark Twelfth Perigee’s Eve.  While Lamiea had insisted it was the most marvelous tablecloth she had ever seen and used it as such, Kakaka was less than impressed and sent the three sweep old Porrim to scrub the gapers every single night for a perigee, even though she wasn’t old enough to do it, that job still belonging to Papaya at the time.     
  
    “I must confess that I do not have all of the answers that you seek where our missing Sisters are concerned.  It was a complete stroke of luck that I happened upon what was left of their gowns.  I must also sadly report that judging by the condition I found them in, the odds of Motina and Eadnii being alive are quite slim.”  
  
    Each of the jadebloods at the table hung their heads at this news.  “Ill tidings indeed.  While we suspected that was the case for many sweeps, this adds to the likelihood that foul play has beset them.  Where exactly did you find you come across their dresses?” Lamiea inquired.  
  
    Porrim was mildly concerned about the response her answer would create.  “I discovered them in the clothing cache of my matesprit.”  Jade eyes switched their focus to Aranea, who as far as Porrim could tell, was utterly unperturbed by this.  “Being very much of a ‘waste not, want not’ pan-set, which I’m certain all of you can appreciate, Aranea would keep the clothing she acquired on her missions for her crew to make use of.  While there were many garments on hand for almost every other bloodcolour, I suspected there would be nothing whatsoever for a jadeblood like me.”  
  
    “Where are your gowns, by the way?” asked Yakaya.  
  
    “Safely stored back at the same base that I discovered the remnants of these ones.  It was suggested that I should wear something far more practical for my new life onboard a sea vessel and I agreed wholepusherly.  I save it for special occasions; I’m frankly quite lucky considering what it’s been through that it’s still intact!”  Porrim’s eyes quickly darted over to Felida, who responded with a look of feigned innocence.    
  
    “I believe, then, it is your matesprit who we should be asking about how she came to be in possession of these garments in hopes of gaining a further clue.”  Lamiea let that hang in the air and waited for Mindfang to reply.  
  
    “Much like Porrim, I’m afraid I may not have all of the answers, but if it helps, I distinctly remember taking them during a raid on a ship belonging to the Imperial Navy.”     
  
    A very quick and hushed discussion took place between Lamiea, Kakaka and Yakaya.  While that occurred, Aranea stole another peek at the Sister called Baraka.   _I want to call that mug ugly and yet I can’t.  It’s damn near familiar somehow and I don’t like what that means one bit._  
  
    “Your mention of the Imperial Navy actually helps to corroborate our suspicions concerning our missing Sisters,” Lamiea said to her blueblooded guest.  “We have a very strong suspicion that they met their end at the hands of a high ranking Imperial official, in fact.”  
  
    Aranea took a long sip of her wine.  “I already liked you ladies as it was, but as the enemy of my enemy is my friend, I like you all the more now.”  
  
    “And that is a phrase I myself am quite fond of,” said the Grand Maryarch, her smile now exposing her long fangs.  “The story I’m about to tell you may surprise you greatly.”  
  
    “It takes a lot to surprise meeeeeeee.”  Aranea reclined in her stone chair as best she could and crossed one long leg, bereft of crimson boot, over the other.  “I am most curious, however, to hear this.”  
  
    Lamiea turned her attention to the woman to Mindfang’s left.  “Sister Baraka, are you comfortable with me telling this tale?  Since you figure most prominently in it, I want to ensure that you’re at ease with her knowing this information.”  
  
    Baraka did not speak but slowly nodded twice.  
  
    “Thank you, Sister.  Aranea, about one hundred sweeps ago, two of our Sisters, Motina and Eadnii Maryam, ventured down to the docks at Byanbol to purchase supplies from the ships that came and went.  We have not seen them since.  No one was certain why; occasionally a member of our order decides that this life is not for them and departs, but then, I’m certain you’re well aware of that.”  
  
    Porrim returned her gaze to her chalice and took a sip; Aranea placed a hand on her knee for reassurance.    
  
    “A sweep passed and the Mother Grub, not expecting them to return, laid two new jadebloods to replace them, Kayolo and Papaya here.”  As she gestured to them, each made a subtle nod.  “What happened next was most unexpected, however:  one evening, Yakaya stepped outside to take in some fresh air and discovered a pail sitting at the front entrance of the cave.  We initially thought that perhaps one of drones had a mental malfunction and forgot where to take it, but when she looked at the contents, she came to find me immediately.  Upon further inspection, we discovered that most of what was in it came from jadebloods – note the emphasis on the plural here.”  When this didn’t produce much of a look of shock from any of the three visitors save for Porrim, Lamiea added, “And now keep in mind I used the word ‘most’; this means that there was another colour in the pail.”  
  
    This caught Felida’s attention.  “Three?  In one bucket?  Um, that doesn’t usually go well, does it?  At least, not from what I remember from my biology classes.”  
  
    Lamiea shook her head.  “To say the least.  We do get the occasional bucket that contains multiple donors.  Sometimes it’s splashover caused by inattentive drones, or occasionally the results of orgiastic activity – I really don’t know why the drones bother bringing us those because they just cull the imbecile dumb enough to give them a pail full of colours.  Every now and then, however, we are brought a bucket with the issue of three trolls and it can be difficult to discern, especially when at least two of those involved are of the same bloodcolour.  If we detect this, we tend to reject sending those pails from going to the Mother Grub because, more often than not, the results are… shortlived.  In this case, however, we determined that there was, in fact, two jadebloods involved.  This in itself is highly irregular; we jadebloods rarely mate with each other, red or black, but it was the third colour that stood out and made us consider presenting the pail.”  She paused for effect.  “That colour was royal tyrian.”  
  
    It took every iota of Aranea’s skill as a Watch Me player to maintain a calm expression.   _ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?  SERIOUSLY, MEENAH?_  She fought the irresistible urge to steal another look at what she could see of Baraka’s face, but instead took note of both Porrim and Felida’s mouths hanging agape.    
  
    It was Porrim who collected herself first.  “I’m sorry, Sister Baraka, I didn’t mean to… respond as such.  It’s just that… such unusual circumstances…”  
  
    Again, Baraka did not speak, but simply raised her left hand and shook her head to indicate that it was all right.  
  
    “We don’t often discuss Sister Baraka’s heritage with many outside of these Caves, but she has every right to a good life with us and we will ensure that she has every opportunity any other jadeblood gets.”  Lamiea reached forward and selected a stenchfruit from a bowl in front of her that Baraka had placed there for anyone seeking dessert.  “Baraka is very much a member of our Solemn Six; she was born from the Mother Grub about a sweep after you departed, Porrim.  Over the sweeps, we’ve found that she is a talented knitter like Motina was, she likes to collect flutterbys which was a hobby Eadnii enjoyed and most notably, like her third progenitor, she has a genuine proclivity for violence.”    
  
    Lamiea hurled the stenchfruit directly at Porrim’s head but before it could come anywhere close to her, the fruit was impaled by a pair of meter long blades that originated from Baraka’s forearms.  This time, all three of the visitors were left with mouths open, even Aranea herself, whose attention was not directed at the leaking stenchfruit but at the blood trickling from the wounds on Baraka’s arms where the blades emerged from:  it was decidedly jade but she was certain she could see streaks of fuchsia running through it.   _Now I have truly seen everything, which is something I never thought I’d say._  
   
    “Wh-where did those come from?” Felida asked in awe.  
  
    “We’re not entirely certain; only Sister Baraka knows for sure.  We believe she crafted them herself, but how she managed to attach them subdermally is a complete unknown.  However, after we discovered the addition, we opted to strategically curtail her Condynet access until we could adequately explain that there are some things better left solely to the imagination.”    
  
    Baraka grinned her sharp, toothy grin and brought what was left of the stenchfruit to her wide mouth and consumed half of it, hard rind and all, in one bite.  The remainder fell to the table in front of Aranea, who waited for her to finish chewing before offering the other half.  “I believe this belongs to you.  Don’t let me stand between a woman and her need to feed.”  This brought another strange chuckle forth from Baraka, but while Mindfang smiled in return, she was utterly unnerved by the familiarity she saw in the Sister’s face now.    
  
    When Baraka began licking the thick mustard-coloured stenchfruit juice off of her blades, the Grand Maryarch calmly but firmly said, “Baraka, you know that’s not polite to do in front of our guests.”  Baraka stopped, nodded and set off to clean her blades in a more private setting.  
  
    “Remind you of anyone, Porrim?” Kayolo asked, a kind laugh on her lips.  
  
    Porrim blushed violently.  “I was hoping you’d forgotten that.”  
  
    “No way.  As soon as the lavender sauce came out, I thought about your dishwashing methods.  Granted, I don’t think you cleaned the knives that way!”  
  
    “Not a chance!  I value my tongue too much!”  
  
    “You aren’t the only one…” Felida said softly, but with just enough volume to make Porrim blush anew and Kayolo to titter.    
  
    The Grand Maryarch slapped the table twice to get everyone’s attention again.  “Anyway, before this gets entirely out of hand, I need to commend you on what you’ve done with Motina and Eadnii’s robes.  I believe they would consider this a most fitting tribute to them.”  
  
    Porrim bowed her head deeply.  “Thank you very kindly, Your Elegance.  It pleases me more than you know to hear you say so.”  
  
    “Please stand and show the sistren your work,” Lamiea invited.  
  
    She did as asked and made a slow rotation to display the dress and its two distinct jade patterns.    
  
    “I take it the red sash is to hide any imperfections at the join?” Kakaka asked tersely.  
  
    “Somewhat yes,” Porrim answered honestly, refusing to rise to the bait.  “The damage to Eadnii’s dress was considerable, which is why I had to sew panels into the skirt, but the edges did not finish nicely and I didn’t want to waste any of the material.  The sash itself, however, has a much more significant meaning.”  
  
    The Sisters nodded with understanding.  “As you well know, just because we live underground doesn’t mean we’re shut off from the world entirely,” Lamiea said.  “We know much of what became of the grub you raised, but what we are most curious about is your experiences and what really happened to cause the rise of the closest thing to a messiah  that this planet has ever seen.”  
  
    “That is… a rather long story.  One without a happy ending.”  
  
    “We have as much time as you are able to give us and, despite any appearances to the contrary, all of our support.  What you did took immense courage; far more than any of us showed.  Even beyond what the world learned from the Signless, we learned that sometimes things happen for a good reason.  We chose to abandon the mutant grub.  You chose to do the opposite.  You were right  and we wish to learn from that.  So please, tell us this story so that we may do so; you shall have our undivided attention.”  
  
    _See, Porrim?_ Aranea said inside of her head.   _They’re acknowledging what you’ve done.  You had nothing to fear at all.  
  
    I suppose.  I’m just glad you’re here for this.  I suspect you and Felida are going to learn a lot tonight as well.  
  
    I look forward to it, love._  
  
    Porrim exhaled sharply.  “Thank you, Your Elegance.  I don’t suppose there happens to be any more wine about?  I have a feeling I may need some before this story is done…”  
  
  
  
  
    “…and so it was that ended up in the hands of a strange woman with an even stranger eye who, aside from letting the Imperial soldiers continue to interrogate me for a short time as part of the deal she made to take me into her care versus something far worse, made the effort to befriend me once they were out of the picture.  I honestly don’t know where I would have ended up had she not, but despite all of the pain and misery of those few perigees, I’ve been immensely grateful to have Aranea with me.  She gave me hope where I had none left.”  
  
    To Aranea’s surprise, Porrim’s full wine glass remained completely untouched for the duration of the telling of the Sufferer’s story, but then, one of her matesprit’s hands had been in hers the whole time while the other had been touching, turning, and fidgeting with the sigil on the chain around her neck, save for the times when she released it to wipe away the occasional tear.  “To hear you say so brightens me inside, dear heart.  I know that there were times when things were… difficult to start, but I’m glad that you persevered.”  She squeezed Porrim’s hand and leaned in for a quick kiss, mindless of any potential reaction from their hosts.   _I love you, my sweet.  Let them tell our story for ages on._  
  
    Porrim returned the kiss but was quietly worried about a finger wag from the Grand Maryarch.  She looked to them but none came; there were nothing but encouraging looks and supportive smiles around the table, even from Kakaka.   _What must they think of us?_  
  
    _Most of them think you’re pretty amazing, I bet. Like Lamiea said, you did what they didn’t and gave a grub a world-changing life.  One of them, however, while enjoying your story immensely, is thinking about how much she likes her new friend.  
  
    What do you mean?_  
  
    Aranea’s eyes flicked over to the other side of the table for a split second and returned to Porrim’s.   _Your kismesis is playing fondlefoot with the Sister she’s sitting beside._  
  
    _What?  FELIDA!  
  
    She can’t hear you, remember?  What’s wrong with that?  It’s-_  
  
    A low chime filled the room.  Lamiea immediately rose and walked to a small console in the corner.  “Ah, look who’s here.  I was wondering what was taking him so long!”  
  
    Kakaka and Yakaya were on their feet as soon as they realized who she was talking about.  “About time,” Kakaka grumbled.  “Do you think he still brought supplies?  Or was he just looking for his hovertruck?”  
  
    “The cameras show two more along with him, have no fear, Sister.  I’m sure he brought plenty of supplies.  That or he brought them along anticipating trouble from the thieves.”  
  
    Porrim swallowed and gave Aranea another disapproving look, which met with naught but a mischievous smirk.  “Should we go and…”  
  
    “No, no, Porrim, it’s quite all right.  We will go and greet Eilliw and his friends.  Perhaps we will bring them to meet you.”  
  
    “Eilliw?  He’s still…”  
  
    “Alive?  Of course!  What would make you think otherwise, dear?  Please do pardon us; we will return shortly.”  Lamiea glided from the room, Kakaka and Yakaya in tow.    
  
    “What was all that about?” Felida asked.    
  
    Porrim turned her attention to her kismesis and decided not to inquire as to the current location of her left hand; if it was somewhere it shouldn’t have been, Kayolo’s face showed no sign of it.  “Well, it’s just that Eilliw Simool was bringing supplies to the Caves as long as I can remember, and I’m pretty sure he was middle-aged for a bronzeblood when I was just getting used to walking on two legs.”  
  
    Kayolo gave an exaggerated shrug.  “Fancy that.”  
  
    Papaya was all but squirming in her seat.  “Does Porrim kn-”  
  
    “Nope!” was Kayolo’s response and her expression suggested that the matter be dropped post haste.  
  
    Mindfang let her abilities roam.   _There are secrets in this place.  Old secrets, indeed._  “Ladies, I need to make use of the gaperblock.  Care to show me would I find that, Porrim?”  
  
    “Oh!  Sure.”  As she rose, Baraka did as well.  “It’s all right, Sister Baraka,” Porrim said, looking and not looking at the woman’s features at the same time, “I can show her.”  
  
    “Actually,” Papaya began, “Baraka has been asked to give you an escort.  I’m afraid it’s not quite like it was for you here before, Porrim.  You’re now a guest here and we just need to make sure you don’t take the other guests into places that they’re not permitted to see.”   
  
    “Is that really quite necessary?”  
  
    Papaya sighed with exasperation.  “It’s not like Baraka will be holding the gaper door open for you while you do your business, Porrim.  We need to maintain our security here.  Can you blame us?  The last thing we need is someone running off with a…”  The next words died in her mouth rather abruptly.  
  
    “With what?  With a grub?  Is that what you were going to say?” Porrim asked, indignantly.  
  
    “I didn’t mean anything by it!  You’re the only one in living memory who has ever done it, but it has happened in the long ago, I’m certain!  It wasn’t a jab at you, honest!”  
  
    _She tells the truth, my sweet; you can stand down._  
  
    Porrim exhaled sharply.  “Fine.  Come along then.”  
  
    The three of them exited the diningblock and turned left.  A short trip down the hall, illuminated with faint glowglobes along the walls and ceiling, brought them to a door.  “The gapers are in here,” Porrim said.  “Will you be joining us, Sister?”  
  
    Baraka shook her head and opted to loom quietly beside the entry.    
  
    Once inside, Aranea made for the first gaper she could find.  “Even these are made of hewn rock?  There must be some fantastic stonecutters among your number!”  
  
    “More likely in the past than now.  We train certain skills as we need them, and I don’t recall any of these Sisters being particularly gifted at carving stone,” Porrim replied from the stall beside.  A natural stone partition separated them with a simple wooden door bolted across the opening for privacy, but she knew Aranea would be able to hear her perfectly fine.    
  
    “Fascinating.  Hey, how do you flush these things?”  
  
    “Just push the button on the floor by your left foot.”  
  
    “All right…  There it gOOOOOOOOES!!!!!!!!  WHERE DID THAT WATER COME FROM?”   
  
    Porrim laughed at the sounds coming from the stall beside her.  “I forgot about that!  You’re not used to that are you?”  
  
    “Porrim Maryam, I am QUITE used to liquids on my undercarriage, but not when I’m not expecting it!”   
  
    “We’re pretty big on cleanliness around these parts.  I remember being surprised when I got out of the Caves and discovered most gapers didn’t have a warm water spray underneath.”  
  
    “I must say I’ve never encountered such a thing!  Did your Sisters come up with this?”  
  
    “Yes.  The design is attributed to Bidday Maryam, nearly two thousand sweeps ago.” Porrim pressed her own pedal down and relished the sensations the water brought.  “I do enjoy that.”  
  
    “I can see why!  Do you get in trouble if you hold the pedal down for, say, eight minutes or so?”  
  
    Porrim emerged from her gaper stall and let the wooden door gently close behind her.  “Probably.  It never occurred to me to use it for that purpose at the time, mind you.”  
  
    “Shaaaaaaaame…”  Aranea snapped her leggings around her waist and stepped out as well.  She placed her arms around Porrim’s waist and her lips on the jadeblood’s.  “You did just fine in there, dear heart.  Really you did.”  
  
    “You think so?”  
  
    “I know so.”  
  
    “Well, I have been using a gaper since I was about a sweep old, so I have had significant experience at it.”   
  
    Aranea let her head slump forward, narrowly missing Porrim’s horns with her own.  “You have GOT to be kidding me.”  
  
    Porrim chuckled away, quite proud of herself.  “No, really!  I gaper trained rather quickly they told me, an-”  
  
    “Never change, Porrim.”  Another kiss and she led her tittering matesprit out of the gaperblock, where Baraka was waiting for them, also making chortling sounds. “Liked that, did you?” Aranea asked.  “You jadebloods have such a strange sense of humour, you know.”  
  
    Baraka said nothing but continued to laugh along with Porrim all the way back to the diningblock.    
  
  
  
  
    Upon their return, the three eldest Sisters were already back in the diningblock along with three other trolls, only one of which Porrim recognized.  She was surprised to find that he recognized her as well.  “Porrim!  Aren’t you a sight?  Welcome back!”  
  
    “Eilliw!  It’s good to see you again!  You look… fantastic!”  
  
    The wiry bronzeblood smiled broadly, his rugged features little of the lines Porrim expected to see.  “Thanks!  So do you!”  
  
    “No, I mean it!  You look almost exactly as I remember you!”  
  
    “Good genes, I guess.  That and your Sisters have always taken good care of me.”  
  
    Lamiea stood beside him, half a head taller before horns were accounted for.  Her arm was around his back, a long finger tracing lazy circles on his shoulder occasionally slipped up to his neck.  “We certainly do our best to take care of those who take such good care of us.”    
  
    His attention turned to the blueblood in the room.  “Better than some, that’s for sure.  I hear there’s been a bit of a… misunderstanding?”  
  
    “There has,” Aranea answered.  “I took a vehicle that I wasn’t supposed to take.  I trust you found it still in acceptable condition?”  
  
    “Yeah, it’s fine,” Eilliw said tersely.  “Just make sure you confirm what’s what next time, okay?”  
  
    “I’m sorry, Eilliw, I had no idea what was going on there or I would have let her know,” Porrim said.  “This is my matesprit.  She goes by Marquise Spinneret Mindfang.”  
  
    “How do you doooooooo?” Aranea gave a short nod.    
  
    “And the oliveblood here is my kismesis, Felida Oceleo.”  Porrim looked over to Felida’s seat and noticed that it was empty.  “Well, she was here a moment ago…”  
  
    “And she’s right here, relax,” Felida said, wandering back in, Kayolo in tow.  “Needed to refresh myself as well and you two were taking forever.”  She looked to the new arrivals and gave a jaunty wave.  “Hello there!”  
  
    Simool was about to offer a greeting in return when Lamiea interrupted.  “I’m sure you would like to stay and chat, Eilliw, but we do have work to do, don’t we?  Thank you so much for bringing supplies tonight; we shall help you unload them.”  
  
    “Is there anything we can do to assist?” Aranea asked.  “I had hoped to discuss the acquisition of supplies with you for our mission here.”  
  
    “I sincerely appreciate the offer, but this is something we need to handle ourselves.  I do, however, remember what you said about discussions concerning someone Porrim knows well, and we can have that conversation tomorrow evening.  I don’t suspect spending one day here with us will be an issue?”  
  
    Aranea looked to Porrim, who nodded.  “We were anticipating staying with you for a day anyway.  Not a problem.”  
  
    “Excellent!  Kayolo and Papaya will prepare your lodgings in the guest wing and attend to your needs should you have any.”    
  
    I suspect Kayolo is well on her way to attending someone’s needs, Aranea thought to herself before she detected Kakaka and Yakaya standing very close to the trolls Eilliw had brought along with him: a pair of maroonbloods, a man and a woman, both of whom seemed quite happy to be there, but nowhere near as happy as the elder jadebloods looked to have them there.  Ooooooookay… “Thank you, Lamiea.  Let us get out of your way then.  Come along, ladies, let’s allow the Sisters to do what they need to do.”  As Felida, Kayolo and Papaya rose from their seats, Aranea grabbed the remaining full bottle of bloodwine.  “Would you object terribly if I took this back to our respiteblock?”  
  
    Lamiea made a dismissive gesture.  “Not at all.  I just ask that you try to keep it away from the bedding if at all possible.  There is a reason they call them ‘stainberries’, after all.”  
  
    “Fair enough.  Kayolo, Papaya, please lead the way.  I’m certain Porrim knows where to go but we’ll do it your way.  Least we can do, after all.”    
  
    As the five of them left the diningblock, Aranea couldn’t help but notice the way their hosts were looking at these three latest arrivals.   _Like they were fresh slabs of meat and they hadn’t eaten for a perigee.  Didn’t they just eat?  No wonder the Rainbow Drinker stories are still around…_  
  
  
  
  
    “So this is it, eh?  The Mother Grub Caves… wow,” Felida marveled from her recupracoon.  “I have to admit having a ‘coon is a nice treat.”  
  
    “Somehow I suspect you wish it was in a different block,” Aranea said, slipping into her own, the recently emptied bottle of bloodwine still in her hand.    
  
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  
  
    Aranea sighed.  “Felida, really.  I could tell you and Kayolo had plenty to…”  She opted to just stop talking as her moirail had already succumbed to the sopor slime and was fast asleep.  “Seriously.  Porrim?  Do I get a kiss good morning or will the Sisters come and spank you with a wooden board if you do?”  
  
    “You wish,” came a voice from the attached gaperblock.  “I don’t suspect they have cameras in here, but there will be plenty of sensors in the hallways if you decide to go exploring.”  A flush and then Porrim emerged, free of her clothing which was now laid out on the bed she had no intention of using.  “Let’s just get a good day’s sleep and then focus on finding Meulin, okay?”  
  
    “Very well.  It was awfully nice of them to provide ‘coons for us, don’t you think?”  
  
    Porrim scanned the respiteblock.  “It’s not just for us; this is the standard guest block, same as it ever was:  four beds, four ‘coons.”  
  
    “And nary a fang scraper in sight,” Aranea quipped, licking her own to remove as much of the bloodwine as she could.  “I’ll have to ask for one before we set out.”  
  
    “You do that,” Porrim said as she approached her matesprit.  “Or I could do it for you.”  She gave Aranea a couple of kisses and then set off towards the switch that controlled the glowglobes in the block.  
  
    “Do you think they’d be upset if we pushed a couple of these beds together and enjoyed each other’s company?  We are declared matesprits, after all.”  
  
    Porrim snorted.  “While I don’t think they’d know if we kept it down, it just… would feel really weird to me to do it here, you know?  Besides, what about Felida?”  
  
    “I don’t think she would object at all, and not just because she’s sleeping either.”  
  
    “Oh…”  
  
    “Don’t tell me that this is the first time the idea has entered your pan?”  Aranea shifted around in her ‘coon to look over at Porrim who had clambered into the recupracoon beside her as best she could in the dimmed light.  
  
    “Maybe not.  It’s just… I’m not sure how I feel about sharing you at the same time as someone else.  And the whole thing about three in one bucket…”  
  
    “Hey, nobody said anything about us all filling the same bucket, love.  The only reason that Baraka likely exists is due to the fuchsia in her veins, so we have nothing to worry about there.  Was that what was holding you back?  The idea of the three of us pailing and creating something like that?”  
  
    Porrim was silent for a few moments before replying.  “I think so, yes.  There’s such a stigma against it, mostly to prevent ashen pailing.”  
  
    Aranea sighed loudly to make it clear what she thought of taboos.  “Please.  Do you see Felida and I filling buckets?”  
  
    “Well, no…  But it is unusual for moirails to be so sexually active!”  
  
    “We have no intention of breeding, though.  That’s what matesprits do.  That’s what you and I do.  I know Felida would have loved to be my matesprit but I just… couldn’t see her that way.  She’s my best friend but the passions I feel for you are different.  Sex is something she and I do to satisfy our needs which tend to be uncommon.  The way we used to do things was exciting for both of us, but now things have changed with your presence.”  
  
    “Is that a bad thing?” Porrim asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice.  
  
    “Of course not.  But just keep in mind that it has taken some adjustment for me, no different than it has for you to wrap your pan around the idea of your matesprit spending a lot of time banging her moirail.  There’s no need for jealousy of course, just as I’m not jealous of you two enjoying each other as kismesises.  What I’m hoping for somenight is to see if you might entertain the idea of all three of us enjoying each other in whatever way we wish to.”  
  
    Aranea let that sit in the air between them for a minute and then continued.  “When I promised you that I wouldn’t mentally manipulate you, I meant it.  As much as the idea of watching the two of you enjoy each other and then me arouses the blue hells out of me, I wouldn’t force you into it.  Wouldn’t be any fun that way.  All three of us already sleep together some days and let me tell you, the sexual tension on my part is so thick, you could slice it and serve it with tuber paste.”  She was pleased to hear a giggle come from the ‘coon beside her.  “I know that some of the activities Felida and I participate in might not be your cup of tea and I will be very considerate of that.  The idea is to pique your interest, not drive you away with situations that may not appeal to your sense of equality.  Just keep in mind that Felida enjoys being my sub; I don’t hurt her and I only do things to her I know she takes pleasure in.  Some of those would be extreme by your rather sheltered standards but being involved in a way is a means for you to explore who you are as a sexual being.  I’m not saying that all three of us should go at it every single time, either; there’s going to be days where I want to be with you and only you, either romantically or passionately, just as there’s going to be days where I want to indulge in my Domme role and days where you want to engage in pitchplay.  All I’m saying that we should consider giving it a try some day.  Doesn’t have to be tomorrow day or anytime soon; finding the Disciple should be our primary focus right now, of course, but I guess I’m asking if that’s something that you might to try some day is all.”  
  
    For a while, all Aranea heard was the soft breathing from the women on either side of her.  Finally Porrim spoke, “You’re sure there won’t be any pails with three colours in them?  Or this isn’t an excuse to pail with Felida?”  
  
    “Porrim, my sweet, if I was going to share a bucket with Felida, it would have happened SWEEPS ago.”  Aranea chuckled.  “I even offered her the opportunity to do so after I introduced her to you but reminded her that the results would likely be rather unimpressive.  She understood.  Doesn’t mean that she might not be a bit jealous, though.  I often wonder, considering the nature of our moirallegiance, when she’ll ever find time to fill a concupiscent bucket.  She may even opt to forego it to stay with me, but that’s up to her to decide.  I’m just amazed on a nightly basis that she found a kismesis in you.”  
  
    “Hey, I never thought I’d find a black lover,” Porrim said, enjoying the warmth that the sopor slime provided.  “It just didn’t interest me for the longest time.  I honestly just couldn’t picture it being as exciting as it is with her, just as I had no inkling that red love could possibly be so intense before I met you.”  
  
    “So why not experience the best of both worlds simultaneously?  Can you imagine what that would be like?  Sure, I’ve been a party to numerous multiple partner activities, but the only person involved that I had any feelings for in the last few centuries was Felida.  To be able to share that with the two people I care most for in the world?  I can only imagine how incredible it could be.  Keep in mind it might take a few tries to get it right.”  
  
    Porrim chortled quietly.  “I bet.”  
  
    “Practice makes progress, dear heart.  I don’t want you to answer yea or nay right now; it’s just something to keep in the back of your thinkpan and some morning, if you feel so inclined, perhaps you might just let us know your inclination.”  
  
    The sopor’s song of slumber was echoing in Porrim’s sponge clots with more intensity than Aranea’s words were but she managed to say, “Perhaps,” before yawning and drifting towards the deep sleep to come.  “Good day, Aranea.  Thanks for your help at supper.  I love you.”  
  
    “And I love you, too.  Sleep well.”  
  
    Porrim wanted to say that she planned to do just that but was already doing so before the words found their way from her lips. 

 


	29. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim is given an opportunity to reconnect with the life she left behind. What surprises her (and Aranea) is that Felida has unexpectedly begun a new chapter in her own...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Hussie is back in update mode, I suppose I should follow suit, eh? I'm on a nice long string of midnight shifts so I hope to get a couple of chapters written once I get plugged in for you folks. Still going to be roughly biweekly from here on in, but at least the creative juices are flowing again! 
> 
> P.S. - Yes, that IS the correct original use of the word "nonplussed".

**28.**

     “I will happily address your request very shortly, Aranea, but first there’s something that I must attend to. Porrim, would you kindly join me?”

     Lamiea beckoned for Porrim to attend her in the hallway that led down and away from the diningblock where they had all broken their fast on another meal of piping hot grubloaf. “Of course, Your Elegance.” Porrim moved towards her former superior with all of the fluid grace at her disposal.

     “This is something that Porrim needs to do alone, but I will come back in five minutes and we can talk further.”

     “I suspect I can wait that long,” Aranea joked. “I’ll be right here. Just out of curiousity, you’re not planning on putting her back to work, are you?”

     A fangs-bared smile appeared on the Grand Maryarch’s lovely face. “In a sense I am, I suppose. Fear not; I shall return her to you once her task is done. I’m sure she will tell you all about it when she gets back.”

     The two jadebloods set off down the slowly sloping hall. “What did you have in mind for me, Your Elegance?”

     Lamiea made a contended sound but waited until they had traveled a distance before answering. “I never thought I would walk with you by my side again, Porrim. Do pardon me for enjoying this moment. Seeing you alive and well makes me happier than you can know.”

     Porrim beamed. “I’m flattered to hear you say as such, Your Elegance.”

     “The pleasure is all mine. Truly it is. I knew there were big things in store for you but I never suspected in all of my sweeps that they would be quite as big as they were. And yet, considering the company you’re keeping, I can’t help but think there may be bigger things yet to come.”

     This caused Porrim’s eyebrows to rise. “You do?”

     “Indeed. That Gamblignant captain and her First Mate are quite the pair. I’ve never encountered such a lust for life. It’s one you share, and the fact that it still shines forth from you despite the horror and pain you’ve endured is what makes it a rare thing indeed. Tell me, Porrim, would you trade that life for a life of servitude here once more?”

     _Wow… how do I answer that? As honestly as possible, I suppose._ “As much as I miss this place and the closeness of the Sisterhood, if forced to choose, I would probably have to decline such an offer were it made. I’m sorry if that’s not the answer you were looking for, Your Elegance.”

     “Hardly, dear. It was the answer I expected and it’s also the right answer. What we do here, as you well know, is truly a joy and a privilege. However, it’s not for everyone. Sometimes there are things that need to be done that a life spent in the Caves would prevent.”

     “But the Sisters are permitted their Sojourn starting on their hundredth wriggling night. Many return to serve in some fashion. Why didn’t I wait until then?”

     “Because what you needed to do happened when it did. We don’t get to select the time and place that things happen. That’s far beyond even the scope of even the Empress, as much as I’m sure she’d like that to be otherwise.” Lamiea scrunched her face into a scowl for a few moments but then continued. “You did what you had to do when it had to be done. Most impressively, you recognized that at just the right time as well. Not everyone can do that under pressure, particularly the pressure of being shunned by many for daring to do something that society deems incorrect. Sometimes it is the society that must change, even if it’s by force. Should you ever encounter that situation again, I have no doubt that you won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done, despite the upheaval that it may cause.”

     Porrim weighed these comments in her thinkpan and tried her best to formulate a response. “Thank you for your confidence in me, Your Elegance. I’ll do my best to keep this in mind.”

     “I honestly don’t think you’ll need to, really. You’ll naturally just do what needs to be done when the time is right. This is a rare trait, I assure y-oh!” The Grand Maryarch was interrupted by a loud hissing noise from directly beside her. “You again.” She bent down and picked up a maroonblooded grub from the cave floor. “How do you have such command of your powers at this age?”

     “What powers?”

     “Time manipulation, I suspect. This one likes to shift out of the time stream for a millimoment or two and let the planet pass her by so she can get out of the Testing Caves. Well, little one, let me show you where you’re supposed to be yet again.”

     Lamiea continued forward, grub in hand and Porrim beside her until the reached a pair of metal doors which opened as she approached them. Once they passed those ones, they found themselves in an antechamber with a set of massive steel doors embossed with the symbol of her family in front of them. Sitting in front of those familiar doors were two pails that Porrim was also well acquainted with. “Er… why are those here?” she asked, hoping against hope that she knew the answer.

     “We don’t normally permit those who have left the Sisterhood to attend the Mother Grub but for you, I will make this exception. Would you like to act in service one more time and carry your filial pails to the Mother Grub? You’d be welcome to spend as much time with her as you like.”

     Porrim choked on her reply but found the composure to nod.

     “I thought you would.” Lamiea placed her free hand on the panel beside the doors, which slowly slide aside. “Welcome home, Porrim Maryam. Your lusus would love to hear all about your adventures.”

     Picking up her pails slowly and deliberately, Porrim whispered a wavering “thank you” to the Grand Maryarch before walking with all the poise and elegance she could muster into the Mother Grub’s chamber. Once inside, the doors shut behind her. “Now, as for you,” she said to the maroonblood grub nestled in the crook of her arm, “let’s put you back in the cave you came from. I need to talk to someone about a wayward oliveblood.”

 

     “So, in essence, what you’re telling me is that you know that she’s been nearby, but you don’t know where she would have went?”

     “I’m afraid so,” Lamiea confirmed. “We do, however, have detailed maps of the area which may provide you some clues as to the path she may have taken. We also have some sensor data which may at least give you a starting direction.”

     “That will certainly be most helpful,” Aranea said. “I will happily take that.”

     “I want you to realize something very important: if you came here without Porrim, I would not be sharing this information. She and that girl shared something – actually, someone would be a more accurate choice of word, I suspect – and I gather that because of Porrim’s presence, your intentions towards her will be of a benevolent nature.”

     Aranea contemplated mentioning the promise drawn from her by the maroonblooded tattoo artist a week prior but opted not to. “Be assured that is the case. We will provide her a safe haven where Imperial forces will have no chance at retaking her… if, of course, that’s what she wants. We certainly won’t force her to come with us, but I have a feeling Porrim’s presence will be all the convincing she’ll require.”

     “I suspect you’re right.” The two women walked toward the three hovertrucks that were being loaded by Baraka and Papaya as well as a few of the people from the docks of the town. “Your vehicles have been fitted with homing devices that only we can trace, just so you are aware of that. This has nothing to do with your choice of profession, but mostly so that we can send aid from Byanbol if you require it. They do have a couple of ornithopters on standby for medical emergencies, but finding a flat spot in that valley may be rather difficult.”

     “I’m of the hope that we won’t need anything of that magnitude, but then, I’ve got a bunch of seadwellers at heart working with me. We may not have violet blood in our bodies, but we live for the open ocean. This treed valley appears to be the complete opposite of the open ocean. If the Disciple wants to get lost in it, it will be a challenge to find her.”

     “A challenge that I’m sure someone as determined as yourself would take on without hesitation.” Lamiea smirked as she said this.

     “Hey, I resemble that remark. And I do thank you for all of this assistance. It increases our odds of success considerably.”

     “It’s our pleasure to provide it. Again, Porrim’s presence here is what makes us more willing to do so, but after hearing from her what you’ve been through together and seeing how you treat her, I offer it with a much happier heart. She’s a very special person, but then I believe you already knew that.”

     Aranea laughed loudly. “That, my friend, is the understatement of the decasweep.”

     “All I ask is that you and your First Mate take good care of her. Do so and you’ll be welcome here anytime you wish.”

     “I thank you for that, Lamiea. Believe me, we may take you up on that. I have a strong suspicion that you and I would agree that the way things are run on this planet are in dire need of a change.”

     “Your suspicions are correct. This is why I think you’re the perfect choice in a matesprit for Porrim. You’re able to look at the big picture where she still doesn’t know just how far she can go. Together, you’re a formidable pair.”

     “Coming from someone as venerable as yourself, that means a lot. Thank you.”

     Instead of arguing that the word ‘venerable’ may not apply to her, Lamiea instead patted Aranea on the back. “We are wise in the ways of the world, you and I. We are also wise to the ways of the Condesce. We really ought to use that to our advantage.”

     _If you had any idea just how wise I am to Meenah’s ways, I fear we might not be having this conversation. I suppose Porrim and I might need to have one about that topic somenight soon. Will she look at me differently? Will it cost me her trust and that of the people here in turn? I do not relish the night that comes._ “I couldn’t agree more. Be assured that I will pay back your kindness here eightfold if I can.”

     “You don’t need do. Just do what needs to be done. No matter how difficult it may be for you personally.”

     Aranea kept her expression clear of the surprise the Grand Maryarch’s words caused. _What does she know? Did she notice the way I detected the familiarity in Baraka’s face? Doesn’t matter; cards close to the vest, Serket._ “Count on it. Soooooooo, how long until we’re ready to go?”

     “Between my Sisters, the help from town and your moirail, you should be ready to go within the hour.”

     “Excellent.” Hey… where IS Felida? I don’t see her out here…

 

     Porrim stepped back into the antechamber, full of happiness and a sense of purpose she wondered if she’d ever get to experience again in her lifetime. _I needed that. I didn’t know how badly, but I did. Talking with the Mother Grub was utterly invigorating. I hope that somenight I will be afforded the chance to do so again._ She took a deep breath and stretched her hands over her head. _I hope Aranea didn’t mind my doing so; I wonder how far along they-_

     She almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of metal clanking against stone. “What the…” Porrim scanned the room and quickly found the source of the noise: one of the grates over a ventilation duct had fallen open. _Well, that’s not such a big deal; I can fix that right oh what the hell is that?_

     A pile of fabric was suddenly ejected from the open shaft; it fell to the ground with a soft thump. Following behind it, accompanied by soft laughter, was the nude form of Felida Oceleo. “OH SHIT! Dammit, Jadebutt, what are you doing here?”

     “I should ask you the same question!” She noticed the jade lip colouring on Felida and figured she had an answer. “You didn’t.”

     Felida touched a finger to her lips, looked at the shade it picked up and burst into a wicked grin. She strode over to her kismesis, stood on her tiptoes and planted a long, deep kiss on her. Once she broke away, she whispered in Porrim’s ear, “For the record, she tastes just like you… maybe a little bit sweeter, actually.” After this, she ran back to the pile of clothes she landed on, extracted her shorts and blouse from the black and green jade gown and dressed hurriedly before exiting the antechamber with a quick air kiss in Porrim’s direction.

     When Porrim licked her lips and realized what it was she was tasting, she wasn’t sure whether she was aroused, revolted or something entirely different but she was most certainly nonplussed. A moment later, she heard a voice call out, “Hey! Porrim! Come hold this!” She looked back to the vent to see Kayolo peeking out from it and holding a pail out towards her.

    _You have got to be kidding me._ Without saying a word, Porrim walked over and took the proffered pail and watched as Kayolo slipped down to the floor, doing her best not to scrape her small breasts against the open edge of the vent.

     The smaller jadeblood stood facing her former Sister for a few moments, uncertain what to say if anything. Porrim’s eyes took in Kayolo’s nude body, something she’d seen numerous times in her life but had never looked at quite this way before. Kayolo looked sheepishly at her gown on the floor and bit her lip, trying to decide what to do next; she elected to pick it up and dress herself as quickly as she could before accepting the bucket back from Porrim.

     As she handed the simple pail back, splashes of jade and olive visible along the inside, Porrim caught a glimpse of gold on Kayolo’s finger: one of Felida’s earrings had taken up residence on it. By this time, Porrim was too stunned to even offer up a word of either encouragement or surprise; she simply raised a finger and gestured to the side of own mouth to indicate that there was an olive smear on her Sister’s.

     “Oh… Thanks!” Porrim’s eyes, already wide, opened just that much wider as Kayolo went to wipe it away with her free hand, which was also carrying a decidedly olive tint, and ended up adding to what was already there. “Did I get it?”

     Porrim just nodded gamely.

     Kayolo smiled happily and carried her bucket to the steel gates, then ran her hand over the sensor to open them. As she passed through gigantic doors, she looked back at Porrim and said, “Hey… you only live once, right?”

 

     “MATESPRIT? YOU MADE HER YOUR MATESPRIT? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?”

     “Hey, settle down, Jadebutt! It’s not like you’ve got a lot of room to talk!” Felida said glibly from the back seat as she played with the thin ring with a small jade stone on the finger of her right hand.

     “You’ve got to admit, Felida, this has to be some kind of record, even by our standards.” Aranea guided the hovertruck around a series of trees, trying her best to find the track that started as a road a few kilometers prior. “You’ve even got Aurana beat on this one!”

     “Ha!” Felida cackled. “I guess so!” “Do you have ANY idea how much trouble she’s going to be in because of this?”

     “Oh, she knows. She doesn’t care. What’s the worst they can to do her? Throw her out? I don’t think that’d bother her terribly.”

     Porrim stewed in her seat. “That’s not the point! You don’t even KNOW her!”

     Felida licked her lips again and closed her eyes. “I think I know her just fine…”

     “That’s not what I mean and you know it!”

     Mindfang cursed as she cranked the wheel hard to the left to dodge a large rock. “How the hell did that even get there? Felida, did the other two hovertrucks get around that?”

     The oliveblood peered out the back window. “Yep! All present and accounted for!”

     “Gooooooood. Carry on, then. I, for one, am quite excited to hear more about your new matesprit!”

     Porrim’s eyes shot daggers at her own.

     “Well, she’s a lovely singer,” Felida began. “Absolutely majestic voice. And it wasn’t just the acoustics of that block, either, but it sure helped; all that marble made this incredible echo and the shape of it ga-”

     Porrim turned around in her seat and faced the woman in the back. “What block were you in?”

     “She called it the Sunchamber! It was fucking cool! You shoulda seen th-”

     “YOU WERE IN THE SUNCHAMBER?!?”

     “No need to be so shouty, Porrim,” Aranea admonished. “Now sit that beautiful backside of yours down so I can drive without being distracted so. I’d like to hear this.”

     Porrim crossed her arms in front of her and stared out the window. “She was in the Sunchamber. With Kayolo. I can’t believe this.”

     “Believe it! It was fucking stunning in there! Everything was marble white and purest gold! Absolutely everything! And it was like a big circle; there was a round pool of water in the middle and in the center of that was an island with this huge stone bed right in the middle of it. It had all these ornate runes carved into it; she could read them but I hadn’t a clue what they said. The weirdest part was that there was this white stone blade hanging from just underneath. Creepy but no big deal to me; kinda freaked her out a bit for some reason but we just ignored it.”

     “…they were in the Sunchamber…” Porrim muttered to herself.

     “At one point we took a dip in that pool. It was SO nice and warm; the water there is heated geothermally. Considering the spray those gapers of theirs give your bits, I’m grateful for that!”

     Aranea nodded enthusiastically. “You and me both. We totally need one of those, don’t we, love?”

     “She took a bath… with Kayolo… in the pool in the Sunchamber…”

     “The neatest part of all was that all of the marble was warm, even the bed! I asked her if it used the heated water to keep it that way but she said she had no idea; she just liked to sneak in there from time to time and enjoy it by herself. Mentioned something about trying to get used to the idea of being in there; I think she was a bit scared of it in a way.”

     Porrim just stared blankly out the window.

     “Anyway, she brought a bucket along…”

     “Now hold on,” Aranea interjected, “When exactly did you two get it in your heads that this was a thing that was happening?”

     Felida grinned. “Once you and Jadebutt here went off to the gaperblock with your smiley escort at suppertime, I mentioned I needed to go as well and she offered to take me to another one. We’d already been chatting quietly on and off as I’m sure you were well aware, and when we got to the gaperblock, the sparks just flew. You were so right, Aranea… now I understand.”

     “Told you.” She put her right hand on Porrim’s knee; Porrim continued to look out the window, all but catatonic. “Why didn’t you say something about it when we climbed into the ‘coon?”

     “Didn’t want to jinx it. Right after breakfast, she asked me to come with her and so I did. I figured you and Porrim were gonna be preoccupied with more important things anyway so we stole away for a bit. She led me down this long sloping hall until we got to this set of big doors. She said we couldn’t go into that one, but there was a place that she wanted to show me that needed to be seen to be believed. Next thing I know, she’s pulling this grate off the wall and climbing into it. I follow her and we make our way through this smooth stone shaft until we reach the other side and this crazy block that looks like something only the Empress would use. Kayolo told me that no Empress had ever set fin in the place. How fucking cool is that?”

     “Pretty fucking cool!” Aranea gave Porrim’s knee a light squeeze and shake; all she got for a reply was more muttering about “Felida” and “Sunchamber”.

     “So next thing I know, we’re up on the marble bed, we’re talking for a bit about ourselves and what we can do, and then she starts singing. Kinda threw me at first, but her voice just… took me over. It was otherworldly; entrancing. Something about walking on the edge of a knife and knowing it’d be the death of her. That was about all I understood of it; the echoes made it sound like she was singing with four voices; she’d make a sound and it would bounce back at just the right time to fill in at another spot. Like nothing I’ve ever heard before.”

     A sideways glance by Aranea showed her that Porrim was actually almost smiling at this. _That’s better, dear heart. Be happy for her. Be happy for them both._

     “We chatted for a while, made out for a bit and then next thing I know, clothes are coming off and then she tells me that she’s never been with anyone before, ever. I wasn’t entirely shocked by this based on what Porrim’s told me about the jadebloods and how they usually do things and I told her I’d be gentle. Thing was, she mentioned that she knew how to pleasure herself and that wasn’t what she was worried about; she said she wanted to save it for either her matesprit or kismesis, whichever came first. She also said she wouldn’t have brought a potential kismesis to a place like that either. I mean, she knew I was taken in black anyhow, so I got the hint pretty quick. I asked her what the hell she saw in someone like me; was she willing to leave this place and join us? She said not yet; there are things she needs to learn first, but the day the Sisters come to her and tell her she HAS to visit the Sunchamber is the day she’s leaving. I thought that kinda cryptic; know anything about it, Porrim?”

     Porrim shook her head slowly.

     “Huh. Figured you would if anyone. She told me that I was exciting and different and that she wanted me the moment she laid eyes on me. I… wasn’t used to hearing that.” Felida looked over to Aranea. “Don’t let that take away from how I feel about you, okay? I still think you’re the greatest thing to ever happen to me.”

     “I know.” Aranea sent a wave of emotional appreciation to her moirail who received it loud and clear.

     “Actually, it’s the fact that you and I are the way we are that made me okay with the idea of not having her with me right away,” Felida continued. “I asked her if she thought that this would still count and she said she wouldn’t have brought it up if she didn’t. We slipped into the pool and next thing I know, she has my right hand and she’s putting this ring on it and telling me it’s a token of love shared now and again later. So here’s me fumbling because I’ve got nothing, or so I thought – I remembered I was still wearing a couple of small gold earrings and so I took one off. Luckily she’s got these thin fingers; I put it on one and said that I understood and would enjoy every moment we got together, both here and now and when the time came again. We came out of the water matesprits…”

     Aranea looked in the rearview mirror at the almost awestruck expression on Felida’s features and smiled.

     “She took my hand and led me back to the marble bed; I don’t think I could have said no if I tried. There were no words, I just lay her down and then I was on her, inside of her. You like the sounds that I make? The music that came out of her…” Felida almost choked up. “When it was time I held the pail for her, like I’d done it a hundred times before. Once Kayolo came back to consciousness, she didn’t say a word, she just took the bucket from me, set it down and guided me to the bed. It was so warm on my back, almost like being in the water again. And then warmth from her body on top of me… I hardly had to guide her, just a couple of hints now and then, but she had a pretty good idea what to do. Actually, she did bite the inside of my thigh pretty bad, come to think of it… She had these long fangs like you two and mentioned she felt really awkward about them. Speaking of awkward, I was almost self-conscious of the noises I was making; hers were so beautiful by comparison. I told her I was trying to keep it down but she told me not to; no one could hear but her and she wanted to hear them. I sang for her and it was wonderful. I told her when to grab the pail and she caught it just in time.

     “We lay there together after for as long as we dare. I was afraid of losing my sense of time and that you would come looking for me. Kayolo said that we probably should start making our way back but that she had never experienced anything like what she felt right then and how wonderful it was to make life in a place like that one which she figured only saw the other two states. I’m still trying to figure out what she was talking about but I guess I’ll have a lot of sweeps to do that…” Felida pushed herself even deeper into her seat. “I’m feeling a little lightheaded right now, to be honest.”

     “Perfectly understandable. Wouldn’t you agree, Porrim?”

     All Porrim could do was mumble “I can’t believe you two did it in the Sunchamber…”  

     Felida exhaled. “What’s the big deal about that place, anyway? I mean, it’s obviously something special…”

     “Tree,” Porrim said.

     “What? What does tha-”

     “TREE.”

     “OH SHIT!”

     “Relaaaaaaaax,” Aranea said, cranking the wheel again. A loud metallic noise filled the cabin as the side of the hovertruck glanced off of the trunk of a particularly large blue tree. “I got this.”

     Porrim pushed her air out through pursed lips. “That was close.”

     “Nah. I suspect we’ll be dealing with far more exciting things before this is done.”

     “Oh good. As for the Sunchamber, it’s the most sacred chamber in the Caves aside from the Mother Grub Cavern itself. On the anniversary of my tenth wriggling night, I was permitted to see it for the first time. I remember it like it was yesternight. Its opulence seemed like such stark contrast to the plain conditions we lived in.”

     “You call that plain?” Felida asked, incredulous. “That place was gorgeous!”

     “All that the Caves are was carved from stone with a few simple additions. We used to weave our own fabrics from the materials found nearby and our meals are rarely more than the grubloaf you enjoyed last night.”

     Aranea made a contented sound. “I could enjoy that every night.”

     “Trust me, troll cannot live on loaf alone,” Porrim quipped. “No matter how fresh it is or how many sauces you have to serve with it. The point is that the Sunchamber is a place of ritual and only the three eldest Sisters are permitted to enter it. I was told most of the rituals that took place there actually occurred during the day, which explains the shape. There are small vents that lead to the surface, and when the sun is directly overhead, it fills the room with heat and light that only a select few can bear it. I was told that if I stayed in the Caverns long enough and served the Mother Grub to the very best of my abilities, I would eventually be able to be a part of the most important ritual in our order. Of course, I never did find out what it was about, but I have a feeling Kayolo knows more than I do.”

     “I bet you’re right,” Felida said, turning the narrow gold band around her finger.

     Porrim fidgeted as she tried to determine how to say what she wanted to. “I’m still just trying to get my pan around this. Not even so much about… well, defiling the Sunchamber, but just that you and… Kayolo! This is just so sudden! And you’re willing to leave her behind?”

     “There’s a joke there but I’m wouldn’t touch it with an eight meter vaultstick,” Aranea said, scanning the horizon for friendlier terrain. “At least not with the current mood in this hovertruck.”

     “Kayolo and I both understand the implications of this, Porrim. I’ve been around a bit longer than you, don’t forget.” Porrim was about to say something about Kayolo’s obligation to the Mother Grub but decided that an accusation of hypocrisy in return wouldn’t be wrong. A remark on how matespritship should be rose in her thinkpan next and that, too, was rapidly discarded for the same reason. “Fine. It’s just… really surprising, okay?”     

     "Hey, I’m the one living it! I’m running around with fucking stars in my eyes right now and it’s weird! I mean, the last time I felt something like this, I had my arm around some jadeblood’s neck!”

     Aranea’s smile couldn’t be wider. “She’s got you there, love.”

     “She had me then, too. I just didn’t know it at the time.” Porrim’s features softened considerably.

     “Thing is, Jadebutt, I don’t think you know just how highly Kayolo thinks of you.”

     “Me? I used to idolize her! She was the only one there save for maybe Lamiea herself and Yakaya on a good day who I could actually have some fun with. Kayolo was always so carefree and wasn’t afraid to poke a hole or two in the more dogmatic elements of our order. Not to the point of insubordination, but she’s always had a rebellious streak in her.” Porrim paused to consider this. “I suppose I shouldn’t be entirely surprised by this behavior but still…”

     “I suspect you two have more in common than less,” Aranea remarked as she guided the vehicle between two rather large teal-tinged trees. Porrim started as the branches hit the windshield and then scraped along the sides.

     “You’re right, I suppose.”

     “Of course I am! It’s what I do. So, when you think of it that way, are you surprised that Felida would be so interested in her?”

     “Perhaps not…”

     Felida sat forward and put her head between the front seats. “No lie, Kayolo told me she wished she had your courage. She’s thought about leaving for sweeps and yet, she stays. She even wondered, faced with a grub like the one you found, if she’d make the same choice. You had the guts to do what you felt was right and she thinks the world of you!”

     “At least she does. I know there are a couple of Sisters who will never understand, even after hearing the story from my lips as they did yesternight.”

     “You can’t please everyone, Porrim,” Aranea interjected. “If you didn’t believe that, you wouldn’t have taken the grub in the first place. You knew full well the consequences of your actions and you did them because you felt it was right for you. When you look at me through the same lens, do you not understand me more so?”

     Porrim nodded. “I do, but then, you haven’t told me the whole story, either.”

     “The past is the past, my love. It’s better to let it lie. As far as I know, it can’t be changed. All that matters is the here and the now, wouldn’t you agree?”

     “When you put it that way...”

     “See? Right again.”

     “So,” Felida began, “I’m sorry I was kinda preoccupied there. What exactly is the plan here?”

     Aranea grinned. “No apologies necessary, my sweet. I understand completely. The plan should be one relatively familiar to Porrim, I suspect.”

     This caused Porrim to give her matesprit a sideways glance. “How so?”

     “Do you recognize where we are?”

     The jadeblood scanned the area, watching the trees whiz past the hovertruck on either side. “Only vaguely.”

     “Okay, give it a moment.” Aranea started banking the vehicle harder to the left. “Felida, make sure the rest are following?”

     “Yep, they’re still with us!”

     “Gooooooood. All right, love, how about… now?”

     As the vehicle cleared the teal trees, a U-shaped valley appeared with a small stream running through it, tall grasses on either side. Porrim began to nod. “Of course.”

     Felida swiveled her head back and forth to look at each of the occupants of the front seats in hopes of an obvious explanation. “Um, okay… And where are we, then?”

     Aranea chuckled. “Porrim knows now, but the name of this place isn’t relevant so much as the ‘what’ it is.”

     Oceleo looked again as the hovertruck plowed easily through the grasses and weeds. “Looks like a river to me…”

     “Gold star for my moirail! Now, the question is, my sweet, what’s so important about it?”

     “Is it fresh water?”

     “Now you’re thinking on the right track.”

     “Makes sense. Unless someone on the run had extensive canteens available, they would have to stay close to a source of water.” Felida put a hand to her mouth as she thought further. “But what does that have to do with Porrim?”

     Aranea didn’t say anything but instead took a quick glance over at Porrim, who was staring straight ahead. “Did you want to or shall I?”

     Porrim swallowed and pushed a breath out through pursed lips. “This is the route I took when I carried Kankri with me. I did the very same thing: headed for fresh water. This stream sustained us for a long time.”

     Felida took a moment and then gasped as the import of what Porrim was saying hit her. “So, from what you figure, the Disciple is following the same path as the Signless without even knowing she’s doing so?”

     “That’s about it, yes.” Porrim continued to let her eyes drink in the scene. _Ten sweeps ago. Almost eleven now. Time flies by so fast._ Her thoughts slipped through her thinkpan, surfacing and resurfacing but without one staying in her conscious grasp for long.

     “Lamiea told me that the Disciple didn’t visit the Caves directly. She must not have known they were even there or else I’m certain she would have sought direct assistance from those Porrim knew well.” Aranea reached over and placed a reassuring hand on her matesprit’s knee. “Relax, love. We can cover far more ground on these than she could on foot. We’ll try our best to get close to where we think she could be and then look for clues. It’s our best chance. The maps suggest the nearest settlement is a hundred kilometers away, which she could have reached easily by now; the nearest city is almost three hundred but I doubt she would want anything to do with a city. It’s not entirely out of the question that she’s holed up somewhere nearby, quite honestly. And by nearby, I mean within a hundred klicks or so. If game is plentiful around here, she may be quite content to find a cave somewhere and stay put. We’ll need to search carefully for evidence of her presence.”

     Porrim nodded and set her hand upon Aranea’s. “I know a few of the caves around here; I don’t suspect they’ve gone anywhere since I made use of them.”

     “And I’ll use the land tracking skills I learned from Aurana along with my own gifts, love. It may be a challenge, but it’s one that’s worth taking up.”

     Felida made a face as she looked out of the side window. “The biggest challenge I can see right now is not being carried off by those things!”

     Porrim’s attention quickly refocused but her shoulders relaxed as she recognized the source of Felida’s discomfort: the swarms of glowing white insects whipping by the cabin of the hovertruck as they plowed through the grasses. “Don’t worry, those are just lumines. They’re so white they reflect the colour of whatever’s shining on them – usually moonlight, but our headlights in this case. They’re mostly harmless… except for when they’re feeding.”

     “Uh-huh. That’s kind of what I’m worried about. And what exactly do they feed on?”

     “They’re usually looking for salt, so sweat mostly.”

     Aranea pictured someone who would be considered a lumine’s dream meal, but decided to keep the thought to herself and let Porrim tell her tale.

     Oceleo grimaced. “Yuck. Well, at least it’s not blood.”

     “One or two lumines on their own are no big deal but a rather large swarm like this can be a concern,” Porrim added. “Let’s just say I wouldn’t walk around with your mouth open out there.”

     “I’ll keep that in mind. Last thing I wanna do is choke to death on a few thousand bugs!”

     “Who said anything about choking to death? More likely they’d lick you to death from the inside.”

     Felida squirmed in her seat. “BLUH! NO THANKS! Keep the damn windows up!”

     By this time, Aranea was laughing so hard at Porrim’s deliberate attempts to make Felida twitch that she could barely keep the vehicle on a steady course. “Seriously, Felida! I’d never thought I’d see the day Porrim would finally own you like that!”

     “You know how I feel about bugs…” Oceleo wrinkled her nose and stared at the back of Porrim’s head, hoping her kismesis would feel her squinty gaze boring into it.

     “The only way that these critters could possibly cause us bodily harm is if I crash this thing because I can’t see for the mess they’re making!” Aranea reluctantly flicked the screenscraper switch; she made a disgusted noise when, as expected, all the scrapers did was smear lumine innards across the windshield, obscuring her view even further. “Porrim, my love, do you recall the location of any caves in the area? We may need to sit this swarm out.”

     “I suspect so, but I can’t really see very well. Maybe I should open the window and have a look…”

     The words were no sooner out of Porrim’s mouth when a metal hand clutched onto her shoulder. “I swear to fuck if you try to open that window I will rip your arm off and feed it to you!”

     “Felida, I don’t suspect Horuss would relish the idea of whipping up another arm at the moment; I have him busy with another project right now, remember? I’d rather keep my matesprit intact for the time being, if you pleeeeeeeease.” Aranea gave the steering column a quick pull and turned away from a small tree that suddenly appeared in their path. Once she had the hovertruck stabilized, she added, “Besides, I don’t think ‘arm’ is on her list of preferred meals.”

     “She’s right,” Porrim said as she reached up to gently pry the silvery mechanical fingers from their grip on her, “I must admit that I can think of many other ways to achieve my protein requirements.”

     “As long as they don’t involve eating those gross fucking things flying around out there, that’s fine with me.” The oliveblood withdrew her arm and sat back with her eyes closed.

     “Seriously though, love, we need to get out of this and quickly. Suggestions?”

     Porrim did her best to peer out the side window; the insects had reduced her visibility as the green moonlight they reflected made discerning the hills nearby all but impossible. “Turn right and pull away from the water; once we get out of these grasses, the lumines should become less of an issue and we can find a cave to stop in.”

     “Done. Hang on.” Everyone was thrown violently sideways as Aranea yanked on the controls and sent the hovertruck into a sharp banking right turn. “Did everyone else see that?”

     Felida checked out the rear window, by far the cleanest one left in the vehicle. “Um, I don’t think… okay, wait… yeah, they’re coming. Probably couldn’t see the turn for all the bloody bug guts!”

     “Yes, yes, I know… working on that.” Once she had the vehicle straightened out, Aranea applied the accelerator and sent them hurtling away from the river and towards the hills as quickly as she could, hoping that she’d still be able to see them by the time they reached them.


	30. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the search for the woman known as the Disciple continues, Mindfang has to contend with an increasingly frustrated (and odiferous) crew. Despite their fatigue, she and Porrim find a way to spend some quality time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if you're looking for happy DoloFang sexy times, you're in the right place. Much like their dancing scene quite a few chapters ago, I wrote this one well after I had proceeded ahead with the story but came back to create it because our two primary characters needed to spend some time with one another. Hopefully you'll find it both sweet and amusing. Regular updates should continue every two weeks.

**29.**  
  
    “I thought you said you were lucky, Captain!”  
  
    Aranea Serket slumped back against the side of her hovertruck, no longer caring how dirty her coat would get.  “I am, Niedys!  It’s just difficult when you have a very limited idea as to where your treasure is, not to mention the distinct possibility that it’s mobile!”  
  
    The goldblood looked to the ground; Porrim thought to herself that he was likely in search of a rock to kick.  “We’ve been at this for a week now.  I am so sick of looking in caves, you have no idea!  I’m a Gamblignant, not a spelunker!”  
  
    “Bitch, bitch, whine, whine.  You’ll go ‘spelunk’ if I throw your filthy ass in the river, Bycros,” Felida grumbled.  “You smell like something that died in a shitpile; why don’t you at least go take a dip and get a couple of layers of mud off of your carcass?”  
  
    “You should talk,” Porrim said, smirking.  “You haven’t been anywhere near the river, either!  Is it considered pitchplay to try and stink your kismesis into submission?  When you said ‘sex is dirty only if it’s done right’, this isn’t what I expected!”  
  
    “Actually, dear heart, I was the one who told you that.  But that doesn’t mean Felida isn’t in dire need of a bath herself.”  
  
    “You think I’m going anywhere near that river with lumines around?  The last thing I need is to be choked, licked to death or carried off by a shitload of nasty white bugs!”  
  
    “Perhaps, but the first thing you need is a bath.  Where’s Aurana when you need her?” Porrim asked, scanning the horizon.  
  
    Felida scowled.  “Probably howling at the moons and scratching her ears with her foot.”  
  
    “Funny you should say that,” Mindfang chuckled, “She used to accuse you of using your tongue to bathe yourself.  Perhaps you’d find that a suitable alternative?”    
  
    “If I could actually do that, I’d never leave the hive, Captain.”    
  
    Porrim tried to picture this and desperately tried and failed stifle a snorting laugh.  
  
    “Yeah, you’d like to see that, wouldn’t you, Jadebutt?”  
  
    “Not in your current state.  You’d have to use your fang scraper on your tongue every couple of minutes to get the filth off of it.”  
  
    “Maybe I’ll just use yours instead?  Come to think of it, you’d probably just do a better job of licking me clean yourse-”  
  
    “Ladieeeeeeees, please.  We’re all hot and bothered right now, I get it, but we can’t have you two boiling over into ebon here.  Everyone else is just as agitated as you are, trust me.  But we still have a few more kilometers worth of terrain to search.”  
   
    Aranea turned her head to look at the valley the river created as it wended through the hillier land just to their east.  “There’s bound to be all kinds of caves there, and luckily for you, Felida, the grasses appear much shorter so the lumine count should be considerably lower.  It gets pretty mountains not far beyond that, so either the target is in this vicinity or has abandoned the river completely and gone elsewhere.”  
  
    No one even bothered asking Mindfang about who their quarry was anymore; they knew she was going to remain tight-lipped about it, but were willing to carry on this search.  “All right,” mumbled Niedys, “so let’s assume this person is in this area and we find them.  Then what?  Can we go back to the ship?  Providing Hyvare hasn’t left with it or sold it for rentsprit money?”  
  
    “He would do no such thing and you know it.  Probably not, anyway.  I want to be back on the ocean as badly as you do, so the sooner we find our target, the sooner we get to.  Now, the green moon is just coming up and the skies should stay clear, so we have another eight hours of search time left before we need to find a cave of our own, so if you find a good one – one that’s preferably not a hive for leatherwing echobeasts this time – put a marker down.”  Aranea did her best to send an encouraging vibe to her crew in spite of her own fatigue and frustration.  “I know this is a challenge but really, we’ve had to do with less for longer while at sea before.  Let’s get back in the trucks and start making our way uphill.”  
  
    “Can I trade Cessai for Kunitz?” Niedys asked.  “She insists on singing.”  
  
    Mindfang rolled her eyes.  “Seriously.  Would it kill you and Kunitz to not be together for every waking hour?  It’s a wonder no one’s offered you two a pail yet.  Just get in the bloody hovertrucks, will you?”  
   
    “They’re almost as bad as grubs some nights,” Felida chuckled.  
  
    “You have no idea,” Porrim said.    
  
    “You’re right… I don’t.  Didn’t have a chance to actually see one in the Caves at all; Kayolo never showed me that part.”  
  
    “I’m sure the parts Kayolo did opt to show you were interesting enough.”    
  
    Before Felida could answer, Aranea grabbed Porrim’s hand and started pulling her towards the passenger side of their truck.  “You are the snarkiest thing I have ever seen!  Let’s go, already!  You can continue taunting your kismesis in the truck, but only if you put your hand in my lap first.”  
  
    Porrim made an exaggerated cringe.  “It’s not like you’ve been bathing terribly often, either…”  
  
    “Yeah, I’ve been preoccupied with this search, in case you haven’t noticed, love.  It’s not just physically looking around but I’ve also been extending my empathic reach to its limits.  I’m so exhausted by the end of the night, I just fall asleep.”  She gave her matesprit a quick kiss and then set off to the driver’s side.  
  
    “I have noticed this,” Porrim said once Aranea was in the cab beside her, “and I can’t thank you enough for the effort.  But do you honestly think we have a legitimate chance of finding Meulin?”  
  
    “Of course I do!  We wouldn’t be out here if I didn’t.  Between my luck and… well, the information I was given, we’ll find her.  I just hope it’s sooner than later; I fear the owner of this vehicle will never get the smell of oliveblood sweat out of the back seat at this rate.”  
  
    The rear door of the vehicle slammed shut.  “I heard that.”  
  
    “I fear I’ll never get it out of my sniffnodes!” Porrim complained.  
  
    “Hellooooo!  I’m in the truck now!”  
  
    Porrim looked back as the vehicle lifted from the ground.  “Oh, we’re well aware of that, I assure you.  Rather hard to miss that sten-”  
  
    “That’s it.”  Felida sat forward and start smearing her arms and face all over Porrim as best she could.  “HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW?”  
  
    Laughing, Aranea used one hand to push Felida back.  “Sit down, shut up and hang on.  I want her just as badly as you do, Felida, but we need to focus on the task at hand, all right?”  
  
    “Well, how about you then?” she asked.  “I’m not sure I can take much more of this!”  
  
    “My sweet, like I was just telling darling Porrim here, I don’t even have the strength to enjoy myself, much less give you what you need right now.  Do you know how hard it is keeping everyone’s level of focus up, much less constantly scanning during my waking hours?”  
  
    “Nope, but I’m gonna guess it’s not a whole lot of fun.”  Felida sighed dejectedly.  “Well, if what you’re saying about less lumines is true, I might spend a few minutes in the river before sunup.  I wouldn’t complain if I had some company…”  
  
    “We’ll see.  All depends on what our searching yields tonight.  And I do hope we find what we’re looking for sooner than later. I know it’s not a mutiny if it’s not on a boat, but I’d still rather not have to deal with six angry crewmembers sick of bugs and the smell of each other.”  
  
    Felida crossed her arms and cast a backwards glance at the two muck covered hovertrucks behind them.  “I don’t know why this seems so much worse, but they’d hardly bat an eye if we were on the ship.”  
  
    Aranea steered the hovertruck towards the river as the valley began to narrow.  “You know the answer as well as I do:  we’re children of the sea.  Who says you need to be a violetblood to enjoy it?  Other than the violetbloods, of course.  I’d bet the only one here who isn’t feeling the same itch is Porrim.”  She let go of the controls with one hand long enough to squeeze one of Maryam’s.  “No shame in admitting it, dear heart; I know the truth.  I do hope you come to enjoy the open ocean even half as much as I do somenight.”  
  
    “Wherever you are is home to me, Aranea.  From now on.”  
  
    Mindfang couldn’t help but smile.  “It pleases me to no end to hear you say so.  Now, let’s see what’s out there, shall we?”  
  
  
  
  
    “Are you certain they’re all asleep?”  
  
    “Of course, dear heart,” came the whispered reply.  “They’re utterly exhausted.  I can’t blame them, to be honest; I’m not sure how much longer I can stay awake either.”  
  
    Porrim watched as her matesprit shed the last of her clothing and tossed it beside their sleeping bag.  “Don’t worry; I’m sure the water will help give you a bit of a boost.”  
  
    The dim sunlight provided enough illumination that Aranea could see the roof of the cave well enough to duck so that her horns didn’t scrape the stone ceiling above.  “I really hope so.  Of course, I was really hoping that last cave might actually yielded a useful clue.  I fear that talk of mutiny was only half-joking; they’re dedicated to me but this isn’t what most of these people were cut out for.  The frustration is palpable.”  
  
    “I’m sorry to put you and them through this…”  
  
    Aranea slipped over to the mouth of the cavern where Porrim was standing and gently raised her red lover’s chin to look her in the eyes.  “Never apologize, love.  I chose this course because I know what it means to you.  Even if this goes on a lot longer, we will see it through.  I promise you this.”  
  
    Porrim’s face registered the shock she felt.  “Promise?”  
  
    “Yes.  I have no doubt in my mind we’ll find Meulin.”  She gave the jadeblood a quick kiss and then looked past her to the outside world, which was bathed in shades of crimson light.  “We both absolutely need to do this, but I’m worried the light reflection off of the water is going to be too much.  The idea of being blinded doesn’t exactly appeal to me.”  
  
    “Well, if it’s any consolation, the smell of you is making my eyes water,” Porrim deadpanned.  “You reek like an unwashed Gamblignant.”  
  
    Aranea snorted so loud she immediately worried that she might have awoken the rest of her crew.  “Fancy that.  And youuuuuuuu smell like an unwashed Gamblignant’s similarly unwashed matesprit, so how about we remedy that?”  
  
    “Indeed.  However, you do raise a good point about the sunlight.”  Porrim thought for a moment and then cast her eyes downward.  “I had an idea but I don’t…”  
  
    “Oh, I read that idea loud and clear and I’m all for it.  Think you’re up to it?”  
  
    “But where would we get a blindfold?” Porrim asked.  “It’s not like there’s one to be found just laying about.”  
  
    “Well, I was considering just ripping a strip off of Felida’s blouse – it’s not like she doesn’t own eighty of the damned things – but the idea of putting anything she’s been wearing for the past week within inches of my sniffnodes would be such a turnoff that I fear I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on washing, never mind anything else…”  
  
    Porrim raised an eyebrow.  “Who said anything about anything else?”  
  
    “You don’t have to say it, Porrim.  Not with me,” Aranea grinned.  
  
    “Makes it awfully tough to surprise you sometimes…”  
  
    “To be honest, dear heart, surprises can be overrated.  Now, let’s solve our blindfold dilemma, what say?”    
  
    Porrim scanned the area; the only fabric items she could see were clothing that had been worn almost continuously by others for the past week and she wasn’t about to destroy a sleeping bag for this excursion.   _Unless…_  “What about my sash?  It’s not like it’s been in direct contact with my skin?”  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm… I like the way you think.  Let me grab it from the pile of clothes here.”  Aranea slipped past the sleeping Felida and bent over to pick up the long red sash that Porrim wore around her waist, taking her time to return to a standing position for Porrim’s benefit.    
  
    “Make sure you grab the red one.  Who knows where that olive one has been?”  
  
    “I know EXACTLY where that olive one has been, Porrim.  I’m the one who puts it there, after all.”  
  
    “Not recently, I hope…”  
  
    “Trust me, if I knew she wouldn’t have a full on psychotic episode over the lumines, I would have thrown her foul carcass in that river three nights ago.  Now,” Aranea said, passing the sash to Porrim in an almost reverent fashion, “would you like to do the honours or do you think I’d leave a space to peek out of?”  
  
    Porrim smiled and gingerly lifted the fabric from Aranea’s hands.  “I’ll take that, thanks; I know you too well.  Turn around and I’ll do it up.”  
  
    “You just want to see more of my choice ass, don’t you?”  
  
    “Well yes, of course.  But all in good time…”  With a few deft movements of Porrim’s hands, the sash was wound around Aranea’s eyes and gently but well tied so that no sunlight would reach within.  “There!  How’s that?”  
  
    “Not too tight at all.  You know, I’ve had lovers who would have asked for a second one around their necks…”  
  
    “Nope.  Not for me, thanks.”  
  
    “Very well.  So, are you ready to lead me to the water?  I can’t promise that I’ll drink.”  
  
    With a soft chuckle, Porrim reached out and took Aranea’s slim hand.  “Fair enough, but the objective is to make you ‘not stink’.”  
  
    Aranea replied with a wide grin.  “I can get behind that, so long as you can get behind me at some point in the process.”  
  
    “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see – oh wait…”  
  
    “Ho ho, ha ha and hee hee.  Lay on, my love; I am in your capable hands.”  
  
    Without another word, Porrim led Aranea forward, out of the ebon darkness of the cave and into the shimmering rays of morning light.   _Oh, I have missed this,_ she thought.   _There is a tranquility at this time of day that soothes the soul.  I wish you could fully appreciate it.  
  
    As you said earlier, darling Porrim, ‘not for me, thanks’.  I will endure it now and then because I know what it means to you, but you’re the only one I’ve ever encountered who had any real use for daylight._  
  
    Porrim smiled and stepped around a larger rock as she led Aranea through the tall grass towards the shallow river nearby.  “I appreciate your willingness to try this.  Really I do.”  
  
    “Ooooooooh!  That tickles!  We must be in the grass, yes?”  
  
    “Mmhmm.  Don’t tell me you’d rather play here instead of in the water?  I will drag you in if I have to.”  
  
    “Maybe I should make you, just for the fun of it!”    
  
    With a sigh, Porrim pulled that much harder on her matesprit’s arm.  “Come on, you brat; the water’s only a few steps away now.”  
  
    A few moments later, Aranea felt the cool water and soft ground on her toes as the grass gave way to the river.  “That’s a bit chilly, isn’t it?”  
  
    “Doesn’t feel much cooler to me than the water around Blue Recluse Island.  Your senses are likely heightened by your lack of visibility.”  
  
    Aranea laughed.  “I never thought I’d see the night - or the day for that matter – that Porrim Maryam would be telling ME about the benefits of blindfolds!  Will wonders never cease?”  
  
    “Oddly enough, you’re starting to sound like me with all that snark.  Come on; you know the best way to get used to it is to just walk right in.  I won’t pull you off your feet, don’t worry; there’s no significant current here.”  
  
    “You’re right, of course.  It’s just that when the water hits a certain place it can be a bit jarRING!!!!!!!!”  
  
    Porrim felt the wave of shock from Aranea and found herself experiencing a very similar one of her own as the water reached the space where her thighs met.   _She’s right; this IS cooler than the water around that island.  Might as well get used to it…_  “Just keep going; a little further now and we’ll stop when the water is up to our waists.”  
  
    “You’re certain there’s nothing in this river that will chew on us?”  
  
    “I don’t recall there being anything out of the ordinary.  Fish, yes, but nothing that would want to take any pieces out of us.”  
  
    “If you say so.  You know sometimes I wish my empathy could allow me to sense and transmit to animals.  It would make life so much easier.”  
  
    Porrim came to a stop and looked down into the clear water; the light from the sun allowed her to see to the silty bottom. “You can’t have every ability, Aranea, much as you would like to.  Yours is one of the rarest, I’m sure.”  
  
    “Doesn’t mean I can’t wish for more, right?  So are we there yet?”  
  
    “Yes, we’re there.  I don’t suppose you have any soap?”  
  
    Aranea made a sound that definitively answered that question.  “Riiiiiiiight.  And where would I be hiding said soap, Porrim?  If I was carrying it around in my seedflap, I really wouldn’t be needing this bath, would I?”  
  
    “No, you’d probably be needing medical attention.”  
  
    “Lucky I have you then.”  Aranea punctuated this by turning and kissing Porrim.  
  
    “I was about to ask how you knew where I was but now I’m wondering if blindfolding an empath was rather pointless.”  
  
    At this, Aranea embraced her matesprit.  “Don’t worry, dear; I actually can’t see you and I really don’t know what you have planned for me, save for using your hands to give me a good scrubbing.  And you know what?  That’s exactly what I’m looking forward to - well, looking isn’t really happening for me at the moment, but that’s half of the fun!  Just do what you were going to do with me anyway and I will enjoy every single moment of it, okay?  Just because I can sense where you are doesn’t mean I’m not going to relish your hands on my skin.”  
  
    “If you say so,” Porrim replied, trying to hide the doubt in her voice.  
  
    “I do say so!  Now put your hands on me and see if you can make me any less dirty.  I suspect you’ll only be partially successful.”  
  
    This brought a smile back to Porrim’s face and she cupped a handful of water and let it trickle down Aranea’s shoulder.  “We may have to dunk your head to wash all of this hair of yours.  It’s a bit on the dusty side.”  
  
    “Say the word and I’ll do it.”  
  
    Porrim stepped to the side.  “The word.”  
  
    Aranea stood still for a moment.  “This is why I love you.  I want you to know that.”  A moment later she bent forward and put her head completely into the water.  When she came up, the sash was still fastened around her eyes.  “You did well on tying that on, just so you know.”  
  
    “Felida isn’t the only one who knows a thing or two about tying knots.”  Porrim moved to stand behind the blueblood, put her fingers into her lover’s long hair and started massaging the scalp underneath.  “I may have a few to untangle in here as well.”  
  
    “This whole hair playing thing is more often the province of moirails, you know,” Aranea purred.    
  
    “Since when did you care about which quad does what?” Porrim teased in return.  
  
    “Since never.  By all means, continue.”  
  
    Once Porrim had the long strings of hair as unbound from one another as she could get them, she wet her hands and began to rub her matesprit’s back and shoulders.    
“As good as this feels, love, I may just fall asleep on you as this is so relaxing.  Are you sure there aren’t other parts of me that need a proper cleaning?”  
  
    Porrim grinned and let her left hand slip into the water to massage Aranea’s lower back and places below.  “You’re as subtle as a sword to the chest, you know that?”  
  
    “Sometimes subtlety will get you nowhere.  I have no qualms about making a suggestion now and thennnnnnnn…”  Aranea let the last word linger as Porrim’s fingers found their way between her thighs.    
  
    “Is that subtle enough for you?”  
  
    “Mmmmmmmm… I think you got the message loud and clear.”  Aranea lifted and moved her left foot to create more space for the jadeblood to work; she began to tip her hips in time with the motions Porrim was making.  “Anytime you want to slide those in, I’m more than ready.  It’s been far too long since we did this.”  
  
    “I couldn’t agree more.”  Porrim’s fingers found purchase betwixt Aranea’s lips and into her flap, gently vibrating and curling, creating new sounds from her matesprit’s voice with every motion.  “Are you getting any cleaner?”  
  
    “Quite… the opposite… Gods yes, keep going!”  
  
    Porrim used her right hand to push Aranea’s sopping hair aside and planted a long, sucking kiss on her neck.  This elicited a fresh wave of moans from her, which in turn encouraged Porrim to continue using the fingers of her left hand to bring Aranea that much closer; with the hair now aside, she used her right hand to slowly move up the slender woman’s side, past her grubleg marks and onto her right breast, which she gently squeezed and rolled the stiff cerulean nipple between her fingers.  Gathering up her courage, she whispered, “I want you to let go for me… You can’t see me but I’m everywhere… my hands all over you…”  
  
    “Yessssssss… keep going… so cloooooooose…”  
  
    “I want you to turn this water so blue… I want to hear you sing for me…”  
  
    A few moments later, Aranea did both; Porrim could only hope that they were far enough away from the cave where everyone was sleeping so that their slumbering companions weren’t awoken.   _Something tells me it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve heard that sound either, but they do need their rest._  She held Aranea on her feet as the spent blueblood pitched slightly forward in the water, and then turned her around so they were facing, her lover’s forehead coming to rest on Porrim’s shoulder.  “I’ve got you, don’t worry.”  
  
    “Not worried… in the least… dear heart.  That was… amazing!”  
  
    “So glad you enjoyed it, but I don’t think I got you as clean as you need to be.”  
  
    Aranea slowly straightened back up.  “Want and need… are often two different things.”  Placing her hands on Porrim’s shoulders for guidance, she pushed through the water to take up a position behind Porrim just as her matesprit had done for her a few moments prior.  “But not only do I want to return the favour more than anything else in the world right now, but I NEED to.  I need to hear you cry out for me…”  She let her hands slowly drift down Porrim’s shoulders and down her arms before slowly making their way up the jadeblood’s chest, causing her to shiver with delight.  “I need to feel you drink in the pleasure these hands create on your smooth skin.  I need to taste you on my lips…”  She leaned in to Porrim’s long neck and placed her mouth just above the skin of it, waited for a moment and then kissed it before inhaling over the wetness of that kiss.  
   
    Porrim almost thrashed from the sensations.  “How do you do that?”  
  
    “Experience, love.  There is something to be said for it.  I don’t need to see to know how to pleasure you.  I already know every little bit of your body and I know just what it takes to make you moan.  Maybe you should close your eyes for awhile and just let me love you.”  
  
    “Maybe you’re right…”  Porrim did so and let the feeling of Aranea’s wet hands sweeping up and across her bare form flow across her mind, anticipating the moment when they would enter the water and explore the parts that were all but singing for attention.  And when that moment came, she found herself arching back and pushing against the long fingers that were drawing circles on the soft skin of her seedflap and the small aching nub that demanded to be touched and teased.  The sensation of the water pushing against those engorged parts of her was almost too much but the steady pulse of those fingers as well as the kisses that continued to be applied to the back of her neck, the nibbles on her earlobes and the sound of Aranea’s excited breathing kept her focused while the red sunlight warmed her body.  “So… incredible…”  
  
    “No more words, Porrim.  Just do for me what you wanted me to do for you and release yourself upon me.  Just surrender to it, love…”  
  
    Porrim let her breath escape her lips unburdened by any further articulation and closed her eyes while she let her body answer to the touches being laid upon her skin.  The sound of her own breathing grew faster and louder and every noise she made carried only the message of her arousal, which was received quite clearly by her blindfolded matesprit, who took it as further encouragement to let her fingers press against the most sensitive places, her lips to kiss the space just under her ear.  With a gasping shudder, the rolling release came and with such force that Porrim barely had a moment to inhale and stay conscious so that she could let her mind ride out on the wave of pleasure, augmented by the warm sun on her face and the cool water that took on what flowed from her.  
  
    A whisper in her ear, “Would you like me to keep going?  I’m certain there are a few more of those left in you.”  
  
    With some effort, Porrim gathered her thoughts.  “Much as… I would like to…” she panted, “we best get back… to the cave.  Too much sun… for you…”  
  
    “You’re likely right, but then, considering we don’t get the opportunity to do this terribly often as of late, I thought I should at least make the offerrrrrrrr.”  
  
    “We’ll have time… in time… if that makes any sense.”  
  
    “Fear not, my love, it does.  I’d offer to carry you back to shore, but I’m not convinced I’d be heading in the right direction.”  
  
    Porrim’s eyes fluttered open and for one of the few times she could recall, the light was almost too much for her.   _Everything is so intense after that.  The sun has climbed a fair bit; I really ought to get her to shelter; I’m certain she’s tired.  
  
    Quite, but we have gone nearly two entire nights together with a minimum of sleep before, remember?  
  
    True, but we also weren’t logging a ridiculous number of kilometers on foot every night for a week straight in the process either._  Porrim turned to face Aranea, whose blindfold was still as she left it, and planted a long kiss on her lips before taking her hand and gently leading her towards the reeds and rushes that grew along the shoreline.    
  
  
  
  
    _Everyone is still asleep.  Amazing,_ Porrim thought to her matesprit as they stepped gingerly around the prone forms of their crewmates.   _I would have thought your sounds would’ve drawn Felida like a siren song.  
  
    I’ve seen sirens in person.  Considering they eat anything that comes anywhere near them, I’m glad they didn’t.  Even though Felida’s idea of ‘eating’ would be different than theirs, of course.  Something tells me sirens would make awful lusii.  
  
    I can’t think of one that served as one, but then, I never really asked._  
  
    Aranea smiled and deployed her sleeping bag.  Before she stepped into it, she hesitated and reached for her handlamp.  
  
    _What is it?_  
  
    When Aranea didn’t reply either verbally or mentally, Porrim cautiously headed towards the light.   _Everything okay?  
  
    Quite, love.  In fact, more than okay.  Do you see these bones?_  
  
    Porrim’s eyes widened at the sight of them: the beast they were once part of must have been of considerable size; far larger than anything she would have actively hunted herself when she and Kankri made their way through this part of the world.   _How could I miss them?  And what about them makes you think that this is a good thing?  What if whatever tracked that down decides to come back here?  
  
    If it did, you would be elated._  The pure confusion that poured from Porrim made Aranea laugh out loud, but not unkindly. _Notice that the bones aren’t all scattered about but placed in a pile, right at the back of this cave?  
  
    So they are,_ Porrim answered.  
  
    _I was one of the first people to enter this cave when we arrived and I didn’t see those bones strewn all over the floor, so none of us put them there and I’m reasonably certain any creature living in these parts would be quite so meticulous.  
  
    I’ve met some rather interesting lusii…  
  
    I’m sure you have, but here’s the other thing: what meat that remains on them is still relatively fresh._  Aranea plucked a small piece off and tossed it in Porrim’s direction.  The jadeblood caught it but wrinkled her nose at it.   _What does that tell you?  
  
    You enjoy trying to gross me out by tossing rancid meat in my direction?  
  
    Ho ho, ha ha and hee hee.  Try again, smartnook.  
  
    Obviously, whoever did this was here relatively recently._  Porrim’s eyes widened at the thought.   _Do you think this is-  
  
    Meulin’s work.  I’d say we’re a night away from her location, two tops._  
  
    Aranea didn’t need to flash the handlamp up to Porrim’s face to know there would be an excited smile on it.   _I do hope you’re right.  
  
    You and me both, dear heart.  If for no other reason than your kismesis smells about the same as that chunk of meat and I desperately want to bathe her.  
  
    You mean ‘YOUR moirail’,_ Porrim thought quite pointedly, _and I couldn’t agree more.  I really do think Aurana should come back and give her a proper soaking.  
  
    I don’t even think Aurana would be able to handle that stench for terribly long,_ Aranea snorted.   _Let’s get some sleep while the sun’s still up, shall we?  
  
    I suppose we should._  Porrim slipped into the sleeping bag and waited for Aranea to join her before snuggling in next to her cool body.   _Do you really think Meulin is nearby?  
  
    More so than ever.  
  
    Now how am I supposed to sleep?  
  
    You mean I didn’t tucker you out enough?    
  
    Well, that was before we found those bones…_  
  
    Aranea sighed and gave her lover’s hand a squeeze.   _Well, you can stay up all you want.  I’m going to pass out as soon as possible.  Thank you for a lovely morning._  
  
    Porrim grinned.   _Thank you for being willing to spend time in the sun.  I really appreciate it.  
  
    Anything for you, my love.  I hope tomorrow night is just as memorable, even if it is for a completely different reason._  
  
    Porrim didn’t form her thoughts into words but simply transmitted a mix of excitement, anticipation and appreciation so pure that Aranea was content to listen to it in her own special way until the softness of sleep gently faded it out.

 

 


	31. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another night of searching for the Disciple yields Mindfang and her crew an encounter they hadn't expected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple of callbacks in this chapter for the longtime readers (my word, have I been doing this long enough to call anyone "longtime readers"?). Hoping to make some progress on this set of midnights; spent a good chunk of this month cooking up a NepetaxKanaya fic for a Tumblr challenge called Nepeta November. I made a SFW and a NSFW version if you're curious to read it. Anyway, enjoy this touching chapter (and this time, I mean emotionally touching versus physically... ;) ).

  **30. **

    “Not a whole lot of room to set down here, but I think this will doooooooo…”

    “At least you can see out the window without all the damn bugs around,” Felida said, trying to take in their surroundings.  

    Porrim, too, was observing the lay of the land, but with a peculiar sense of having been here once before.   _It’s likely enough; this whole route seems familiar.  If we kept on, the river flows down the other side to a wide plain and on to Azaerat, another week’s walk away. I was so hungry; I gave every scrap of loaf I could to Kankri, but somehow we made it through.  Could we have stayed in one of these caves?  Entirely possible._

    Once all of the hovertrucks set down near the river, the occupants disembarked and gathered to make their plan.  “Anyone else notice the size of that one?” asked Wetham Clavet, a wiry maroonblood, pointing to the large hole in the side of one of the towering hills.  “We could probably park all three of these trucks side by side in there!”

    “If it gets windy this morning, we may just do that,” Mindfang said.  “As you can see, there are a few caves in the vicinity; some a couple of kilometers north on the other side of the river, but a few on this side as well.  You know the drill; grab your glowglobes and check them out.  And Tregan,” she added, pointing at a bronzeblooded fellow, “please try to keep from pissing in the caves themselves?  Your teammates are tired of treading in piss puddles.”

    “Hey, I’m a man, the world is my load gaper, Captain!  When you gotta go…”

    “Go outside in the bushes like the rest of us!” Cessai Calbem said, swatting him upside the head.  “It’s bad enough when you dangle your bulge overboard and the wind catches it!”

    Mindfang sighed.  “Enough of this.  Let’s go, already.  We’ll take this large one; the rest of you move out.”  

    The cranky Gamblignants trudged out to their destinations, leaving Porrim and Felida with Aranea.  “They are getting restless, aren’t they?” Felida noticed.

    “Indeeeeeeeed.  It matters not, though; judging by something I just detected, I suspect that we are very, very close.”

    Porrim’s head snapped to look at her matesprit.  “What do you mean?”

    “For the first time since we set out on this adventure, I felt something.  Just as soon as we touched down, I got a sensation.  Someone is here and they know we are here.  It’s just far enough away though that I can’t lock onto it… or the person transmitting it is very weak.”

    A thousand different scenarios played out in Porrim’s thinkpan, all of them horrifying.  “Oh no… I can’t even consider…”

    “Don’t worry about it, my love.  It could be that this person, and I can’t confirm that it’s Meulin, is simply way, way down in this cave.  It would make sense, all things considered.  It’s a great place to hide.”

    Porrim nodded as she considered this.  “I suppose so.  Shall we look?”

    Aranea took Porrim’s hand in hers.  “Let’s.  Come along, Felida; let’s meet someone interesting.”

    Oceleo fell in beside her moirail.  “Sure!”  She turned on the glowglobe and they proceeded into the cavern.

    Before long, the green moonlight had left them behind and only the glowglobe provided pale illumination.  Porrim was both surprised and not to see bones scattered about, but then recalled how the remains of a hunt were stacked deep inside the cave they slept in the previous day so that it was less likely they would be detected.  “Meulin is a very gifted hunter; we wouldn’t have eaten at all at times if it weren’t for her.”

    Aranea nodded and continued to reach out mentally in search of the source of the sensation.  

    “If this is her work, she’s taken down some pretty big critters!” Felida remarked as they approached a bare rib cage that came up to her chest.  

    “That seems a bit odd for her; not that she couldn’t do it, but that she wouldn’t be able to eat all of that meat herself before it went bad.  Then again, one does what one must to survive.”  Porrim inspected the carcass; like the previous one, there was hardly a scrap of meat left on it.  “If all she could find to eat was bigger game, she wouldn’t hesitate.”

    Felida was about to remark on the remains of the smaller animals scattered around the floor of the downward sloping cave floor when Aranea put her hand up to stop and silence them.  “Wait…” she whispered.  “Did you hear something?”  Both shook their heads.  “Okaaaaaaaay, maybe it was just me.  I still don’t have a bead on what I felt yet, though.”

    “Do you think she’s in another cave nearby?” Felida asked.

    “I can sense the others; none of them have encountered anything of interest.  This is so peculiar…”

    She was interrupted by a low snort.

    “Porrim?  Did Meulin ever make a noise like that in your time with her?” Aranea asked.

    A wide-eyed jadeblood shook her head very slowly.  “No.”

    “Right.  We need to get out of here.  Now.”

    There was no further discussion; all three of them turned around and ran back towards the cave entrance.  They were followed by a rumbling growl and then heavy but rapid footsteps.  “RUN!!!!!!!!”

    Neither of the greenbloods needed to be told twice.  As they cleared the threshold, a massive white creature thundered out behind them, all legs and sharp edges, teeth bared and compound eyes flaring with rage at their intrusion.  The lusus bellowed its fury and charged ahead, seeking to put its teeth into the closest target it could find.

    Once her senses told her she had put adequate space between herself and the creature, Mindfang whirled on one scarlet heel and drew her simple metal sword.   _Ugh... This cumbersome thing feels wrong in my hand a hundred different ways but at least it’s sharp.  Let’s daaaaaaaance._  The lusus was easily twice her height and its limbs, while spindly, were solid enough and sharply pointed.  Aranea wasn’t certain that it was looking directly at her thanks to its insectoid eyes, but as it reared back in an effort to impale her on one of those deadly legs, she knew she was the target and leapt aside in anticipation of the blow that landed where she stood.  “Porrim!  Get the others!  I’ll try and call them but I might be preoccupied!”

    Porrim didn’t bother replying audibly; she hoped her matesprit would hear her mental acknowledgement and set off in the direction the other Gamblignants went as fast as her legs could carry her.   _She and Felida are more than capable warriors; they’ll probably have that completely subdued by the time I get back… right?_  It took everything she had not to look back, just in case that assessment was incorrect.

 

 

 

    “Fuck… Well, THAT… didn’t work…” Felida panted, sucking at the air that her body was so desperately screaming for.  

    Aranea shook her head, incredulous that their simultaneous attack on the huge lusus - an attack that involved attempting to remove its two front legs – went so completely wrong.  The screeching creature now had two metal swords embedded in said front limbs and orange blood spilled down over its joints onto the damp blue-green grass.  “On the contrary…  It worked just fine… if our aim was to… completely piss it off!”  She didn’t have time to say more as the white monstrosity lowered its head, mandibles clicking rapidly, and charged them.  Both she and Felida leaped to opposite directions to escape the attack.  Both of those front legs are still working but at least it’s a bit slower.  
 _But we have no weapons to counterattack!_ Felida thought back to her moirail.   _Save for punching it in the ass with my metal fist!_

_Don’t count that idea out._  Mindfang couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought even as the wounded animal turned slowly to face them.   _It has us divided again,_ she thought to herself, _which is less than ideal.  Save for driving the hovertruck into it, we don’t have much that can pierce that carapace.  Porrim, I hope you’ve got the crew enroute; I have better things to do tonight than be perforated just because the sword I happened to have turned out to be a legendary piece of shit…_

    She was shaken from her lamentation by the sight of the injured lusus lifting its damaged limbs and charging towards Felida.   _Heads up!_

_I see it!_ came the reply as the oliveblood let her cybernetic leg launch her upwards as her other options were blocked by rocky outcroppings and steep cliffs.  While the action propelled her up and into a flip that would take her over the charging creature, it swung its peculiar head and caught her before she reached the apex of her jump, which sent her crashing into the unyielding grey stone.

    Aranea knew Felida was unconscious the moment her head hit the rocks.   _Oh no… not again!_  “HEY!!!!!!!!  OVER HERE!”  Mindfang waved her arms and scanned the surroundings in search of some weapon that she could use on the lusus before it impaled her First Mate.  “You’re gonna need to deal with me first!”

    The white creature turned its strange eyes to bear on Mindfang, its mandibles twitching with fury.  Mindfang found she had been holding her breath as it suddenly escaped her once the thing opted to leave the prone Oceleo alone and started making its way towards her position.  “That’s riiiiiiiight… Come get some of this!”  Aranea’s search for a makeshift weapon intensified rapidly as it bore down on her, unleashing a high-pitched sound that made her sponge clots ache.   _Nothing but loose rocks… Maybe a sharp one could do it some damage if I threw it hard enough…_  The closest one she could detect was easily a hundred meters from her and the lusus was already closer than that.  Aranea crouched and prepared to sprint for her target.   _It’s now or…_

    An olive blur filled her vision.   _What the… That’s not Felida!  Who is that?_  Before Mindfang could get a bead on this newcomer’s thoughts, she watched as a small woman lunged onto the wounded lusus’s back and in one fluid movement swung around its neck, opening it with some unseen blades.  The creature never even got a chance to make another sound; it tottered forward as a gout of orange poured forth from the gaping wound and then collapsed face first into the wet ground.  Aranea reached out with her mind and found the woman’s thoughts were all but purely animalistic, raw and with little form; the only underlying emotion was one of anger, but it wasn’t directed at the beast that was just slain…

    Without so much as a break in her movement, the shaggy haired woman was in full flight towards Mindfang now.  Aranea was grateful for the split second warning her abilities provided that the focus of this oliveblood’s attacks had shifted entirely from the lusus to her; it permitted her to roll with the momentum of the woman’s full body assault.  As they rolled through the grass, Aranea attempted to use a leg to stop the movement and end their tumble with her on top but was unable to get any traction on the slick ground.  Two pusherbeats later and she was on her back with the oliveblood astride her chest, sharp teeth bared and her left hand sporting a sharply curved blade that appeared to be made of a honed lusus fang.  Aranea reached out with her empathy to try and dissuade or at least befuddle her assailant but found the wild woman’s emotions too recessed; the animal inside had completely taken hold and her instinct was to remove the threat:  an interloping blueblood.  Aranea’s eyes were fixed not on this woman’s expression of base savagery but on the white blade above which, despite Mindfang’s considerable strength, was still making its way down, closer and closer to her throat.   _Porrim, my love, this would be as good a time as any…_

    **_“MEULIN LEJION!”_**

    It took a few moments before the name registered in the oliveblood’s thinkpan.  Aranea watched with interest as the woman on top of her slowly turned her head to face the direction the shout came from.  “Who…?”  

    “Meulin!  Please!  She means you no harm!  Trust me!  She’s with me!”

    The small woman sniffed the air carefully and her eyes widened.  “Po-” she started and then kept herself from finishing.  A second later, she was off of Mindfang’s chest and bounding towards the voice, but stopped short.  “Who’s with you?”

    “Friends.  No one here will hurt you, I promise!”

    When Aranea sat up, she watched the shaggy woman cautiously approach a jade clad figure.   _Watch yourself!  She has a rather nasty knife in her hand, love…_

_She won’t use it on me.  Just relax and let me take care of this.  It’s her.  Oh gods, it’s her…_

    Aranea smiled and watched as the oliveblood came to stand directly in front of Porrim, pause there for a while and then throw her arms around her.  The wave of emotion that poured forth from them was so blindingly intense it tore through Mindfang’s formidable empathic defenses and caused blue tears to well up in her own eyes.   _You’re welcome, dear heart._  Once she regained control of herself, Aranea rose and started over towards Felida’s prone form.   _Wake up, my sweet; I think you’re going to want to see this…_

 

 

 

    Felida looked back from the passenger seat to steal another glance at the sleeping forms of Porrim Maryam and Meulin Leijon.  “Yep, still out.”

    “Not surprised.  That kind of emotional event would take its toll on anyone.”  Aranea guided the hovertruck just over the river which she found disturbed the lumines considerably less than driving it through the tall grasses where they rested, which had the dual benefit of allowing her to see far easier and of reducing Felida’s agitation.  “The intensity almost knocked me for a loop.  Luckily for you it didn’t.”

    “Yeah, lucky me.  That fat nasty white piece of trash did a fine job on its own.”  Oceleo pressed her fingers gently against the swollen bump on the side of her head for what must have been the hundredth time that night.  “Fucking thing won’t stop throbbing.”

    “You’ve had far worse than that, my sweet.  I’m sure you’ll recover.  I just think you’re more worried about grossing out Kayolo if you get to see her again before we set sail.”

    “What do you mean ‘if’?” Felida asked cautiously.

    “I thought you wanted to get back to the ship and have a proper shower?  Besides, it’s been eight nights.  Maybe they tossed her out by now?  Maybe next we’ll have to go beating the bushes for your matesprit?”

    Felida gave her a withering glare.  “I thought you were my moirail, not my kismesis.”

    “Your kismesis is sleeping.  I’m just filling both roles temporarily.”  Aranea smirked.  

    “Like a need a kismesistitute.”  She stuck her tongue out at her captain.

    “Keep that up and you’ll get yourself a spanking you won’t soon forget next time we’re in the respiteblock!”

    The response was an even more pronounced thrust of an olive tongue.  

    “I’ll remember that.  See if I don’t.”  The hovertruck took a quick juke to the left, causing a cloud of lumines to spring from the reeds.

    Felida squirmed as the white bugs, now tinted pink with the setting moon, swarmed up over the grill and across the front window.  “Okay, okay!  Sorry!  Yeesh!”

    “That’s betterrrrrrrr.  Now, as for the Mother Grub Caves, if we keep the throttle open, we can get there just before sunup.  We’ll only have a few minutes to spend there and then we can get the _Fool’s Gam8it_ underway with the sunshields down.  I’m sure Hyvare is sick of sitting on his hands.”  

    “Okay.  I guess a few moments together are better than none.”  

    “You were prepared for the idea that you might not see her for sweeps at a time, Felida.”

    “Yeah, well it’s easier said but harder done, right?”  Oceleo relaxed visibly as Aranea guided the vehicle back over the water and the lumines lessened in number.  “Guess I was just… looking forward to more of her company.”

    Aranea placed her hand on the inside of Felida’s thigh.  “I know.  You’ll have plenty of company between Porrim and me soon enough, but new red love is always an exciting thing.  Trust me, I know.  When I first started to think of Porrim as a lover instead of a… let’s use the word ‘curiosity’, she was all I could think about.  For the first time in a very, very long time, I wanted to be on land rather than the sea.  Things were already going poorly with Admiral Fishfood by that point, but I still had to suck it up and deal with him, especially when we were taking such massive prizes thanks to his lapses in judgment, but then, my own was frequently clouded by the flights of fancy that accompany being horns over heels.”  She took a quick glance over her shoulder at the slumbering jadeblood that wore her sapphire token in the backseat and smiled.  “She makes my life so much richer just by her presence.  I actually feel like I’m doing some good in the world now.  Of course, I’m just as glad to have you by my side to help make it happen.”  Aranea lightly dragged her fingertips down her moirail’s exposed skin and relished the purring sound that emanated from her.  “But as for you and Kayolo, you’re going to have a long distance matespritship for awhile by the sound of it.  Some say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I’ve never been one to deny myself anything.  You two are going to have to discuss this more seriously in the moments you have together.”

    “I suppose you’re right.”

    “Of course I’m right!  But whatever you two come up with, it needs to be right for you both.  I don’t suspect she’s going to stay there forever either way.”

    Felida nodded her agreement.  “Yeah, that seems to be the case.  Time will tell, I suppose.”  She stole a look behind her at the snoozing pair.  “Can you believe it?  The Dolorosa and the Disciple in the back of this hovertruck.”

    “And to you and me, they are Porrim Maryam and Meulin Leijon.  Despite what bonds we may have with darling Porrim, she shares something with that woman that may run deeper than anything we will ever know or understand.”  Aranea paused for a moment as she considered a thought.  “Honestly, I’m grateful that she does; as difficult as it is for me to confess, I’m not entirely convinced that Meulin might not have been able to overpower me there.”

    “I can’t say one way or the other; I was busy being face down in a pile of rocks.”

    “Oh, I know.  And what did you learn from that experience?”

    “Banging your head into rocks really hurts?”  Felida touched the swollen lump on her head again and winced.

    Aranea rolled her eyes.  “Leap left or right next time you’re dealing with something that size.  You’re able to jump normal sized opponents with no difficulty, but that thing was more than twice your height.  I couldn’t warn you in time.”

    “Hey, it was worth a try.  Once she was done having her… moment with Porrim there, Meulin sure wasn’t happy with you, was she?  Why was that?”

    “Well, if you must know, after you attempted your ill-fated manoeuver, I was trying my damnedest to find a weapon to take that creature down.  It was Meulin that came out of nowhere and killed it using nothing but acrobatics and that knife of hers.  Initially, I thought she was more worried about the lusus’s presence as she was about me being there, but she said to me later that she was frankly pissed off that she had to kill it in the first place: it served to keep larger predators away from her cave during the day but left enough game for her to hunt at night.  I wish you could have seen the look in her eyes; she was completely given over to the animal inside of her.  I reached into her mind and all that I found there was the beast inside, driven only by killer instinct.”  Aranea was quiet for a few moments, then added, “I suspect we all have that deep inside of us, kept under lock and key, but she unleashed hers and it was truly something to behold at close range.”

    Felida made a low whistle.  “I can only imagine what she’s been through.  Part of me wonders if it’s a lot closer to the surface with her than with most.  You don’t go through something like that traumatic and not carry the scars inside.”

    “So true.  Porrim has her share as well but she seems to be cut of a different cloth, more prone to sadness than savagery if placed under duress.  I can’t help but wonder if it’s more of an oliveblood thing,” Aranea said with a wink.

    “Oh I see, like how being a typist is a blueblood thing.”  Felida’s tongue made another appearance, which caused Aranea to laugh.  

    “You know I’m the last person to be prejudiced against those lower on the scale than I, you twit,” Mindfang jibed, squeezing Felida’s knee this time.  “Now quit making me laugh so loud; we don’t want to wake these two, do we?”

    “I suppose not, Captain.”

    “That’s what I like so much about you, Felida; you usually come up with the right answer pretty quick.  Although I admit I wish I could be more certain about them remaining asleep…”  This time Aranea let her fingers brush much further up on Felida’s shorts, causing her to inhale sharply.  

    “Thank you, Captain…”

    “Don’t thank me too loudly; you still need a shower before I do anything further in that department.  We’re only a short distance from the Caves now; no sense starting anything we can’t finish, right?  Besides, I have a feeling Porrim is going to be preoccupied in helping her friend acclimatize to her new surroundings; we should have all kinds of time to ourselves for a few nights… provided you aren’t too pusherbroken, of course.  And I’m not saying that to be flippant, either; if you need some time to-”

    Felida placed her metallic hand over the one Aranea was touching her thigh with.  “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.  Like I said, I’m glad to have the relationship I do with you.  It’ll make the time apart from Kayolo a lot easier to handle.”

    Aranea said nothing; she simply let her fingers intertwine with her moirail’s and continued to steer the hovertruck with the other hand.

    “You know,” Felida added a few moments later, “despite not being on the ship, I rather like this kind of mission.  We’ve really done something good here, haven’t we?”

    “I’d say so.  So long as the Disciple doesn’t try to open my throat again anytime soon, I would be certainly inclined to agree.”  Aranea looked up at the rear view mirror to steal a glance at the pair in the back and she smiled.

    “I know that smile.  What are you thinking?”

    “You really wanna know?”

   “I wouldn’t ask otherwise.”  

   “Well, if you really must know,” Aranea began, “just between you and me, despite being rather smelly and trying to kill me and all that, she’s kinda cuuuuuuuute…”

    Felida gathered her face into a squint.  “Oh no, you don’t.  You’ve already got one oliveblooded catgirl to play with; you don’t need to collect them all!”

    “Yes, yes, I know.  And I suspect Porrim would likely feed me to something not terribly unlike that beast we just dealt with if I tried.”

    “You suspect correctly,” came a voice from the back seat.

    Aranea chuckled.  “I only said it because it’s true, dear heart.  Have no worries; adorable as she may be, I made a promise that I would ensure her safety and keep my own desires at bay where she is concerned.”

    “You did?” Porrim inquired.  “To who?”

    “Let’s just say you should ask Lamiea about it sometime.”   Aranea caught herself before she mentioned the maroonblooded tattoo artist of Southend lest that invite more questions than she was prepared to address.  “Speaking of whom, we’re just about there, love.  Did you want to rouse your friend or should we just carry her onto _Fool’s Gam8it_ as is?”

    “She’ll be up when we arrive, I’m sure.  This has just been an emotionally draining night for her.  For us both, actually.”

    “Of that I have little doubt.  Did you get all of her belongings?”

    When Porrim did not immediately reply, Aranea simultaneously looked in the rearview mirror and reached out with her mind.  What she saw was Porrim’s hand clutching what appeared to be a grey pair of pants; what she felt was a deep anguish, a wound once closed bleeding anew.  She offered a wave of calming and reassurance and said, “I can’t imagine how difficult it is for you to see that, my love, but rejoice in that she kept it near to her throughout her headlong flight.  Treasure it.  Maybe it could serve to rally those who believe in his message?  I gather there are far more than anyone suspected, despite being driven underground.”

    Porrim hung her head and held the garment to her chest.  “Perhaps.  Meulin and I have much to discuss over the next little while.  I hope that’s all right?”

    “Quite.  Take your time and leave the ship stuff to Felida and me.  We’ll be here when you need us.”

    There was a sniffle from the back followed by a quiet, “Thank you.  Thank you for this.”

    “No thanks necessary, love.  I know how much this meant to you.  Never mind the bitchy crew; they now understand what it was we were searching for and are happy to have been a part of it.  Meulin will be most welcome among us if she should choose to stay; she will always have my sworn protection.”

    “Thank you.  I know you just said it’s not necessary, but I just have no other way to express my gratitude for what you’ve done.”

    “There are plenty of ways, but you can save those for another night.  Go see your sistren before we set sail for Base Two; I do hope we can make visits here a common occurrence so long as it doesn’t pose any danger to them.  I daresay Felida here is hoping the same.”

    Oceleo turned to face Porrim and broke out in a big grin which made the jadeblood smile in spite of her mood.  

    “All right.  And Base Two?  Isn’t the island closer?” Porrim asked.

    “It certainly is.  But considering what happened the last time we introduced someone to Horuss who had an unfortunate history with him, I think it might be prudent to acclimatize Meulin a bit before that reunion comes to pass, wouldn’t you agree, love?”

    “I’d be hard pressed to argue that.  That being said, she does at least have some positive past with him as well.  I can only hope that she’s as… forgiving as I am.”

    Aranea snorted.  “Well, I’d certainly hope that at least filling her in on him and his desire for contrition will help.  If they were to meet randomly, I’m not entirely convinced she wouldn’t do the same to him as she did to me.”

    “I don’t know about that…”

    “You didn’t see the look in her eyes, Porrim.  You couldn’t feel her unbridled instinct like I did.  The only thing that stopped her was you calling her name, you realize.  You probably know even better than I what she’s capable of.”

    “She’s capable of great acts of love,” Porrim said, feeling the need to defend her friend.

    “I don’t doubt that for a moment, but that’s not what I encountered in that moment.  Either way, I think we both can agree that it’s better to warm her up to the idea first.  It may take some time before she comes to trust me as well.  I do hope she does.”

    “You shouldn’t have much to fear about that, Aranea.  She understands that you were the one who made this happen.  She didn’t know who you were or what you were after at that moment; she was defending herself from someone who might have been an Imperial Screamarine for all she knew.”

    Felida laughed loudly.  “Oh, that’s fucking hilarious!  You, a Screamarine!  Could you just imagine?”

    “No, I couldn’t,” Mindfang answered.  “Maybe once upon a time, but now?  I’d sooner eat my boots than even pretend to be such a wretched thing.”

    “What matters is that she is quite alright with you now,” Porrim said.  “She’ll probably thank you just as honestly and profusely as I do.  I honestly never thought I’d see her again, even when you said we were looking for her.”

    “Sometimes you just have to believe in what will be.  Things have a way of turning out for the best sometimes.  I’m not usually one for thanking the gods for much, but I do get lucky often enough to make me feel like I should be thanking someone now and then.  Almost.  Now hang on, Felida; we’re going back onto land for a few minutes.  Expect bugs.”

    “Oh joy.”

    As the hovertruck closed the last few kilometers to the Mother Grub Caves, Porrim looked to the familiar face of the shaggy haired woman leaning up against her, gently breathing in her shallow sleep.   _I can’t believe you’re actually here.  Maybe Aranea’s right; sometimes things can actually turn out right once in a while…_

 

 


	32. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindfang and the Grand Maryarch have an enlightening conversation about potential and the people in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to post; much going on this time of year as I'm sure many of you understand. Just a short almost capstone chapter to what represents the Second Act of this story. There is one more chapter in Act 2, however... and it's a doozy. Chapter 32 is a long one and... well, if you're in this story for ONLY the story, you might want to just read the first couple of pages worth and maybe the last couple. For those of you here for the "fun stuff", let's just say I finally did something I wanted to do with these characters for a loooooooong time and I hope you find I did it well. How about I post it on either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day? 
> 
> As always, thank you for your patience with my erratic posting schedule. Life continues to be weird and this year, I've been feeling more than a bit melancholy. Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, I wish you all well. May whatever challenges you face make you stronger in the end.

**31.**  
  
    “So what happens now?” Lamiea asked.  
  
    “Now?  Now, we get on the ship and get cleaned up!  I know we must be the equivalent of an unspeakable assault on your sniffnodes, but I do appreciate your willingness to assist us as much as you have.”  Aranea glanced over to where her matesprit was introducing the Disciple to a group of Sisters.  “As you can see, our quarry has been found.”  
  
    “So I see.  It was my pleasure to be of assistance.  Quite honestly, I have little doubt in my mind that you will ensure her safety.  You have proven to be a most capable leader; this world needs more of those.”  
  
    Mindfang answered with a short laugh.  “To say the least.  The problem is people who act as the leaders of this world aren’t exactly thrilled about the idea of stepping aside to make way for those who could do a much better job of it.  Take those two, for instance.”  She gestured towards Porrim and Meulin.  “Porrim has the potential to be a great leader; so much of the Signless’s message came from her lips to his, you know.  And Meulin, I’m told, is the one who ignited his passions; perhaps she could do the same for an entire planet?”  Aranea paused for a moment as she watched the oliveblood greet and chat enthusiastically with the group of jadebloods around her.  “The fact that they’re actually both still alive is nothing short of miraculous, and I’m not one to believe in miracles as a general rule.”  
  
    “Miracles are all around us, and I don’t mean the ones which the Mirthful Messiahs speak of, either.”  Lamiea grimaced as she spoke of the purpleblooded cult the Grand Highblood represented the head of.  “Sometimes wonderous things take place right under our noses and we don’t even see them… unless we’re looking for them.”  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm.  Something tells me you’re referring to a rather conspicuous absence from that group.”  
  
    “Your abilities serve you well.”  
  
    “Pssh.  Didn’t even need to use them; my sponge clots are wide open, Lamiea.”  There was a total of four Sisters around Meulin, not including Porrim.  “I would inquire as to what you know.”  
  
    “That Kayolo is sporting a new piece of jewelry and a rather marked bounce in her step as of late.”  
  
    Aranea smiled as best she could, trying to mask her concern about the Grand Maryarch’s potential response.  “And I gather you’re aware of the reason for said attitude?”  
  
    “I am.  Have no fear, Aranea; despite our servitude, Solemn Sisters are free to love and hate who they wish.  While it is highly unusual for it to happen while the Sister is still in the caves and not on her sojourn, it is not entirely unheard of.  While I don’t know that much about your moirail and the kind of person she is, I do believe that her intentions are benevolent.  On the other hand, I have a suspicion that Kayolo herself is exercising some latent abilities.”  
  
    This piece of information caught Mindfang by surprise.  “Oh?  Such as?”  
  
    Lamiea took a moment to decide how to broach this subject with the blueblood in her company.  “I’m certain you’ve heard many tales in your travels of jadebloods that were Rainbow Drinkers and all sorts of rumours of unusual talents.  Some of those conjectures may have a grain of truth in them.  Your matesprit possesses a few that will likely not be realized because she chose to leave her service so early, but Kayolo draws closer and closer to reaching her full potential.  I am aware of her reluctance and I also gather that the prospect concerns her to such a degree that it may be contributing to her rather rebellious outbursts as of late.  To put a fine point on it, I suspect your First Mate may have been seduced.”  
  
    “There is nothing wrong with seduction in itself.  I will admit that there was a time in my life when I was more than willing to apply my own means of improving the odds of successfully drawing in a lover, but I have since matured emotionally, in no small part thanks to Porrim.  I will openly confess that I had never claimed nor requested matespritship from any of the people I ‘encouraged’ into my respiteblock; my desires were wholly carnal in nature.  What I need to know is whether or not Kayolo means to keep her promise to Felida.”  
  
    “Of that I have no doubt whatsoever,” the Grand Maryarch answered.  “This will be a matespritship over time and distance, but I do not doubt the spirit in which it was offered or made.  I just suspect that my dear Sister may have inadvertently utilized abilities that she did not know she was capable of in her seduction of your Felida.  I certainly hope they are making use of this time to discuss their future and what it will mean to them.”  Lamiea stopped and looked directly into Aranea’s eyes.  “Are you prepared for the possibility that Kayolo may be joining you on this voyage and from here on?”  
  
    For a moment, Aranea wondered if Lamiea was capable of reading her own thoughts and emotions.  “If that is what is to be, then I will welcome her just as I welcome Meulin Leijon.”  
  
    “And if she and Felida leave your service and find a new life of their own?”  
  
    This time, Aranea stopped and considered this.  “I admit I haven’t thought about that.  Losing Felida’s talents would be a difficult thing… but I wouldn’t be losing her as a moirail.  It’s no different than my adding Porrim to my quadrants, really.  Both of them found a way to coexist – which is probably the understatement of the sweep – and now here we are.  As far as I’m concerned, if two people need to be together, I won’t stand in the way of it.  And if they want to stay with me, provided they do their damnedest to work with my way of life, the more the merrier.”  
  
    Lamiea nodded slowly.  “Then if that is what Kayolo chooses, I will not object.  I must confess, you have a profundity of character I never suspected a Gamblignant of having.”  
  
    “I would say ‘then you haven’t met many Gamblignants’, but then I would be painting a false picture.  I was certainly a far more stereotypical pirate not terribly long ago, but even then, I was always a bit… more than most.”  
  
    “More what?”  
  
    “Just ‘more’.  Luck shines down on my endeavours for some reason and I will certainly never complain about that, and yet, I’d like to think that my success was due to a little something above and beyond dumb luck.  I’ve learned that there’s far more to life than simply taking things from those who wouldn’t miss them anyway.  I just never quite knew what that meant until darling Porrim came across my path.  She is indeed a leader in her way; it wouldn’t be hyperbole to say that she gave me the focus I needed to start making a difference.  And that’s just what we’re going to do.”  
  
    “Hm.  Considering that you’re obviously already a leader since you’re the captain of your own ship, it must have already occurred to you that you possess the qualities of someone meant to lead as well.  And it is said that a great leader surrounds themselves with equally great people.  At this juncture, I’m not certain whether it will be you or Porrim that takes the reins of the changes to come, but I strongly suspect that when the people have had enough of the tyrian tyranny, the odds are quite good that one or both of you will be at the center of the wave of change.  All of the things that have happened so far, both good and bad, have shaped you and molded you into the people that you are tonight, and the result is an ability to not only recognize what is wrong with our society but also what can be done, what NEEDS to be done to change it.  Know this:  we will assist you in any way possible.  It may not be much but it will be something; even if it is refuge when you require it, you will always have a place here among us so long as I am Grand Maryarch.”  
  
    Aranea’s eyes flicked over to Kakaka, who was listening to the Disciple speak.  “While I appreciate that more than words can say, Lamiea, will it still apply when you are no longer in that role?”  
  
    “I cannot answer that.  I can only speak for myself; to speak honestly for another is beyond my capabilities.  It is also beyond yours, believe it or not; when you speak with someone else’s mouth, it is not their thoughts you hear but your own.  I genuinely believe that you have learned this lesson, however; Porrim speaks with her own heart and mind in your presence and ours.  I would have detected if it were otherwise.”  
  
    “I do not doubt that whatsoever.”  This time, Aranea looked over to the main entrance of the cave.  “While I do hope that Felida and Kayolo are engaging in a fruitful discussion, we do need to set sail sooner than later.  I know Porrim doesn’t mind walking the deck after sunrise but the rest of us would just as soon not have to if we had the option.”  
  
    “She does, does she?”  Lamiea smiled at the thought.  “She is indeed one of us.”  
  
    “So the Daywalker part is true then?”  
  
    “I believe you already know the answer to that question.  In case you were unaware, the lusii used to bring the buckets to us and for the most part, they’re diurnal creatures, living during the day.  Their white colouring keeps them cool even in the midday sun.  We would need to come out from underground to receive their offerings and thus adapted to being outside in the red sunlight.  While the pail deliveries are made by the drones these days, they do so at night because of their black shells.  A shame; while the drones do their job diligently for the most part, they lack personality.  I’ve met many a lusus who was most entertaining, even though I couldn’t understand a single thing they – oh, there’s Kayolo and Felida now.”  
  
    Mindfang returned her attention to the cave opening where her moirail and that woman’s matesprit were standing hand in hand and sneaking quick kisses.  She wanted to extend her empathic reach to find out what the plan was, but instead opted to let the two explain their wishes in their own words and ways.  A minute later, they approached Aranea and Lamiea, hand in hand.  “Soooooooo?  What say you?”  
  
    Kayolo broke into a wide smile.  “I’m gathering you both know what’s going on.”  
  
    “You gather correctly,” the Grand Maryarch answered.    
  
    Aranea did her best not to chuckle.   _You sound SO much like Porrim at times, Lamiea.  Snark must be a Maryam hallmark._  
  
    “Although I would love nothing more than to join my matesprit on her journey right now, I feel that I should remain here for the time being.  While I continue to enjoy serving the Mother Grub, I have a feeling I could benefit from further guidance concerning some… new abilities I seem to have manifested.”  
  
    “You gain wisdom, Sister.  It fills me with joy to see such insight from you.  I will personally assist you in this matter.  I also understand the difficulties associated with such a long-distance relationship and I have offered our hospitality to Captain Serket and her crew anytime they wish.”  
  
    Both Mindfang and Felida couldn’t stop the snorting laughs they made.  Lamiea didn’t outright ask what they found so amusing but her expression definitely begged that question.  
  
    “That’s gotta be a first!” Felida said.  
  
    “A first for what?” Kayolo asked, trying not to smile along with her matesprit.  
  
    “No one has ever called me ‘Captain Serket’ before!” Aranea answered.  “While it sounds kind of funny, there was actually I time that there was nothing in this world that I wanted to be called more.  When I found out that would never be the case, I became Marquise Spinneret Mindfang instead.  The more I think about it, the happier I am that being ‘Captain Serket’ never came to pass.”  
  
    Lamiea raised her eyebrows.  “It was never my intent to invoke such a memory but in a way, I’m glad that you’ve come to terms with who you are and what you do.  I see so many grubs come and go and I often wonder how many of them will get to experience that in their lives, no matter how long or short they may be.  We should all be so lucky.”  She turned to Kayolo and Felida.  “I’m also glad that you two can continue your matespritship and still be able to be who you are.  I will provide… Aranea with the codes so that you both can contact our commnet discretely.”  
  
    “Oh, cool!  You guys DO have a commnet!” Felida quipped.  
  
    “Hey!  Just because we live austerely doesn’t mean we don’t have technology.  Those large metal doors didn’t just come out of nowhere, you know!” Kayolo gave Felida a playful jab on the shoulder and came away with sore knuckles.  “Ow… speaking of which…”  
  
    “Okay, you two say what you need to say to each other and then we need to get these vehicles back down the path before the sun comes up, which might only be a few minutes from now.  Not all of us are as fond of that as you jadeblood types, after all.”  Aranea leaned in close to Felida’s sponge clot and said, “You have two minutes.  No, that’s not enough time for a quickie and you stink anyway.  We’ll be back soon enough, I’m sure.”  
  
    “Fine.  You’re no fun, you know.”  
  
    “I am ALL of the fun, my sweet.  All of it.  You know this.  You’ve got a minute and three quarters now; kiss her already, will you?  See you in the truck.”  
  
    Felida grinned happily in response, took Kayolo’s hand and retreated with her towards the entrance of the cave again.  Lamiea walked with Aranea over to where Porrim and Meulin were saying their farewells to the rest of the Sisters.  “I wasn’t joking when I said you could have great things ahead of you,” she said quietly as they approached. “Both Porrim and yourself have the opportunity to do something big here.”  
  
    “Glad you think so,” Aranea replied, “I never could stop thinking biiiiiiiig.”  She gave Lamiea a wink and then approached the group of greenbloods.  “Come, my love; our ride awaits, complete with the promise of warm loaf and hot showers.  And I do hope your friend is far more comfortable at sea than you were; I’d really rather not have to pester someone to swab the deck during daylight hours if I can help it…” 

 


	33. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending a week helping Meulin acclimatize to her new surroundings, Porrim bids Meulin a good day and returns to her matesprit's quarters to find Aranea and Felida waiting. Porrim considers a suggestion Aranea made to her not long ago and decides to make good on it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter has been in the works for quite some time! There were plenty of opportunities to write a threesome in this story and others in the series but I was't sure the time was right. Now felt like the right time and I hope you find that it not only fit the tale but that it was carried off well. This is one of the more NSFW passages I've written for sure but I think it still captures the spirit of story, you know? 
> 
> Also of note: I used a special cover for this chapter. This piece was actually done before the piece that is the normal cover of the story, but I couldn't display it right away because it would give some things away (Porrim's outfit, the tattoos). If you wish to get a better look at it, you can see it full size here (and I bloody well hope it works; links are giving me fits right now): [8REAKING F8 - TRIO](http://drhicks76.deviantart.com/art/8REAKING-F8-TRIO-504269961) This marks the final Homestuck piece by my ex Lynnai that you'll see (she had one more of Porrim and Aranea dancing on the go when it all came apart so I doubt you'll see it finished) so while it's a bittersweet day for me, I hope you enjoy it as well.

 

**32.**  
  
    “Are you certain you’re ready?  If you’re not, I don’t mind staying another day…”  
  
    “I should be all right, Porrim.  If I need you, I can call you with the console on the desk, right?” Meulin asked.    
  
    Porrim nodded.  “That’s right.  Just like I showed you.”  
  
    The diminutive oliveblood smiled.  “Thanks, Mom.”  
  
    “It pleases me to see you smiling,” Maryam said, taking both of Meulin’s tiny but strong hands in her own.  “And, in a way, to hear that name again.”  
  
    “I’m glad.  I wasn’t certain how you’d react when I said it the first time.  It just kind of slipped out.”  
  
    “It’s okay.  It feels right coming from you; only you and he called me that.  This is what I meant when I said it was so wonderful to have you back.”  
  
    Meulin gave her a tight hug.  “I feel the same.”  
  
    Once they stepped apart, Porrim added, “Okay, go climb into the ‘coon and if you have daymares again, you will call me, right?  Any time at all…”  
  
    “I will, I promise!  Now go see your matesprit!  I’m sure she’s been missing you.”  
  
    “You’re probably right, but I just want to make sure…”  
  
    “I’ll be okay.  I have my drawing pad and my journal if I need them, but I hope to get a solid sleep like last day again.  I really appreciated having you there.”  
  
    “I can stay…”  
  
    “There are others who need you, too, Porrim.  Go see them!  I slept alone just fine in a lot worse places than this.”  Meulin looked around her quarters at Base Two and was quite content with the space she now occupied.  “Having the memories come flooding back over the last week has been tough on me, yes, but having you there really helped me deal with them.”  
  
    Porrim sighed.  “I’m reasonably certain that my being around you is what brought those memories back.”  
  
    “Don’t worry about that; I’m pretty sure we both needed to deal with some of that.  Probably still more to come.  The drawing really helps, I find.”  
  
    “I’m glad to hear it.  You certainly have a gift for it!”  
  
    Meulin grinned.  “You really think so?”  
  
    “I do.  Hopefully we can find some better shading sticks for you to use in the future.  Perhaps on our next voyage out, whenever that may be.”  
  
    “It’s so funny to hear you say that!  I never thought I’d see you on a boat of any kind again after the time we rode out that storm!”  
  
    “To be quite honest, neither did I!” Porrim replied.  “Life seems to make strange plans for us, doesn’t it?”  
  
    “No kidding.  Okay, quit fussing over me and go see Spinneret and Felida!  I’m just so glad you’ve found someone to love and hate after all that’s happened.”  
  
    “I have to say, despite the strange circumstances that caused it to come to pass, I am so happy that it did.”  Porrim closed her eyes and let the warm feelings that came with thoughts of her quads pass through her.  “All right, I’ll go but you let me know if you need me, okay?”  
  
    “I will, I promise!  Maybe see you for breakfast?  Then again, if Spinneret is like you say she is, I might not see you till the midnight meal!”  
  
    Porrim’s cheeks flushed.  “I certainly can’t deny that may be a possibility.  You’ll be fine if I don’t happen to sh-”  
  
    “Yes!  Now go see her!  I’ll be okay, I swear!”  
  
    “Very well.  Have a good sleep, Meulin.”  
  
    “I would say ‘you, too’, but…” Leijon said with a knowing wink.  
  
    Shaking her head, Porrim took her leave of Meulin’s respiteblock and started towards the stairs that led up to Aranea’s.   _That cheeky girl!  Of course, she’s not wrong, either._  She hadn’t seen all that much of her matesprit or her kismesis since they arrived at Base Two and had offered to help the young woman known to most of the world as the Disciple acclimatize to her new surroundings.  This involved sleeping in a bed next to her for the better part of a week as Meulin found herself fighting through bad dreams and crying spells, even while in the sopor slime of the recupracoon.  During the nights, Porrim was in there right along with her, weeping openly as they discussed the Signless and all of the events that had happened to them before and after his infamous end, but also managing to offer comfort to this oliveblood woman who was not only her Kankri’s matesprit but much more.   _She’s also much more to me as well; something that goes deeper than friendship or even moirallegiance.  It’s still amazing to me that she’s alive and well; the fact that she’s back with me is beyond miraculous.  I do wish I knew how to thank Aranea for this._  
  
    A memory of a discussion she had with Aranea when they stayed the day at the Mother Grub caves flitted through her thinkpan for a few moments.   _That might be an idea.  I trust them both… but how would something like that even work?  I’m certain Aranea has it all figured out; I suppose I should just see what she has in mind.  Not like she’s a stranger to the idea and many have obviously lived to tell the tale…_  
  
    Just as she thought of this, Porrim passed Ianrad Tandur on the catwalk.  He greeted her cheerfully and she answered in kind.   _Take Ianrad, for instance; I’m certain he must’ve been involved with both of them at once at some point and he seems none the worse for wear.  She obviously didn’t make him forget about it; I’ve heard some of the crew speak quite openly about such things, although most of them tend to talk in hushed whispers around me on that subject.  Likely out of respect, which I appreciate.  I’ve even heard Hyvare lament the end of their escapades but I’m glad for the honour they give our matespritship.  Quite honestly, I’m happy that she has Felida around right now to take care of her needs._  Another thought occurred to her which almost took the proverbial wind out of her sails.   _What if she and Felida have been SO busy that she has no energy left for me?  I suppose I couldn’t blame Aranea, really…_  
  
    Porrim glanced to her right as she took the stairs; the massive underground space seemed decidedly empty compared to what it was before they departed.   _And no wonder; she lost half of her fleet in a matter of minutes._  It took everything she had to keep that voice in her head silent when it tried to remind her that her own naiveté played a large role in that coming to pass.   _None of that!  If she has forgiven me, I must forgive myself as well.  Who’s to say that Latula wouldn’t have used some other way to overpower her?  Besides, Aranea is confident we can add to the fleet again.  Nothing seems to get her down; literally the embodiment of Happy-go-Lucky.  I wish I was so self-assured._  
   
    As she arrived at the door, she hesitated before entering the access code.   _What if she’s already occupied with Felida?  I shouldn’t just charge in; who knows what they’re up to?  I wish I knew where I should be sle-  
  
    Come in, dear heart.  I can hear you fretting away outside the door.  Yes, Felida is here but we were simply waiting to see if you were planning to visit us this morning, nothing more._  
  
    Relieved, Porrim entered the code and stepped into the respiteblock.  She found the main room empty, but upon looking into the second one discovered Aranea and Felida sitting side by side on a couch, watching a movie.  “Hey, Jadebutt!  Long time, no smell!”  
  
    “Funny, I recall being the first to make for the showers when we boarded _Fool’s Gam8it_ after that week in the wilderness while you were content to wallow in your own filth until the next sunset,” Porrim replied, grateful that no one in the block carried the odor of that trip any longer.  “What are you watching?”  
  
    “‘A Sequel In Which A Starship Captain Is Promoted To The Admiralty And His Half-Alien Undeclared Moirail Assumes Command Of Their Ship Which Is Soon To Be Relegated To Training Vessel Status.  When Their Former Crew Member Discovers The Now-Admiral’s Undeclared Kismesis Inhabiting A Once-Thought Uninhabited Desert World, The Dark Lover Finds A Way To Hijack A Starship Of His Own And Challenge The Admiral And His Young, Inexperienced Crew To A Duel To Death.  While All Of This Is Occurring The Kismesis Kidnaps The One Of The Admiral’s Former Red Lovers And Her Terraforming Project While Threatening The Admiral To Confide What He Knows Of This Secret Project.  The Admiral Is Able To Defeat His Kismesis But Takes It Too Far Resulting In The Black Lover’s Death, But The Price Is That Of His Undeclared Moirail’s Life As He Was Unaware That His Pale Alien Friend Had Sacrificed Himself So That The Ship Could Continue To Function.  There Is Gratuitous Overacting By Both The Admiral And His Kismesis But The Scene Where The Admiral Pays Tribute To His Fallen Moirail Is Unquestionably Touching, And The Potential For The Moirail’s Resurrection Is Hinted At As His Body Is Jettisoned To A Planet In The Process Of Forming As Well As By The Peculiar Activity Exhibited By The Ship’s Curmudgeonly Healthtender After Having Undergone A Panmeld With The Halfbreed,’” Aranea answered.  “Starring Willam Shatne, Lenard Nimmoy and Ricard Montal.  It’s an oldie but a goodie; a favourite of mine.  Seen it at least eighty times.  Best of the series by far.”  
  
    “You just dig the whole ‘panmeld’ thing, don’t you?” Felida asked jokingly.    
  
    “Of course.  I just find it odd that the Halfbreed’s blood is green and not blue.  That’s how you can tell he’s an alien, of course.”  
  
    Porrim blinked a couple of times before asking, “Are you suggesting I may be of extra-Alternian origin?”  
  
    “No, love; it’s just a movie!” Aranea sighed.  “These space shows are getting more and more popular as Condy extends her tentacles to the stars.  I just enjoy them for the action.  Could you imagine, Felida?  Me captaining a starship?”  
  
    “Hmmmmm… I don’t know.  I never really thought about it.  Probably a bit of a learning curve over an ocean-going one, even with the modern technology we have.”  
  
    “It’s a flight of fancy, Felida, relax.  Admittedly, I wonder what it would be liiiiiiiike…”  
  
    “Probably a lot colder and more dangerous than being on the ocean,” Porrim said, shivering.  “It was hard enough being on that submarine for three whole nights.”  
  
    “Killjoys,” Aranea snorted.  “Anyway, what’s on your pan, my love?  Everything all right with Meulin?  Need to talk about anything?”  
  
    “No, everything’s good there now.  I think she’ll be able to sleep the day without waking up with bad dreams anymore… or at least she should be able to handle it they do recur.  I’m actually ready to sleep here again – if I’m not interrupting anything you two had on the go this morning?”  
  
    Felida rose from the couch.  “Not that I know of; I think we’ve had a bit of fun this past week, haven’t we, Mistress?”  
  
    Aranea replying with a knowing smile, one that showed off her long fangs.  “We have indeeeeeeeed.”  
  
    “Then I’ll leave you two be,” Felida said, making her way towards her kismesis and the exit.  “I just hope I get a crack at you soon, Jadebutt; I’ve missed sinking my claws into this,” she added, putting her right hand on Porrim’s backside and squeezing.    
  
    Despite the sharp pleasure/pain the action caused, Porrim was quick to turn and place a hand on the departing oliveblood’s shoulder.  “Actually… I was kind of wondering something.”  
  
    “Oh?”  Felida turned her head to look at Porrim peripherally with her right eye.  “And what would that be?”  
  
    “If… you know… you might like to stay, too.”  
  
    If Aranea was smiling before, she was absolutely beaming now.  “Porrim Maryam! Aren’t you just full of surprises this morning?”  She all but leapt off of the couch and strode over to them both.  “I think perhaps we could be accommodating, unless of course dear Felida here has other plans for the day?”  
  
    “Yeah, right.  Sleeping alone sounds far more fun.  That was sarcasm in case you missed it,” Oceleo added for Porrim’s benefit.  
  
    “I’m well aware of what sarcasm is; I’ve been known to indulge from time to time.  Don’t make me change my mind.”  Porrim gave Felida a light nip on the ear and a kiss on one of her tapered horns.  “I’m going to use the shower, which should give you two enough time to figure out what it is you have in store for me.  Does that work for you?”  
  
    “It certainly does,” Aranea answered, letting her long fingers trace gentle lines down Porrim’s neck under her hair, making the jadeblood shiver with delight.  “Very well, then; into the shower with you.  We shall anxiously await your returnnnnnnnn.”  
  
  
  
  
    _What am I getting myself into?_ Porrim thought as she toweled her hair dry.   _It’s not going to be that weird… I think.  It’s only love, but learning to please one person was challenging enough.  How am I going to look after two at once?  
  
    You won’t have to, love; it’s not like that at all.  There’s plenty of pleasure to go around; don’t worry about who is doing what.  You just relax and let it happennnnnnnn,_ came a thought in her mind.    
  
    _I’ll try,_ she thought in return.  Once she felt her matesprit’s mental touch leave her thinkpan, Porrim wiped the rest of her body down and thought _She’s right; this is safe.  No one here is judging.  This is just about being with two people who I care very deeply for.  I really don’t know what she and Felida do when they’re together; that’s their business and I don’t think they’re going to do anything terribly odd with me there.  But then, Aranea has shown me things that I enjoy that I never even thought possible.  I haven’t been this nervous and excited at the same time since… well, since our first times together!_  As memories of her earliest encounters with Aranea, then Spinneret Mindfang, came back to her, Porrim felt the nervousness start to become tinged with excitement.  She wrapped the blue towel around her body, tucked the corner in at the top by her breasts and looked at her reflection in the steam covered mirror.   _I can do this.  I know I can._    
  
    Suitably confident, Porrim turned, switched off the gaperblock light and opened the door to the respiteblock to find it dark as well.  “Um… okay… Where do I go?”   
  
    A moment later, four small glowglobes lit up, one at each corner of the bedframe.  “Come lie down, dear heart.  You can keep the towel on if you wish… for now.”  
  
    Porrim didn’t answer audibly, she simply smiled and did as Aranea suggested.  Once she was sitting up on their large bed, she let her eyes adjust to the lack of light in the respiteblock.  “Where are you?”    
  
    “You’ll seeeeeeee…  For the moment, would you kindly do as you once did for me once upon a time and fasten those soft restraints around your lovely wrists and ankles?  Trust me, love; just slide your arm through the last one; someone will take care of fastening it for you.”  
  
    _Interesting that she’s invoking our first lovemaking session,_ Porrim thought as she moved to the foot of the bed in order to reach the leg restraints there.  These ones were made of metal chain but the cuff was a soft black fabric with a sliding thin metal band running around the outside.    
  
    _I thought it would be a most fitting comparison.  This is, after all, another exercise in trust, is it not?_    
  
    As Porrim slipped her foot through the first restraint, she gave the edge of the band a solid pull and felt it snug up against her ankle.   _So it is.  And, as bizarre as this may sound, it’s somewhat comforting.  
  
    Such was my intent; I’m glad that you find it so._    
  
    About a minute later, Porrim was laying back on the bed, her feet and right arm fully restrained with her left arm in its cuff but still technically free.  “There.  I’m all yours… and hers.”  
  
    “Excellennnnnnnnt.”    
  
    Another glowglobe appeared in the darkness, this one a few feet from the bed; Porrim noted that it appeared to be ensconced in Aranea’s left hand.  She could also now discern that her matesprit was wearing her long black jacket and scarlet boots, while in her right hand she was holding what appeared to be a leash, connected to a collar worn by Felida, who was wearing nothing but said collar, a furry green tail that swished slowly behind her and an eager smile.    
  
    The oliveblood was crouched beside her moirail, looking hungrily at the prone woman on the bed before her.  “Did you hear, Mistress?  She mentioned both of us!”  
  
    “She did indeed, my sweet.”  Leash still firmly in her grip, Aranea let her right hand brush slowly down Felida’s nearest horn and gently down her scarred cheek, ending up sliding across her firm olive nipple.  “Your first job, Felida, is to remove my footwear as is the custom.  Your second task is to ensure our dear, sweet, innocent Porrim is properly, safely and completely restrained.  I will advise you of your third duty once the first two are completed to my satisfaction.”  
  
    “With pleasure, Mistress!”  Felida moved from her position, crawling to face her Domme and then taking Aranea’s left boot into her hands and smoothly sliding it down, slowly revealing the blueblood’s shapely calf and her long, slender foot.    
  
    “I wouldn’t have it any other waaaaaaaay…”  
  
    While Porrim had assisted her matesprit with this task before, she couldn’t help but believe Felida made it something akin to an art.  Once that first crimson boot was free, Felida looked back over her shoulder and bit her lip, knowing full well the jadeblood was watching intently.   _I don’t even think I have a… well, a THING for legs, but she did that so well!_  
  
    As the second boot hit the floor, Felida, still facing away from her kismesis, rose to her feet very slowly, straightening her legs first so that she was bent forward and then raising her torso and tail so as to give Porrim a long look at her posterior.   _She may not have Aranea’s legs, but she certainly knows how to show off what she has._  
  
    “The first task is done, Mistress.”  
  
    “So it is, and well done as always.  Come claim your reward and proceed to the second.”  Aranea engaged Felida in a long kiss and followed this by unhooking the leash from her collar.  “Off you go, my sweet.  See to it that our lover is both well kept and most comfortable.”  
  
    “Yes, Mistress!”  
  
    Although she was getting quite used to seeing the two of them kissing, Porrim couldn’t help but watch them do so; what she found most peculiar about it was that they were both people she enjoyed doing so with herself but that they were doing it with each other.   _It feels a touch voyeuristic yet it IS strangely arousing.  I have a feeling this is going to be a common sensation before this experience is over._  
  
    Felida slinked towards the bed, never taking her functional olive eye off of Porrim as she did so.  As she rounded the foot of it, she let her tail swish with every deliberately hip-swaying step she took.  “She’s so beautiful, Mistress!  I’m glad we get to play with her.”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t resist a playful jab.  “Who says you get to?  Maybe you just get to watch?”  
  
    “I trust my Mistress,” Felida answered as she gently pinched the thin metal strip that encircled the loose wrist restraint.  “I know there’s nothing she wants more than to see that you and I both get to enjoy ourselves.”  She pulled back on the strip until she felt the hint of resistance that indicated the jadeblood was now fully at their mercy.  “There.  All snuggled in.  That duty is complete, Mistress!”  
  
    “Excellent,” came the reply from the blue chair.  “Now, your third task is of the utmost importance:  what I require of you is to show our lovely friend the meaning of pleasure in the ways that only you know.  I trust that you are up to this?”  
  
    “Allow me to demonstrate, Mistress?”  Felida looked down at the prone, restrained jadeblood in front of her and then leaned in and sucked on her earlobe while she let her fingertips run slowly down one of Porrim’s long horns, enjoying the sounds that her sucking and touching created.  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm... Yes, I believe you’ve got the idea.  Carry on, my sweet; I want to hear my matesprit make many, many more joyful noises much like that one.”  
  
    “With pleasure, Mistress.”  This time, Felida looked Porrim in the eyes and said naught else but offered the most knowing smile she had at her disposal before placing a surprisingly gentle kiss on the jadeblood’s lips, which escalated in intensity fairly quickly.  Oceleo’s mouth found its way under Porrim’s neck, along her jawline, across her collar and down her chest towards the swell of her right breast and the firm protrusion of the dark green nipple in the center.  She took that between her lips and lightly tugged, eliciting a moan from her tied-down kismesis.  “Ooh, I liked that sound.  Let’s try that again.”  Felida repeated this, with more of Porrim’s breast in her mouth and her teeth just grazing along the skin.  This time, Maryam thrashed in her restraints, the sound becoming less of a moan and more of a gasp.  “What do you think of that, Mistress?” Felida asked, looking back over her shoulder towards Mindfang.  
  
    “I think I liked the sound of that very much.   I also think you’ll get a similar result if you did the same along her ribs, right by her grubleg marks.”  
  
    Porrim all but wiggled in anticipation.   _Oh dear... This could get intense very quickLLLYYYYYY!!!!!!_  As Felida did just that, placing long, sucking kisses along the sides of Porrim’s chest, she couldn’t stop the sounds she made if her life depended on it.  
“You were right, Mistress!  I oughta try it again, just to make sure.”  The oliveblood took a wider stance and leaned forward to do so, offering Aranea a better view of what was between her legs.      
  
    When Porrim wailed again from this sensitive spot being attended to, Aranea undid her coat and let her slender fingers seek the place between her legs that was calling out for attention.   _So this is a thing that’s happening... I’m proud of you, dear heart.  I do hope you enjoy it._  She attached the glowglobe to the right arm of her chair and set it so the light could provide a better view of what her moirail was displaying for her; the rhythmic swishing of Felida’s cybernetic tail stayed out of the way of the parts Aranea was most interested in.   _She does know what she’s doing, my dear Felida.  This ought to be most interesting indeeeeeeeed..._  
  
    Felida had taken to further explorations of the inside of Porrim’s thighs; Aranea could tell when the oliveblood “accidentally” let her fingers brush up against the lips of Porrim’s exposed seedflap.   _And those accidents are occurring with increasing regularity.  You have learned to art of the tease so well, my sweet._  
   
    By the time Felida had mounted the bed and was looking directly into her restrained kismesis’s eyes, Aranea’s hand was in full flight.  “Well, Porrim, are you enjoying yourself so far?” the oliveblood asked, her eyes and smile reflecting the hunger to continue pleasuring her ebon lover for both her moirail’s benefit and her own.    
  
    “Quite,” the jadeblood answered, looking into Felida’s olive eyes; she’d come to see her kismesis’s scar and damaged eye as just another part of who she was.  
  
    “Well, if you take a look to your left, you’ll see that you’re not the only one!”    
  
    When Porrim turned her head to do just that, Felida began sucking and lightly biting her neck which caused her to close her eyes involuntarily and let out another soft moan.  At last she was able to bring herself to open them to witness her matesprit watching intently, her long fingers making circles of varying speeds around her nub, quite obviously enjoying the events unfolding upon the bed.  Porrim was visited by the memory of seeing Aranea, as Spinneret, pleasuring herself in front of her prisoner in an attempt to get her to divulge the name of the very woman Porrim had just bid goodday to barely an hour ago.   _But if it wasn’t for Aranea, that never would have come to pass.  She’s not doing this in an attempt to manipulate me, she’s genuinely aroused by what she’s watching.  
  
    You could not possibly be more correct, dear heart,_ came the reply in her head.   _Watching Felida enjoy you is exciting me in was I never could have imagined... and I have a rather active imaginationnnnnnnn.  You’re doing quite well, love; just enjoy this._    
  
    Porrim smiled back, closed her eyes and tried her best not to spasm too hard when Felida moved back and began to kiss her abdomen. “Poor twitchy Jadebutt,” Felida teased, letting her finger trace a long sweep down the swell of Maryam’s full breast and down her side. “What are you going to do when I start kissing this?”    
  
    As Felida’s lips embraced Porrim’s most sensitive part, she thrashed against her restraints once and then let go with a decidedly loud response, knowing full well how it would add to her matesprit’s pleasure.    
  
    “I like that answer,” Felida purred, repeating the gesture, but pulling back ever so slowly with Porrim’s nub gently betwixt her lips.  She continued teasing it with her tongue as she did so, relishing the reaction it was generating.  She began running her tongue up and down Porrim’s engorged labia very slowly, letting her tongue loop around the swollen jade protrusion and back down the other side while her hands moved up and down inside of Maryam’s thighs, lightly scratching now and then to enhance the sensations.  Porrim spoke not a comprehensible word, letting her subconscious emanations flow from her lips without form.  
  
    A few minutes later, Felida picked her head up and looked back to Aranea, a hint of green on her lips.  “I can hear your breathing picking up, Mistress; would you be willing to please save that for me?”  
  
    Aranea thought for a moment, extended her mind to her moirail’s and then let her hand come to rest.  “I think I know what you have in mind, my sweet.  You have done such a fine job so far; I believe I can indulge you, yes.”  She gracefully rose from her chair and slowly slipped up to the bed, where a delighted but slightly confused Porrim lay before her.  “My dear friend has made a request, love, but I don’t suspect you know quite what she has in mind,” Aranea said as she let her fingers now lightly play with Felida’s short black hair.    
  
    “Not a clue,” Porrim panted, “but it would be pretty difficult to top what she was doing before!”  
  
    “Fear not, she will continue, but with a slight change in approach.”  With a soft stroke of one of Oceleo’s tapered horns, Aranea removed her hand from Felida’s head and the oliveblood slowly backed off of the end of the bed, biting her lip in eager anticipation as she did so.  Once Felida was out of the way, Aranea bared her fangs in a smile and took to the bed, throwing her leg over Porrim in one smooth motion.  She locked eyes with her lover, looking deep into Porrim’s as she spoke mentally, _I bet you’re wondering what’s coming next...  
  
    Is it me?  
  
    Maybeeeeeeee... or maybe it’s me?  I’m not sure what order Felida has in mind but I have an idea that will render that point moot.    
  
    What do you mean?_  
  
    Aranea settled herself over Porrim, placing her hands on her red lover’s ample chest and resting her elbows on either side of her body before lying on top of her.   _Close your eyes, Porrim, and open your mind to me.  
  
    Like we did outside of our hive?  
  
    Yes.  This won’t quite go as deep as that as I don’t want to startle poor Felida with a wave of empathic energy but I want you to feel what I feel and vice versa.  How interesting to you think it will be us to both have an orgasm without so much as moving?_    
  
    Porrim smiled at the thought.   _Pretty unusual... but are you sure about doing this?  Felida won’t be getting any pleasure from it.  
  
    Quite the contrary!  This is what it means to be a submissive lover; she takes great pleasure in the simple act of doing what pleases someone else.  She is absolutely ecstatic right now, Porrim, be assured.  To be able to go down on us both at once?  Dream come true for her, I swear it.  In fact, I bet she’s just abo-ohhhhhhhh..._  
  
    Where Porrim would normally have chuckled at Aranea’s sudden distraction, she felt the same sensation a split second after which felt both wonderful and strange.   _There’s no wetness of her tongue on my skin but I felt that plain as night!  
  
    Told you!  Now let’s see if she switches it up a bit..._  
  
    A moment later, the familiar wet firmness of Felida’s tongue was stroking up Porrim’s lips as it was a short time ago and the feeling was much more intense and sudden than it was as the echo she received from Aranea, but before she could even express this thought, Aranea inhaled quite suddenly as she felt the wave of pleasure from Porrim’s thinkpan arrive in her own.   _Well, that answers that question!  
  
    So it doessssssss.  Don’t worry about her, Porrim; she’s having the time of her life back there.  Just look into my eyes and see who gets there first..._  
  
    Porrim didn’t answer either verbally or mentally but opted to just gaze into Aranea’s cerulean blue eyes, especially the strange seven-pupiled one that she found absolutely captivating.  Pulse after pulse of pleasure came to her, some direct, some reflected, but eventually she could feel fingers taking up residence inside of her and Aranea, with the tongue moving back and forth between them, spending time teasing and sucking at both of their nubs.  She spoke not a word but engaged Aranea in deep kisses, keeping her mind as clear as she could to give and receive pleasures with her matesprit.    
  
    After a few minutes, Porrim noticed Aranea’s breath quickening again.  She didn’t need to ask Aranea if she was close to release; she was more than familiar with the sounds her lover made, but the sensations spoke even greater volumes as she realized Felida was now focused on bringing Aranea to the brink first.  Aranea’s high pitched scream as she climaxed was quickly followed by a similar one from Porrim’s own lips as the emotional shockwave hit her, leaving  both shaking for a few moments afterwards.  Porrim found her focus fairly quickly but before she could reach out mentally to her lover, Felida’s tongue was most definitely upon her seedflap again and a wet finger was now inside of her nook, gently but insistently pressing upon it until it found purchase within.   _She’s not teasing this time... she means to finish the job!_  Porrim tried desperately to keep herself from jerking around to much so as not to disturb Aranea in her afterglow but found the tongue and fingers that were working their magic mad that all but impossible.   _Aranea... oh gods... oh my...  
  
    It’s all right, dear heart... I’m here.  Just surrender yourself to the rapture.  For me and for her.    
  
    Yes..._  
  
    She couldn’t have stopped the physical or emotional flood if she wanted to; both rushed from her without any impediment and it was all she could do to remember to breathe lest she pass out from the overwhelming surge.  A moment later, Porrim could hear a shout that didn’t come from her own mouth but her red lover’s as Aranea received the aftershock.  Porrim could feel her matesprit’s body slacken and relax atop hers and she opted to think of nothing but just let the vestigial remnants of their shared pleasure ebb from her as she and Aranea breathed in time together.    
  
    The only thing that startled her from her reverie was the sensation and sounds coming from between her open legs.   _Oh... oh!  Felida’s still down there!_  “Aranea...”  
  
    “That is still my name, love; have no fear.”  
  
    “Is Felida okay?”  
  
    “More than okay, I assure you.  She’s quite happy with what she received.  That being said, I strongly suspect she would very much appreciate us attending to her needs.  Isn’t that right, my sweet?”  
  
    All Porrim could hear in reply at first was a series of wet smacking sounds but those were soon followed by an exuberant “Yes, Mistress!  I wonder what you have in mind?”  
  
    Aranea gave Porrim a quick kiss and a smirk before slowly peeling herself away from her matesprit and sliding sideways off of the bed, revealing a very messy and extremely happy oliveblood for Porrim to view.  “See?  Told you, love.  It’s something she enjoys very, very much.”  
  
    Porrim looked up as best she could to see Felida’s face and hair, smeared with copious amounts of cerulean and jade and wearing as wide a smile as she’d ever seen from her kismesis.  “I do, Mistress!  Thank you for that!”  To emphasize the point to Porrim, Felida took two fingers and ran them across her face to pick up as much of the colorful emissions as she could, and then slowly and deliberately placed them in her mouth before withdrawing them.    
  
    “Something tells me you enjoy that combination?” Aranea inquired.  
  
    “Yes, Mistress!  It’s quite lovely!” Felida replied with all of the enthusiasm at her disposal.  
  
    “Good to hearrrrrrrr...  You have certainly earned your reward as far as I’m concerned, Felida.”  Aranea slipped behind her moirail at the rear of the bed and embraced her from behind as she placed her lips upon the oliveblood’s neck just under her hairline.    
  
    Porrim watched curiously as Oceleo shut her eyes and shivered when Aranea did so, wondering what delights her matesprit had in store for the tiny woman.   _I suspect it won’t take long to find out, though._  Once she saw slender blue tipped nails appear from between Felida’s thighs, caressing what they found between, Porrim understood what Aranea’s intent was:  a display for my benefit as well as Felida’s.   _Clever!  
  
    I’m glad you think, so, lover..._ came the unspoken reply.   _I believe you’ll both enjoy what comes next._  
  
    After a few moments of enjoying Aranea’s ministrations, Felida’s eyes opened and locked directly onto Porrim’s.  “Like what you see, Jadebutt?  Too bad you can’t do a thing about it, eh?  Being all tied up like that... no way to use your fingers...  such a shame.”  She gave a sudden involuntary gasp as one of Araneas’ fingers found its way inside of her.  “Thank you, Mistress; do you think we could move a bit closer so that Porrim could get a better view?”  
  
    “Not only do I think we can, I believe we should.”  Aranea let those fingers fall away for a moment while Felida positioned herself astride Porrim’s hips, directly over her jade-tinged seedflap.  Once established there, Aranea straddled Porrim’s thighs and took up her position behind Felida once again.  She resumed her explorations and let her lips and fangs suckle and drag across Felida’s neck, causing her moirail to commence making the mewling sounds that Porrim was now more than familiar with.    
  
    _She’s absolutely right; I feel stirrings again and there’s not a damn thing I can do to ease them... only watch.  
  
    Or issssssss there?_  
  
    Porrim shifted her gaze to her matesprit and was shocked to receive another wave of sexual pleasure, but this time is felt almost muted somehow, almost an echo of emotion that was less than what she had received from Aranea herself but still unquestionable in what it was.   _Is that from... Felida?  
  
    Mm-hmm.  I’ve never tried doing it quite like this before; you can sense the pleasure she’s getting from what I’m doing to her, but also from the excitement she feels at knowing it’s driving you crazy not being able to do anything about it._  Aranea added another finger to Felida’s flap and used the copious moisture there to wet it well before using them both to dip in and out and around the various aroused places they encountered.    
  
    What caught Porrim by surprise was the fingers that began to touch her own moistening seedflap.  “Ohh... you are taking advantage of this situation, aren’t you?”  
Those fingers were rapidly withdrawn a moment later.  “Felida, no,” Aranea rebuked gently, “your hand stays put for now.  And your foot, too, in case you get any ideas.  I have plans for you, my sweet, and be assured they involve dear, innocent Porrim here as well, but for now, relax and enjoyyyyyyyy...”    
  
    A whispered “Yes, Mistress!” was all Felida could offer before closing her eyes again and letting the blissful sensations overtake her once more.  When Aranea’s lips met Felida’s earlobes again, the sounds without form began anew and Porrim didn’t require an empathic echo to determine that her kismesis wasn’t far from finding her own release.   _But if she is close, then where is she going to... oh..._  
  
    Porrim barely had time to finish the thought as Felida’s climax struck in a torrent of sound and olive, the latter covering a fair amount of Porrim’s own thighs and seedflap.  She found the warmth of it both arousing and peculiar, but the sight of her kismesis being brought off by her red lover made the experience fall decidedly into the first category and she found herself wishing she could do something to help Oceleo continue her pleasure.  
  
    _Worry not, my love; I have plans for her – and you – at the same time..._  
  
    When Felida finally stopped quivering and opened her eyes to see the mess that she’d made all over Porrim, she couldn’t help but spend a moment to take it all in.  “Wow... that was intense!  Thank you so much, Mistress!”  She turned her head to offer Aranea a kiss, which was met halfway.    
  
    “You’re more than welcome, dear.  But I do have another task in mind for you.”  
  
    “Name it, Mistress!”  
  
    Aranea looked at Porrim’s jade green eyes as she softly spoke, “Wellllllll, since you asked, someone is going to have to tidy up this rather copious expression of olive that ended up all over poor Porrim’s body.  Considering that you had a significant role in making her dirty, I believe it would be only fair if you assisted in cleaning her up.”  
  
    With only the barest hesitation, Felida replied, “My Mistress is absolutely right.  It would be my sincerest pleasure to help in any way I can.”  She gave Porrim a look of eager anticipation as she shifted on the bed in order to more easily facilitate carrying out the command she was given.    
  
    By the time Felida’s hands were stroking the inside of Porrim’s thighs and her tongue was tending to the task assigned, Aranea was perched by the head of the bed, gently stroking Porrim’s long horns.  “So, my love, has this been the experience you hoped it would be?”  
  
    In between involuntary gasps, Porrim tried to speak.  It took a few attempts but she was, at last, successful: “You... need to... get up here...”  
  
    “Say no more, dear heart; it would seem that you’ve got the gist of how this works.  It would be my pleasure t-”  
  
    “UP HERE NOW!”  
  
    Aranea’s eyes widened at Porrim’s hurried outburst.  “Well, well!  When you put it that way...”  She moved to put her knees up on the bed and then deftly swung her leg up and over Porrim to bring her cerulean seedflap into range of Porrim’s tongue.  Once comfortable, she crouched slightly and closed her eyes as she took in the emotional waves from both of the women she was sharing a bed with, letting them flow through her thinkpan.   _No more fear from Porrim, no more hesitation.  You’re finally completely free of your inhibitions; I hope you come to relish it as much as I do._  As she felt the effects of Porrim’s ministrations sweep through her body, Aranea looked down at Felida, who was doing the very same thing to their shared jadeblooded lover, and smiled.   _You were right, my sweet.  I needed a lesson in trust as well.  Thank you for giving it to me._  A few moments later, she let herself give in to the sensations being inflicted upon her and waited for the sweet moments of love sure to follow.  
  
  
  
  
    “Soooooooo... was it how you pictured it, dear heart?”  
  
    Porrim rested her head on Aranea’s chest and lightly scratched at her wrists where the restraints were only a few minutes prior.  “I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect, but it certainly was wonderful.  I’m so utterly spent; I can barely keep my eyes open!”  
  
    “What, you mean you’re not going to head out for a stroll in the sunlight today?” Felida asked from the other side of Aranea.    
  
    “Are you kidding?  I can barely stand, much less ‘stroll’ as you suggest!”  
  
    “Then I daresay we’ve done our job well, Felida.”  Aranea let her long fingers tease through Porrim’s hair, doing her best not to touch her now-rather-sensitive horns.    
  
    A contented purr came from Aranea’s right.  “I think so!  Thank you for suggesting it, Mistress!”  
  
    “‘Aranea’ is fine now that the collar’s off, my sweet.”  
  
    “Aranea is fine indeed, never mind the collar,” Porrim sighed contentedly.    
  
    “Porrim Maryam, getting her licks in where she can,” Aranea snorted, this time making a point of tickling her matesprit’s horns.    
  
    “You weren’t complaining about those licks a little while ago,” the jadeblood replied as she squirmed from the touch.    
  
    Felida sat up and grabbed a glass of water from the daystand.  Once she had slaked her thirst, she offered it to the other two who declined, having attended to that before coming back to the bed.  “There better not be any complaining for the rest of the day... what’s left of it, that is.”  
  
    Porrim blinked as she thought about this.  “You mean we were...”  
  
    “At it almost all day, yes,” Aranea answered.  “Don’t worry, I’m certain Meulin can look after herself; she’d been doing it long enough before we found her and now that she’s had a week here, I’m sure she knows where everything is.  Go ahead, sleep as long as you like, love.  For once, we have nowhere to be but here.”  She planted a kiss on Porrim’s forehead and smiled as she snuggled up in response.    
  
    “There’s nowhere I would rather be,” Porrim replied.  
  
    “It warms my pusher to hear you say so.  More than you’ll ever know.”  
  
    Felida briefly considered making a snarky comment about their pillow talk but opted against it, knowing full well that it was truly meant.    
  
    _Relax, my sweet.  I feel as strongly for you as well._  Aranea used her right arm to slip around her moirail and pull her closer.    
  
    The oliveblood made a contended sound and did her best to place her cybernetic arm somewhere that it wouldn’t shock Aranea too terribly with its relative coolness.   _Thank you,_ she thought back, _sometimes I need to hear that.  
  
    I know.  And I need to thank you for getting me to trust in how you and her could be.  This never would have happened if you two didn’t have the bond you do.    
  
    You’re welcome,_ Felida thought.   _Thank you for believing me._  
   
    Aranea gently stroked Felida’s hair until she was certain the woman was asleep.  She then looked over to Porrim who, much to her surprise, was still awake.  “I thought you’d have been dreaming your dreams by now, Porrim.  Something the matter?”  
  
    Porrim made the gentlest of head shakes.  “No.  Not at all.  Just... getting my pan around all that’s happened.”  
  
    “Do you mean today or in general?”  
  
    “Both, I suppose.  If someone told me when I was a grub that I would I have the experiences I’ve had, I never would have believed it.  Kankri... The Executor... You... Cronus... Felida...  I’ve escaped an assassination attempt, survived a naval battle, filled red and black pails, gotten tattoos, shared a bed with two women at once...  It’s all so hard to believe and yet, I’ve lived it.”  
  
    “You most certainly have,” Aranea agreed.  “And the best part is that you’ve got many sweeps to come.  This is only the beginning of our adventures!  Who knows what the future holds, but I want you to know that there’s nothing I want more in this world than to share it with you.  I love you, Porrim.  More than anything else I’ve ever loved.”  
  
    “I love you, too.”  Porrim paused for a few moments before continuing.  “Are you certain you won’t get bored of me?”  
  
    Aranea couldn’t help but recall her first matesprit and how that relationship ended.  “Dear heart, I don’t think it’s even possible.  I’ve known it to happen, but having experienced that firsthand, know that I would never let it end that way.  I’m afraid you’re stuck with me, love.”  
  
    “Glad to hear it.”  Porrim cuddled up to her cool matesprit and closed her eyes.  “Thank you for making this a day to remember.  Just like our shared mental and emotional exchanges, I don’t know if I could do this every night – or day as the case may be – but now and then, I could certainly enjoy this sort of thing!”  
  
    “And that definitely makes my night to hear you say.  The best way to not be bored is to not be boring, and you’ve taken some pretty big steps tonight.  Thank you for trusting me.”  
  
    “I do.  Always.”  
  
    Aranea gave Porrim another quick kiss and then watched her matesprit succumb to the inexorable pull of slumber.   _Sleep well, my love.  Thank you for making my dreams come true._  She closed her eyes and waited to see where her own dreams would take her next.

 

 


	34. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback to Aranea's time as matesprit to Her Imperious Condescension, a dream shared by both Meenah Peixes and Aranea Serket. Mindfang finds solace in the arms of her matesprit of the last fifty sweeps, Porrim Maryam, as they prepare to launch an offensive against the Imperial Navy Aranea once served in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, big time jump here. Thus begins the third and final portion of this story and it may be the longest of the three, much as Nobody Lives Forever was the longest part of the original trilogy. I haven't had the time/energy to devote towards this as of late, but know that I have it all mapped out; just a matter of getting it all written. I'm still ahead of the curve a bit, fear not. I've always thought about doing a prequel of sorts to the Mindfang Journals involving Aranea's time with Meenah and this gave me a chance to visit that part of her tale; hope you dig it! 
> 
> P.S. - This is for you, Anonymous. I hope it is everything you hoped it would be. ::::)

 

 

  
** 33\. – Interfis)(in **

    “Hey, Serket!  Get your bass up here!  You gotta see this!”

    Lieutenant Commander Aranea Serket was glad she had opted to dress as quickly as she had; she never knew when her matesprit would insist on dragging her away from whatever project she was attempting to work on or from a few moments of quiet reprieve.   _I swear I rarely get a moment to myself these nights..._ “Just a minute, Meenah!”

    “You don’t have a minute!  Hurry the shell up or you’re gonna miss it!”

    Aranea knew better than to argue.  “On my way!”  She wasn’t certain if she left her glasses on the daystand intentionally or if she was just in that much of a hurry to get topside ( _It’s not like the lenses are functional anyway,_ she thought) but she did manage to remember to grab the black and cerulean cap that the Meenah favoured as part of their current uniform.  As she placed it on her head between her horns, she scurried up the stairs of the Interdictor-class ship that they were the honoured guests aboard, curious to see what it was that had the Empress she served as personal aide to so excited this time.  

    “Aboat time you got here,” Meenah teased, giving the blueblood’s backside a squeeze.  The fact that Commander Serket was also Meenah’s matesprit was common knowledge in the fleet, a fact that both helped and hindered her at times, depending on who she was dealing with.  Aranea had to admit that it offered her a degree of protection from the scorn of the violetblood Navy aristocracy, but even though she couldn’t sense their disdain outright, it was just as obvious when she glanced back over her shoulder anytime she passed by a collection of finfaces either onboard a ship or in the gilded halls of Capitol what little they thought of her abilities.  She knew their underestimation of her was her primary advantage; she’d already outwitted a few of their best in simulations without their knowing her identity and she believed that someday it was likely that she would most likely embarrass one of them in a live exercise; all the more reason to enjoy the protection being the Empress’s lover provided.  

    “Sorry, Meenah.  I was just calculating the probability of this manoeuvre succeeding and I lost track of the time.”

    “Yeah, likely story,” Meenah Peixes, known to the world at large as Her Imperious Condescension, or the Condesce for short, whispered in her sponge clot.  “Didn’t get enough action last day?  Maybe we can celebrate later on if this plan of yours works.  I’m sure the Captain won’t mind if we make a mess of her quarters again.”

    Of that, Aranea was absolutely certain; if she did mind, she’d probably be dragged behind the ship until she didn’t mind about much of anything anymore.  “I suspect not.  Have the submarines surfaced yet?”

    “Just watch!” Meenah said with a pointy toothed grin.  

    Aranea turned her attention to the solitary ship in the distance:  there was still a hint of evening twilight backlighting it, shadows making the shape of the ship appear longer than it was, but the vessel and those aboard her seemed completely unaware of the degree of danger they were in.  Her breath quickened with anticipation as she waited for the submarines she’d requested to appear on either side of the target:  a solitary pirate ship.  
   
    A few seconds later, two sleek shapes breeched that still water, flanking the wooden target on either side.  Aranea found herself smiling eagerly, watching to see how long it would take for the wooden vessel to run up the white flag and surrender at the sudden appearance of such overwhelming naval firepower.  

    The last thing she expected was for the seemingly grossly outgunned ship to drop depth charges that crippled the submarines and then charge directly at the Interdictor itself at full speed.  “Whaaaaaaaat...”

    “BATTLESTATIONS!” Meenah bellowed.  “Prepare to be boarded!”

    Aranea looked at her matesprit, the surprise quite plain on her face.  

    “What?  Oh, I fully antishipated this, Serket.  Someone’s gonna get a lesson here today and it’s not the people you expected it to be, I assure you.  And here... ” She tossed Aranea a golden sword that she was carrying at her hip.  “You’re probably gonna need that.  I’m going downstairs to get my bitrident.  Besides, there’s nothing like making a grand entrance for effect.”

    “Grand entrance?”  Aranea was almost dumbfounded, a sensation she was decidedly not fond of.  

    “Weren’t you paying attention, love?  We’re being boarded!  Use the pointy end and don’t forget to follow through!  I’ll come back up when the time is right.”  When Aranea looked down at the gold-plated weapon in her hand, Meenah added, “Don’t be afraid to use whatever means you have at your disposal in combat, either.  Your talents run deep.  While the sailors on board this ship and those two subs had no idea what was coming, these Gamblignants have no idea that someone like you – or me, for that matter – are here either!  Show me what you got!”  This time she gave Aranea a smack on the rump and headed back below.  “That uniform does look so fucking hot on you...”  

    By the time Aranea regained her bearings, she was almost knocked over by scrambling midshipmen.   _Why haven’t the particle cannons fired,_ she thought before realizing the pirate ship was almost literally upon them, giving them no space to do so without receiving collateral damage themselves.   She grasped the sword in her left hand and watched as grappling hooks took hold on the deck.   _This is certainly not the evening I expected..._

    The first wave of pirates that came aboard found the Navy crew little match; they fought with a ferocity that surprised Aranea as for every Gamblignant that fell, there were two midshipmen bleeding out beside them.  A few managed to approach her from behind but she could not only sense their presence but knew what they were going to attempt before they even had a chance to execute; they received a taste of her gilded blade for their trouble.  As another hook laid claim to the space beside her, she looked over the side, confirmed that the boarding party was primarily lowbloods, and mentally convinced them to spontaneously let go of the rope that they were climbing.  After disposing of two more waves of attackers this way, she opted to let the next ones board, simply for the challenge, such as it was; _my gifts often make a fair fight a difficult find,_ she lamented.  

    She didn’t have to wait long to find one.  The next boarding party sported someone she didn’t even sense: a freakishly tall indigoblooded man who, upon finding purchase on the deck, took a massive longsword into his hands and began cutting down the seamen who were in his path with broad swings.   _Who is that?_ she wondered, taking a moment to size him up:  the swarthy indigoblood wore only an open longcoat on his upper body and let his long hair fly out behind him as he mowed down the naval troops that tried to get into a position to try and fire on him.  

    Instead of facing the giant head on, which was obviously not working for anyone else, Aranea slipped behind a bulkhead and tried to come up with a plan while she observed the battle taking place near the stern of her ship.  The soldiers were faring slightly better here, but many of the members of the Imperial Navy were so reliant on their energy weapon sidearms that they were woefully prepared for melee combat and began to fall to the invaders.  Flitting in and out among them was a smaller man so nimble that she could only begin to get a decent view of him:  he wore a crimson bandana around his forehead and a similar sash around his waist, and the blade in his hand moved so deathly quick, none stood in his way for long.  His long hair was in strange braids, his eyes seemed to blaze with fury and excitement but it was his smile, even in the heat of battle, which spoke to her.  She reached out to him, aiming to touch his mind, find out who and what he was, but instead found it virtually unreadable; his thoughts were as slippery as his movements.  As soon as she realized his mind would be a difficult one to read, he looked in her direction, cocked his head and gave her a deliberate wink before moving on to engage the next midshipman in his path.  

    _He’s a crimsonblood?  And they follow him?  What sort of powers does he have?  Are they like mine?  Or is it just raw charisma and bravado?_  Aranea tried her best to process this until she was unceremoniously shoved aside by the violetblood captain, who actually held the rank of Brigadier Admiral, of the Interdictor.  “Outta the way, fucktoy,” she growled, all but pinning the lithe blueblood against the bulkhead with her right hand as she made her way past and hefting a long barbed spear in her left.  “I’m putting an end to this charade right fucking now!”  Aranea watched as the stocky woman used her frightful weapon to cast aside many of the Gamblignants, mortally wounded and bleeding, over the side, as she sought the elusive crimsonblood that was almost singlehandedly eviscerating the Navy crewmen on this side of the ship.  She gripped her own sword, which she had yet to put to use, that much tighter as she took in the battle.   _Somehow I don’t think someone the likes of him will fall to someone the likes of you..._  Sure enough, by the time the Admiral made her way to the front lines, the Gamblignant captain was nowhere to be seen.   _Well, no surprise there... You just might need to watch your baaaaaaaACK!_

    A moment later, Aranea was airborne, hurled to the sky by one of the indigoblood’s meaty arms.   _SHIT!  Forgot I couldn’t sense him coming!_  She let her instincts take over and tucked into a roll before righting herself and finding a place to land.  As she did so, she felt the presence of a series of pirates approaching her from behind and let her blade lash out.   _Looks like it won’t be dry for long..._  

    Before she even knew she had done so, seven assailants lay dead around her, their bodies added to the rapidly growing piles of the fallen.   _Why are they doing this?  Why did they attack this ship instead of fleeing?  They must obviously think we were vulnerable.  Were they right?_  Her pusher skipped as a thought occurred to her.   _Even though she said they didn’t know, could they know Meenah is here?_  The instinct to defend her matesprit renewed her resolve to fight, and she charged back around the bulkhead to witness the massive indigoblood, bleeding profusely from multiple wounds, use one hand to hold the Admiral aloft by the face and compress the violetblood’s skull until a sickening crack was heard.   _Gods... I’ve heard of some indigos having super strength but that’s unbelievable!_  She gathered herself as quickly as she could and prepared for the prospect of having to face that behemoth.   _Can’t use my mental abilities, but I’m much faster... Perhaps if I-_

    Her thought process was derailed by a flash of fuchsia energy flowing past her, which ended up tearing through the indigoblood before he even had a moment to drop the Admiral’s corpse to the soiled metal deck.  He didn’t make a single noise before he pitched forward; the hole in his midsection revealed that his air sacs were no longer present, which prevented any sounds from escaping his lips as he crashed to the ground.  She turned her head to the left to see Meenah Peixes, the Condesce herself, standing at her side in a black naval uniform trimmed in tyrian and gold and brandishing her bitrident in a most threatening fashion.  “Seriously.  I might not have had a whole lot of use for Admiral Jaywen but I can’t have traitorous bait like the likes of you going around krilling your superiors without paying the price.  Playtime’s over, chums; the only way you’re leaving this ship is as a snack for my lusus!”

    The remaining Gamblignants stared at her in complete disbelief, which answered Aranea’s question about whether they knew their Empress was present or not.  The only one who seemed unfazed by her presence was the Captain, who simply eyed her curiously before saying, “What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

    “Teaching a few people some important lessons tonight.  And you’re about to offishially receive one.”  With a twirl of her golden weapon, the Condesce unleashed a torrent of energy at the Gamblignant ship which tore a crippling wound into the side of it.  The response of the crew of said ship was one of horror and anger; their awe turned to fury and they rushed to claim the Empress’s head as their payment in return.  Without so much as a hint of effort, however, the Condesce obliterated every single one of them in a whirling series of movements that, even to Aranea’s eye, appeared like she was barely moving at all.  

    Once she was done, she looked to the Captain who, despite having just watched what was left of his crew die swiftly, simply smiled.  “Well, that seemed like a rather elegant butchery lesson, but to be quite honest, I already know how to kill people.  Perhaps you could teach me something useful?  Like knitting, perhaps?  I’m a dreadful knitter.  Too repetitious, really.”

    “OH SHUT UP AND DIE ALREADY!”  Meenah fired another blast from her weapon but her target was no longer there, instead leaning back against the bulkhead with a disappointed look on his face.  

    “If I had a caegar for everytime I’ve heard that phrase aimed in my direction, I’d have a few caegars.  Certainly not enough to retire to a little island of my own, but if you’d kindly offer me either said caegars or, even better, said island, I would more than happily stay out of your rather ravishing hair.”

    The Condesce’s cheeks began to flush, not from the flattery but with fury.  “Aranea... do me a favour and scrape that barnacle from our hull, would you?”

    Aranea looked at the sword in her hand, now decidedly no longer clean, shrugged and pointed it at this strange fellow before advancing on him cautiously.  

    Without any hint of concern, he raised his blade and met hers.  “So it’s to be like that, eh?  Shame, really.  I know I asked your fuchsiablooded friend there a similar question already, but perhaps I should be asking what a girl like you is doing with a girl like that?”

    “PERCHFORATE THAT FUCKER!”

    Aranea tensed at Meenah’s bellowing, but then initiated a feint to the Gamblignant’s midsection, which he easily countered.  “Nothing personallllllll,” she said as she made another series of jabs and blocks, “but I’m kind of obligated to do as she asks.”

    “Are you?” he replied, matching her almost lazily.  “Are you truly?  Funny, you strike me as someone with a pretty solid pan in her head.  Almost like you know what you’re doing...”   A moment later, he was perched on the bow of the ship, Aranea’s sword at his unprotected throat.

    “Finally!” the Empress shouted as she methodically strutted towards them.  “You know, Sparro, I do appreciate what you and your merry band of marauders do for keeping us on our fins, but quite frankly, you’re getting far too bold for your own good.  Don’t think you’re anything special, though; you took the bait that was offered just like any other Gamblignant would have.  Too bad you swam right into my trap.  Guess the seven seas will have to find another rogue to rally around.”

    “Tsk, tsk,” the Gamblignant clucked, “maybe they will.  Funny thing is, though, is that I have my doubts any of the so-called pirates these days would have a hope in the blue hells of finding my stash.  I do have a few caegars, if you recall, and if there’s one thing I know about you, Your Fishness, it’s that you sure love caegars.  If you have your girlfrond here open my throat, there’s no way I could ever tell you how to find them, either.”

    Aranea glanced back at Meenah, quite curious as to what her matesprit’s reaction would be.  She reached out again to the man’s mind, but was rebuffed once more.   _Something tells me the only reason my sword is at his neck is because he let me put it there... clever fellow, this one._

_And rather dashing, too, if I do say so myself,_ came a reply in her head.

    She wanted to ask him how he was able to formulate such a clear reply when the Condesce made her answer:  “I have plenty of caegars, thanks.  Your pitiful little stash can stay at the bottom of the sea where it belongs... along with your head.  Aranea, FINISH HIM!”

    Aranea turned her attention back to the Gamblignant Captain but before she could do anything, he flashed a quick salute and took a single exaggerated step backwards and disappeared into the ocean.  

    “COD DAMMIT!  Serket, go after him!”

    Aranea peered over the bow and was about to suggest that he wouldn’t last long out there without a boat of some kind and that the probability of her finding him probably wasn’t that good if she couldn’t track him empathically but Meenah pre-empted her by saying “Bah.  Never mind.  If he isn’t fish food already, he will be soon enough.  Tell the helmsman to set course for Bashura Base and then you can help me toss these poor chums overboard.  Gl’bgolyb is already on her way.  Thank you so much for contributing to the feast, my sweet.”  She placed a kiss on Aranea’s lips and then set about impaling bodies, both crewman and Gamblignant alike, with her bitrident and pitching them overboard.  

    _She’s certainly not afraid to get her hands dirty, I’ll give her that._  Aranea was about to depart to do as she was tasked but stopped.  “Meenah, can I ask you a question?”

    “Sure thing,” came the reply as the Condesce stabbed another inanimate body in front of her, creating a rather wet sound in the process.

    “Who was that fellow?”

    This brought Peixes to a stop.  “Seriously?  You don’t know?  Probably for the better, then.”

    If there was one thing Aranea Serket wouldn’t be denied, even from the Empress herself, it was information.  “I just really want to be conch-ious of who our potential foes arrrrrrrre...” she purred as she opened the top two buttons of her uniform.  

    Meenah chuckled.  “You do know how to persuade me, don’t you?  Fine, I’ll tell you later if you undo the rest of those buttons nice and slow for me in our quarters.  And to use your phrase, I mean ALL of the buttons.”  She glanced down at the blueblood’s waist.  “Yes, allllllll of them.  Now lemme get to work, okay?  Since I suspect you, me and the helmsman are about the only people left still breathing on this ship, no one’s gonna do it for me.  Unless of course you hurry up and do the task you were assigned?  Make sure you bring a mop back with you.  A big one.”  

    While Aranea was no longer any stranger to the sight of blood and gore, she still swallowed hard against the bubbles rising in her throat as she surveyed the multicoloured horror before her.  “As you wish.”

 

 

 

    As she used her left hand to rub the sore muscles in her neck, Aranea deployed the back of her right one to wipe the fuchsia from her lips.  She turned her head as far as she could to each side to aid in stretching her neck and let her eyes linger on the heap their black uniforms made on the floor of the Captain’s Quarters.  “So, NOW will you tell me about him?”

    “Geez, Serket, can’t a gill just enjoy her afterglow for a couple of minutes?”  Meenah squirmed happily in the sheets for a few moments and then patted the pillow beside her.  “How about you swim on up here and I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

    Aranea was more than happy to oblige; she climbed up on to the large waterbed, relishing the pins and needles sensations in her calves as it meant they weren’t entirely numb.  Once there, she rested her head on the pillow and looked into her matesprit’s eyes, eyes a colour unlike anyone else’s.  “Soooooooo?”

    “Patience just isn’t your strong suit, is it?   I understand completely; it’s not mine, either... but then, you knew that.  Anyway, to shed some light on this, the fellow you encountered this evening was none other than Captain Djaakk Sparro, one of the most notorious Gamblignants to sail the seven seas.  What makes him so famous is that he’s one of the few brazen enough to actually make his name by stealing from the Imperial Navy.  Most of them just steal from one another or from highblood pleasure barges, but to have the spheres – or globes in his case – to take from us isn’t a common thing.  In all honestly, I have no problem with him doing so.”

    “What?  I’ve seen you eviscerate people for taking so much as a golden pen from Capitol!  And you’re telling me you’re willing to accept someone stealing valuable cargo from Navy vessels?”

    “Not just cargo, love; he’s taken entire fucking ships!”

    Aranea was too flabbergasted to even speak.

    “Close your mouth, dear; between this and what you were just doing, you’re gonna get a cramp in your jaw!”

    “Fine... but seriously!  How do you justify this?”

    Meenah grinned her pointy-toothed grin.  “Simple!  Sparro and his ilk are what keep our fleet on its collective toes.  In case you haven’t noticed, there’s precisely zero resistance to the Empire on the seas these nights.  Most of our ships are relegated to escort duty... primarily for those ashorementioned pleasure barges,” she spat.  “So, by engaging us in some sorely needed combat, the Gamblignants are actually doing us a favour.  And if our crews are so soft that a ragtag bunch of shitbloods can overpower them, then lesson learned; they can keep what they take and I’ll take it out of the hide of the admiral responsible for that ship.

    “Sparro, however,” she continued, “has gotten so fucking brazen that he’s helping himself to larger ships – including a battleship if you can believe it – and now he’s helping himself to admirals as well!  I don’t know what he does with them, but I’ve lost two to him so far.”

    “Maybe he’s planning to trade them, hostages for prisoners?”

    “I don’t take prisoners, remember?” Meenah snapped.  “I thought I made that pretty obvious a couple of hours ago.  No, I’m sure he’s up to something but I haven’t the least idea what it would be.”

    Aranea frowned.  “Why were you so bent on having me kill him, then?  Dead men tell no tales.”

    “It’s not the ‘what’ he’s doing that I really give a clam about, it’s the fact that he was doing it without me knowing what it is!  I needed to shut him down once and for all; if I can’t control him, he’s of no use to me.  Kind of a shame, really... he’s one of the best there is at what he does.  That kind of talent is hard to replace.”

    A slow smile spread across Aranea’s face.  “I wonder what it would be like to be a Gamblignant.  Always at sea, challenging whatever ship you chose to, keeping what you captured...”

    “You?  A Gamblignant?”  Meenah tried to repress a snort and failed in the attempt.  “Serket, you were the most soft-spoken sweetheart of a naval recruit I had ever seen when I got my claws on you.  You’ve come a long way, that’s for sure, but that’s a difficult life, especially for someone with a highblood’s lifespan.  I mean, sure, I cut my teeth with Gamblignant types; I needed to learn what it took to fight at sea without any mercy at all.  They taught me well.”

    “How did that work?  You probably barely had your landlegs by then and your fins must have made it obvious you were a seadweller?”

    “I had enough hair to hide them but I kept them pinned back, too.  There were a couple of crewmates who discovered that I had fins, but they didn’t live long after that.  I wasn’t terribly trusting back then.”

    “You’re not terribly trusting now, either.”

    Meenah chuckled, a hint of menace audible in the sound of it.  “Not really, no.  Lucky for you that there are a few people I do trust.”  She leaned forward and gave Aranea a quick kiss.  “But you’re right; I was barely a couple of sweeps old when I decided on my plan of action: make like a street urchin and get my bass onto a ship where I could learn to fight.  The first crew that was willing to take me aboard found that I was a quick learner and handy enough with a blade.  Not unlike someone I’m currently sharing a bed with.”

    Aranea couldn’t help but grin at the compliment.

    “The best ships were the ones that didn’t have power sources like we have now; they were slaves to the wind for the most part but some a few had secrets: either combustion engines or good old ‘slave power’ below deck, on tap when they wanted to rush in on a target.  The fighting was harsh and bloody but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

    “How did you hide your blood colour if you were cut?”

    “Simple: I didn’t let myself get cut!  I had to fight with abandon, but also with enough caution to keep my secret as best I could.  When I was just a small fry, I was rarely even given any notice so I could cut and gut at will, but as I hit adolescence, it became a lot more difficult to protect myself... not only from the crews of the ships we targeted  but also from the crew I was serving with.”  Meenah gave her chest a slight shake to impress upon her matesprit the reasons why; the light in the respiteblock glinted off of the opalescent scales that wound down the sides of them.  “All the boys and gills wanted to go fishin’ in the dark with me as soon as the rumblespheres showed up and, at first, I let them!”

    If Aranea could have shaken her head with it on the pillow, she would have.  “Okay, tell me how that’s a good idea if you went through all of that trouble to keep from getting cut.  And you don’t strike me as the type to do it with the lights out.”

    Meenah made a snorting sound.  “Got that right!  I like to see what’s going on, even back then.  Especially back then, come to think of it.  I had a solution to the problem:  whoever went into a block with me got what they wanted, but they didn’t come out of it in one piece.”

    “Meenah!”

    “What else was I supposed to do?  Some of them felt it was their duty to ‘break in the new gill’ and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my pleasure they were interested in.  And I sure as shit wasn’t going to risk someone getting outside with my tyrian on their tongue, fingers or bonebulge, realizing who or what I was, and dunking it in a bucket to send back to the Mother Grub!  I don’t need any fucking competition; why do you think I so rarely fill a pail?  You should be happy, Aranea; it’s an honour I don’t share with just anyone.”  She let her long, fuchsia-tipped fingers drift through Aranea’s hair.  “Are you letting your hair get a bit long?  It’s gotta be getting past your shoulders now.  You know I like it a bit on the shorter side.”

    “Oh!  Well, I was considering letting it grow out a bit.  Thinking about a different look.”

    The Condesce scowled in reply.  “You should think again.  I’m the one with the crazy locks here, remember that.  Anyway, my strategy was working for a while... until the captain started noticing that his crew was dwindling, even though we hadn’t seen combat for a whale.  He asked me what I knew about it; I told him nothing.  A few weeks later, though, his First Mate got liquored up and decided she wanted to give me a ‘jolly rogering’, so I let her take me in her quarters, have her way with me and then busted every finger she had before doing the same to her scrawny neck.  Unfortunately, he caught me doing the latter deed, not the former, and so I had to off him, too.”

    Aranea rolled her eyes.  “Somehow this doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

    “Hey, this was a much more challenging tusk, believe me.  He was a beast of an oliveblood.  Actually lasted about a minute against me.  He did cut me, though, and when his eyes widened in disbelief, that’s when I stuck it to him!  I almost felt a pang of regret; he taught me a lot.  I can still remember the last thing he said to me...”

    “Which was?”

    “GGGLLGBGBBABGBAGBBHHTHTTHH!” Meenah gagged out, clutching her hand to her neck in a mock choke.  

    “You have got to be kidding me,” Aranea grumbled.  

    “No, really!  I cut his throat with my dagger!  That was all he really could say!  That’s why it’s funn-”

    “If you’re trying to keep me in the mood, this isn’t doing it.”

    “Huh.  Works for me, usually.  Anyway, as for Sparro, if he didn’t kill Jaywen, I would have.  There was no way she should have let herself get sucked in like that.  Besides, I couldn’t stand the sound of her voice anymore.  It was like she was inhaling helium through her gills.”

    Aranea was going to comment on how the whole operation was a setup in the first place but ended up laughing instead when she thought about how accurate her matesprit’s assessment of Jaywen’s voice was.  “Hard to argue with that.”   _And considering what she had to say about me, I’m not exactly sad to see her go.  But it was just so gruesome..._

    “She didn’t have a terribly high opinion of you, either; all the more reason to be glad she’s fish food.”

    “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were reading my mind just then,” Aranea said as she narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion.

    Meenah looked almost startled.  “Who, me?  Nah.  That’s your department.”  A moment later, Aranea felt a finger tracing a line up the inside of her thigh.  “I know you can’t read mine, but I’m pretty sure you can guess what I’m thinking…”

    As that finger teased the soft folds of blue-tinged skin where Aranea’s thighs ended and her seedflap began, she took a breath and felt a wave of desire distract her from any other thoughts she might have had at the time.  “Possssssssibly…”

    “Just possibly? Well, I better erase any lingering doubts you might have in that pretty little head of yours, Serket.”  Meenah let that exploring finger slip a little further into the moist place it discovered while her mouth nuzzled into the crook of her matesprit’s neck, nipping and sucking away.  When Aranea started to make the high-pitched noises that told her that her blueblooded lover was definitely enjoying what was being done to her, Meenah whispered, “See?  That’s how I know you’re mine, Aranea.  No one else can make you feel the way I do; you make clam sure you keep that in mind…”

 

 

 

    Meenah Peixes swore she woke herself up with the sound she made.  She peeked under the sheets and found that much more of her fingers were now adorned with fuchsia than just her fingernails.   _No surprise, there… those dreams are getting more and more intense every day._  She slipped gracefully from her waterbed and slowly walked the few paces across the to the pool nearby; the cool water chased the lingering remnants of the dream from her thinkpan as quickly and effortlessly as it took the rest of her body’s emissions from her thighs and fingers.  

    Her Imperious Condescension, Empress of the Alternian Empire, fluttered about aimlessly underneath the water, letting the pressure of it caress her skin as her former matesprit, Aranea Serket, once did.   _If I’m seeing her in my sleep now, it’s only a matter of time before I see her again.  The only question is how…_  She cursed the fact that the maroonblood she stole the gift of prescience from could only see vague tales stitched together as dreams; even the psionic skills of the helmsman of her massive starship couldn’t amplify them any further.   _Doesn’t do anyone much use, really._

Finding that the water wasn’t doing an effective job in cooling her off in any way, shape or form, she emerged from the pool and commenced the long and arduous process of wringing out her copious locks.   _Aranea was better at helping with this than anyone else before or since.  Gill tied a mean braid, too.  Mituna can’t do it and none of the crew that I’ve dragged in here seems to have a knack for it, either.  Of course, they’re usually too damn scared to do a proper job…_

    Once she had her hair as dry as it was going to get, the Condesce pulled on her black and fuchsia unitard and then set about putting on her copious amounts of gold jewellery.   As was her custom, she strutted over to the large mirror that occupied most of the wall opposite her waterbed and fondly regarded herself for a few minutes.   _Hell.  Fucking.  Yes.  Beach, you look GOOD._  

    This ritual complete, Meenah strode out to her commandblock.  “Evening, my Tuna!  Did you have sweet dreams?”

_potential collision detected bearing one three four mark two six one... initiating countermeasure_

WHY D0 Y0U 3V3N B07H3R 45K1NG M3 7H47 Y0U KN0W 1 D0N’7 5L33P 4ND Y0U KN0W 1 D0N’7 DR34M 4NYM0R3 317H3R 0F 4LL 7H3 7H1NG5 Y0U’V3 570L3N FR0M M3 1 M155 DR34M1NG 7H3 M057

    “Tuna... Why so crabby tonight?” she asked as she processed his response; the golden tiara she wore acted as a connection to the _Battleship Condescension’s_ biocomputers that her goldblooded pilot, Mituna Captor, served as the central core.  The thick purple tentacles that bound him by his arms and legs and had wormed their way into his eyes and thinkpan served as a living connection to his psionic abilities; through this unnatural bond, he was able to not only guide the massive red spaceship around stars at faster-than-light speeds but could communicate psychically with anyone on board... save one.  His connection to the Condesce was somewhat tenuous due to her ultra-rare blood type but since he was as directly tied into the computer systems as possible, biosystems she had control over, the tiaraterminal that she wore gave them a form of direct communication, although Meenah much preferred to speak out loud – an ability he had long since lost.  

_composition analysis of object complete: simple ballistic missile... threat minimal_

0H 1 D0N’7 KN0W 7H3 0NLY 71M3 Y0U BR1NG UP DR34M5 45 0F L473 15 T0 T3LL M3 4LL 4B0U7 H0W Y0U G07 Y0UR F1NG3R5 571CKY 4F73R DR34M1NG 0F Y0UR 0LD M4T35PR17 4R4N34 53RK37 4G41N G33 7H47 R34LLY D035 W0ND3R5 F0R MY 53LF 35T33M N07 7H47 1 H4D 4NY L3F7 4NYW4Y

    The Condesce slinked up to him and gently caressed the left cheek of his slack-jawed face.  “Tuna, listen to what you’re saying.  How could you possibly be so hard on yourself when you know how much I love you...”

_correlation to expected level of opposition technology: anticipated... preparing defenses_

Y0U H4V3 4N 3XTR40RD1N4R1LY 4WFUL W4Y 0F 5H0W1NG 17

    “Hey!  Would you rather have ended up like that shouty fucking redblooded windbag you were traipsing around behind?”

_Y35_

    Her gentle hand suddenly became a claw; those fuchsia nails tore into the grey flesh beneath, causing rivulets of yellow to trickle down his chin.  “I had him FILLETED in case you forgot!  Is that what you wanted?” she snarled.

_target acquired... firing sequence initiated_

F33L5 L1K3 7H475 WH47 Y0UR3 7RY1NG 70 D0 70 M3 R1GH7 N0W JU57 FUCK1NG F1N1SH 7H3 J0B 4LR34DY

    She withdrew her hand and looked at the gold stains on her fingernails; it reminded her of the yellow shade she covered up with tyrian nailpolish to reduce how much she still had in common with the rest of Alternians.  “Ugh.  There’s no getting through to you when you’re in one of these moods.”  Meenah flicked as much of his blood as she could on the floor; most of it just ended up spattering the tentacles that held Mituna fast, a golden streak across the twisted purple forms which served only to irritate her further.  “Well, since you ARE the psychic here,” she hissed as she stormed over to the primary computer console, “I shouldn’t need to tell you that, yes, I did dream of Aranea.  I have an eeling that it’s only a matter of time before I see her again.”

_firing cycle complete... target destroyed_

Y0UR3 7H3 3MPR355 R3M3MB3R 7H3R35 N07H1NG WH47503V3R 5T0PP1NG Y0U FR0M 73LL1NG M3 70 7URN 7H15 7UB 4R0UND H34D F0R H0M3 4ND H4V3 7H053 H4LFW1773D 4DM1R4L5 0F Y0UR5 4C7U4LLY C4P7UR3 H3R 4ND H4UL H3R UP 70 533 Y0U BU7 1M G0NN4 G0 0U7 0N 4 L1MB H3R3 4ND 54Y Y0U 3NJ0Y W47CH1NG H3R 0WN 7H3M 47 3V3RY 0PP0R7UN17Y 0F C0UR53 7H3Y D0 H4V3 4 PR0V3RB14L 4RM T13D B3H1ND 7H31R C0LL3C71V3 B4CK5 7H4NK5 70 Y0UR 3D1C7

    “And what’s wrong with that?  So they’re not allowed to harm her or krill her.  She’s more valuable to me than any single one of those bucketheaded buffoons!  The only use any of them have for me is the hopes that some night they get to fill a pail with me so they can brag to their idiot friends.  Our Navy has become a joke!  I take the best of them and train them to command starships now.  The rest I leave to administrate.”  The last word she all but spat.  

50 WH47 4B0U7 Y0UR BUDDY 5YH4L3

    The Condesce turned to face her helmsman and scowled.  “First off, he’s not my ‘buddy’.  He just wants into my flap like the rest of them.  Second, he may be the Admiral of the Fleet but I’ve seen some rather dangerous lapses in judgment from him.  It was fifty sweeps ago that I first gave him and the rest of those imbeshells a warning about messing with Aranea.  For the most part, they’ve been smart about it.  But I know there’ve been some skirmfishes with her as of late.”

_debris field negligible... no radiation detected_

D1D 17 3V3R 0CCUR 70 Y0U F0R 3V3N 4 M0M3N7 7H47 JU57 M4YB3 5H35 7H3 0N3 B4171NG 7H3M H0W C4N Y0U 3XP3C7 7H3 4DM1R4L5 N07 70 R35P0ND W17H F0RC3

    “BECAUSE I FUCKING WELL TOLD THEM NOT TO?”

K1ND4 H4RD 70 3NF0RC3 7H47 FR0M H3R3

    “That’s what Kurloz is for: he lets me know what’s going on back home.  He and the Subjuggalators are almost a match for the Admiralty.  That being said, they’ve had their hands full with that damned shitblood uprising in the Eastern Prefectures.”

_rotating shield frequency modulation... all potentially harmful effects countermanded_

17 MU57 R34LLY 571CK 1N M4K4R45 CR4W 7H47 17 W45 7H3 N4VY 7H47 F1N4LLY C4UGH7 7H3 GUY B3H1ND 17

    Meenah chuckled.  “Probably.  Guess he shoulda put the right people on the job.  Syhale himself is on the scene, I suppose?”

_detonation occurred ex-atmosphere... shockwave creating minimal disturbance to orbital track_

7H475 WH47 1 W45 PL4NN1NG 70 73LL Y0U B3F0R3 Y0U D3C1D3D 70 7HR0W 4R4N34 1N MY F4C3 7H15 3V3N1NG 5YH4L3 15 7H3R3 Y35 7H3Y H4V3 74K3N 7H3 5H1P5 7H3 R3B3L5 W3R3 U51NG 70 5HU77L3 B37W33N 15L4ND5 H3 H45 51X B4TTL35H1P5 0N H4ND 1N C453 7H3 R3B3L5 4773MP7 70 1N73RC3PT

    “That should be adequate.  Tell me, Tuna... you were a prominent figure in an ill-fated rebellion once upon a time.  Were you quietly hoping this one would succeed?”

_negative pitch 0.01025 detected ... adjusting course to compensate_

N07H1NG QU137 4B0U7 17 0F C0UR53 1 W45 7H3R35 N07H1NG 3L53 Y0U C4N D0 70 M3 F0R S4Y1NG S0

    She squinted at him.  “Is that what you think?  You’re lucky I’m in such a good mood, chum, or else I’d show you that you’re roefully wrong about that.”

_course correction complete... vessel fully stabilized_

1M 50RRY

    “Clam right you are!  Now, let me know as soon as you do when Syhale gets back to Capitol with this shitblood rabble-rouser.  I’m curious to see who had the globes to even try another uprising; someone who obviously wasn’t alive for the last one, I’d wager.  Maybe we can even swim home for a visit; I can bring him up here for a tour... I’m sure he’d just LOVE to see you!  Ooh, maybe he’s a goldblood with psionic powers?  I bet he’d just jump at the chance to have your job!”

_origin point of missile detected... firing low yield tactical neutron weapon in response as per standing order_

7H3 0NLY W4Y H3D JUMP 47 7H47 15 1F Y0U J4BB3D H1M W17H Y0UR 7R1D3N7

    At first Meenah bared her sharp teeth in a snarl but that softened into a smile, but one that still had a distinct edge to it.  “There’s the Tuna I know and love: full of wit.  Or something that rhymes with that.  Anyway, I’m gonna go have a chat with some of our ‘guests’ down below in the brig and see if I can learn about some other lovely planets nearby that we can offer our unique brand of assistance to.  You just keep on doing laps around this rock until we’re ready to move onto the next one, which I’m shore shouldn’t be too much longer.”  She kissed his cheek, the one that she hadn’t marred with scratches, and then lightly nipped at his ear.  If there was any sign of pleasure or pain from Mituna it wasn’t visible on his face, but Meenah really didn’t look that long for one knowing full well his face was all but immobilized anyway.   “Keep up the exshellent work,” she said almost jauntily and then set off through the doors that led to the transport tubes.  

_sensor analysis of tactical response complete... target destroyed_

L1K3 1 H4V3 4 CH01C3

 

 

 

Aranea Serket awoke with a start; a spasm so violent, her whole body twitched.  She sat up and tried to get her bearings, difficult in a dark respiteblock but made slightly easier by her ability to do an empathic sweep of the area.  No one here who shouldn’t be, she thought as she used her right hand to pull off the damp clinging to her back.   _I’m sweating like Zahhak... and it’s not even that hot in here.  Why?_  

    She raised her left hand to adjust the sheets but a distinct stickiness alerted her that this might not be a good idea.   _What the... ohhhhhhhh.  That was a dream, all right.  But why was it about HER?  And AGAIN?  Probably just some kind of tension considering what we’re about to take part in... which reminds me..._

    A glance at the softly glowing chronometer on her wooden daystand told her what she already suspected: she was wide awake a couple of hours before she wanted to be.   _Drat.  Up too soon.  No surprise, though; never could sleep for shit before something like this.  Might as well see if I can slip out for a shower without awakeni-_

    “Aranea?” came a mumbled voice beside her.  “You up?  Is it time?”

    _So much for that._  “I am and not yet, dear heart.  Still a couple of hours to go.  Try and get some more sleep, okay?”  Aranea reached over and touched Porrim Maryam’s face but forgot about what her fingers bore.  “Oh shit!  Sorry about that...”

    This elicited nothing more than a soft chuckle from her matesprit.  “Somebody’s been trying to relieve their tension, I gather.”  She reached over and draped her left arm over Aranea’s thighs and let her fingers drift lightly over the bare skin she found there.  “Can I help?”

    At first, Aranea was about to gently decline but reconsidered.   _Maybe the best way to chase away dreams of Meenah would be to lose myself with the woman I love._    
“Perhapssssssss...”  She parted her legs enough to let Porrim have access to her decidedly aroused places and tried to relax enough to enjoy the jadeblood’s touches.   _I know this isn’t how either of us wanted to spend our fiftieth sweepiversary, my love, but I swear I will make it up to you once this is all over and done with._

_I’ve already told you a thousand times, Aranea, don’t worry about it.  It’s not like you got to choose the night the Navy made their move.  If we can find some new allies because of this, all the better._

    Aranea let a soft sigh escape as she felt the waves of pleasure that accompanied what Porrim was doing to her seedflap.   _I have no guarantees about the ‘allies’ part of this.  Considering that we’ve been almost at odds, chasing the same resources, I couldn’t help but wonder if the person running the Reapers was waxing black for me or something._

_Somebody needs to relax,_ Porrim thought and let her fingers explore a little further and deeper.

    _You’re right, of course.  Keep doing that and I might just be able to do soooooooo..._

_And if you sit up a bit higher, I will be able to._

    Using her back and the bedframe to lever herself up, Aranea did so.  As Porrim continued to pleasure her, she let her left hand drift idly through her matesprit’s hair.   _You wear it longer now, fuller than it was when we met,_ she thought to herself, keeping her thoughts guarded as best she could.   _Reminds me of how I used to wear my own when I was with she-who-I’d-rather-not-think-about.  It’s taken some getting used to on my part but if it makes you happy, that’s all that matters.  I do love that little upswept part at the back you make though... kinda like thi-oh shit..._

    “Porrim?”

    “Mmhmm?”

    “I forgot what was on my left hand.  You’re gonna need a shower after this.”

    With a quick chuckle, the jadeblood gently withdrew her fingers from Aranea and then shifted herself over to rest on her elbows between her lover’s thighs.  “Trust me, Rae, I fully expected that was going to be the case as soon as I started...”

    When Porrim’s lips picked up where her fingers left off, Aranea closed her eyes and let her hand move from Maryam’s hair to one of her horns.   _And a pet name!  Who ever thought I’d get one from you.  How far you’ve come, dear heart._

_Indeed,_ came the silent reply, _And it’s your turn now..._

_So it is, my love... so it issssssss..._

 


	35. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fifty sweeps have since Aranea and Porrim became matesprits. In this time, Mindfang's approach to being a Gamblignant captain has changed significantly and her First Officer, Porrim Maryam, have taken to making the Imperial Navy's life absolutely miserable. However, her goal on this mission is not solely irritating Fleet Admiral Syhale, but to wrest a particular political prisoner from his clutches...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This picks right up after the revealed timejump and introduces a "new" character. What those quotation marks mean is that this Alyssm Waleti belongs to my dear friend, moirail and editor, [Mercale](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercale/pseuds/Mercale). Waleti was my favourite of her OCs and I swore I would find a great place for her in this world as well. If you'd like to find out more about her, please check out Mercale's "Lives Under The Pink Moon" series and look for "Doomed To Dream" ([Doomed To Dream](http://archiveofourown.org/works/558500/chapters/996467)). As for me personally, writing has been slow (I did write a new short story for FFX fans this month) but I'm on the bring of finishing a new chapter and hope to get going on the next couple ASAP; my buffer is quickly eroding! Things have been most challenging lately but I will do my best to keep at it. I know how this is all going to play out; I just need to give it the life it deserves! Thanks again for your patience and especially your encouragement! :D

**34.**  
  
    “See, this is proof right here that lowbloods are truly our inferiors.  They’re so damned predictable.”  
  
    Fleet Admiral Malwil Syhale used his long, sharpened fingernail to point out the targets on the main display screen that were approaching from their left flank.  As if they weren’t painfully obvious to the person he was pointing them out to, but Captain Alyssm Waleti was getting quite used to being talked down to by those of greater rank than her own, especially as of late.  “It would appear your tactical analysis was correct, but considering the multiple successful sorties against Navy vessels that the Reapers were able to conduct prior to your taking their leader into custody, to underestimate their capabilities would be perilous.”  
  
    Syhale let a puff of exasperation escape his lips; Waleti found the accompanying sound that escaped his gills almost comical but there was not way she would dare to allow herself so much as a smirk in his presence as to do so would be potentially fatal.  “This is how I can tell you’ve spent far too much time around them: you actually believe that they’re more than they are.  They’re criminals, plain and simple; you’ve obviously seen more than your share of that kind of behaviour.”  His violet eyes flicked over her lithe form and rested on her rank insignia, and then to the special bands that adorned the breast of her uniform.  “You’re the Chief Navy Enforcer and yet you didn’t start out at sea, did you?”  
  
    “No, Sir,” she replied curtly.  She knew he had read the book on her and his constant comments about the ineptitude of landdwellers, even those that would still be considered highbloods like herself thanks to the indigo blood that coursed through her, only confirmed that despite her high ranking, he would never see her as anything but fodder.  She spent sweeps as a Military Enforcer, acting to police the soldiers in the various divisions of the Condesce’s forces; usually this meant keeping lowbloods from acting out against each other or, more importantly, their highblood commanders.  The strength her indigo blood provided her was often enough of a deterrent to those planning such a crime but her sharp, analytical mind gave her an advantage that many of her fellow Enforcers lacked and this propelled her to the upper echelon of her chosen profession.  When the position for the top job for the Naval Enforcer Squadron came open, she leapt at it but found at times that she might not have thought that decision through when it came to having to put up with more than her share of seadwellers who considered her no better than the lowbloods she was tasked to pacify.  What the violetbloods didn’t know (and couldn’t be bothered to understand, she believed) was that much of the issues the rank and file had could be solved the majority of the time through rational discussion.  Often the threat of force was as effective as its application and the lowbloods were far more intelligent than the seadwellers gave them credit for; her opinion of them was much higher than Syhale’s but she felt it prudent to keep that opinion to herself for the time being.  This man was, after all, the highest ranking military officer on the entire planet; the ludicrous amount of golden accents and insignia that adorned his violet tunic reminded her of this.  
  
    “Pretty obvious.  Otherwise you’d know that a few little victories hardly win a war.  I’ve studied naval tactics for THOUSANDS of sweeps.  There isn’t a damn thing these aimless fools could do that could possibly surprise me.”  
  
    Waleti tried and failed to keep her left eyebrow from rising but the Admiral had already moved on from his bluster and was entering a sequence of commands on the companel mounted to the arm of his seat on the bridge of the Violet Dominion.  “Admiral Nabbus, bring the _Insurmountable_ and _Redoubt_ out of the strait to intercept the rebel vessels at these coordinates.”  
  
    A few silent seconds brought palpable tension to all on the bridge who overheard Syhale’s order.  “Nabbus, get your damn ships on the move if you haven’t already.  Respond!”  
  
    “No reply from the _Insurmountable_ , sir,” was the only audible reply and it was from the communications officer.  
  
    “Obviously!  What the blue hells is going on out there?”  
  
    Waleti watched with curiousity as the snarl on the Fleet Admiral’s face grew more and more vicious.   _It would appear that your inherent belief in your highblooded ilk may not be as well founded as you suspected._    
  
    “Enemy vessels approaching, bearing two-four-zero, sir!”  
  
    “Get me a visual on them!  Now!”  
  
    A moment later, the operations officer called out “Drone away, sir!” as the screen lit up with the visuals the small silver sphere that was launched from the flagship provided.    
  
    “Let’s see what’s out there...”  Within seconds, the drone was able to focus on the approaching ships.  It was the one in the lead that was the most surprising to Syhale.  “The _Insurmountable_?  Attaboy, Nabbus; way to take them down!  He’s leading their captured vessels in.”  
  
    “Then why didn’t he respond to your hails, sir?” Waleti asked.  
  
    Before the Fleet Admiral could voice a reply, a shout came, “Sir!   _Insurmountable_ turning to port and firing on us!”  
  
    “WHAT?  EVASIVE MANOEUVERS!”    
  
    The call came too late; multiple missiles slammed into the side of the giant battleship, rendering much of its ability to return fire inoperable.  Syhale hammered his companel.  “Damn it, Nabbus!  What the actual fuck is going on there?”  
  
    “Sorry, Admiral Syyyyyyyyhale, but Admiral Nabbus is in disposal at the moment.”  
Waleti looked at the face on the main viewscreen but was unfamiliar with the blueblood who now sat in the captain’s chair of the Insurmountable.  Syhale, she noted, most definitely recognized her, however.  
  
    “YOU!  Of all the people on this planet, it had to be you!”  
  
    “Well, who ellllllllse would it be?” Mindfang purred.  
  
    “For a highblood, you must have serious pan damage trying a stunt like this!” he spat.  “And the phrase is ‘indisposed’, you blithering idiot!”  
  
    Marquise Spinneret Mindfang shook her head.  “No, Admiral, you can be certain my command of the Alternian language is beyond reproach.  I meant exactly what I said:  I put Nabbus in the garbage disposal.  Needless to say, he wouldn’t fit in the opening in one piece but you can be assured I made him fit, trust me.  Now, before you launch into some lengthy tirade about what you think you’re going to do to me, save your breath.  Here’s the deal: I want your ship, or what’s left of it, and I want your prisoners.  All of them.  You can hand them over without a fuss and I let you swim home with your fins still attached to your face, or,” she paused to flick the grey shriveled object hanging from a chain around her neck, “you can make a fuss and I’ll add your fins to my collection.  I’m sure Cronus Ampora’s would love some company...”  
  
    Waleti had never seen such a bright violet shade on someone’s face before; she flinched as Syhale busted the arms off of his command chair, completely destroying his companel in the process.  “Now listen here you thieving whore, I...”  
  
    “Excuse you, who are you calling a whore?  My buckets are certainly not for sale.  And if you’re planning on waxing black for me, Admiral, allow me to remind you what happened to the last violetblood who tried to romance me.”  Mindfang jiggled the chain for effect once again; Waleti couldn’t help but be impressed by this strange woman’s blatant defiance of the Admiralty.  “Now, the ship and the prisoners.  Let’s go; I don’t have all night.”  
  
    One of the more junior admirals looked to Syhale and whispered, “You remember what the Condesce said about engaging Mindfang, sir?”  
  
    Without so much as a second of pause, Fleet Admiral Syhale threw the remnants of his armrests to the deck and snarled, “Both her and Mindfang can lick my globes!”  He faced the screen and shouted, “I have an entire fleet at my command!  You want them?  Come and get them!”  
  
    A wide grin spread across Mindfang’s face.  “Oh, Admiral, I thought you’d never aaaaaaaask.”  The screen winked out, replaced with the view from the airborne drone which showed numerous ships, many looking like wooden vessels but others being obviously hijacked Navy ships, but now bearing names like _8etrayer_ and _Sea 8andit_ sprayed upon the sides.  Waleti contemplated pointing out to Syhale that he technically no longer had an entire fleet at his disposal, but again decided she liked life enough to keep this thought inside her thinkpan as well.    
  
    “Weapons officer!  Damage report!” Syhale thundered.  
  
    “Batteries three through eight are offline; torpedo tubes loaded and ready.”  She stopped before continuing.  “ _Magenta_ -class missiles are online...”  
  
    “No need for atomics at this range,” the Admiral answered and the weapons officer breathed a quiet sigh of relief that despite Syhale’s fury, rational thought hadn’t been discarded entirely.  “Target those wooden shitrafts with the functional batteries.  Contact Admiral Sennol; have him bring the Sixth Fleet to intercept from Port Besaida - and get Captain Vancou and his destroyers to engage the hijacked ships at close range; I want those ones BACK!  Show those Gamblignants that what was stolen can be reobtained.”  He stalked towards the viewscreen and then snapped his head back in Waleti’s direction.  “Go make sure the prisoners are alive and well secured.”  
  
    “Yes, sir,” she answered and set off to do so.  
  
    “The word you’re looking for is ‘ _AYE_ , sir’, Waleti.  This is a Navy vessel, not some platoon of muckwading shitblood infantry.  The sooner you learn that, the sooner you’ll stop sticking out like a sore thumb.”  
  
    “Aye, sir,” she replied with all the emphasis on the first word as she could muster, which was rather little.    
  
  
  
  
    Marquise Spinneret Mindfang watched anxiously out the window on the bridge of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ , waiting for the opportunity to move in on the giant battleship only a few kilometers ahead.   _So close..._  “Has Bycros cut off the right flank yet?”  
  
    “Not yet, Captain,” answered the ops officer, “but he’s only got the one destroyer left to deal with as far as I can see.”  
  
    “Doddering old fuck.  I thought I taught him better than that.”  She chuckled to herself and placed her hand on the hilt of her cobalt blue sword.    
  
    Porrim Maryam shared that laugh with her matesprit but kept it quiet.  Niedys Bycros was one of their more daring captains and despite his age starting to show, she knew full well that he was engaging everything and anything that floated in the _Head8reaker IV.  Aranea would say that he drives that battleship like a destroyer; from what I’ve seen, I’d be inclined to agree.  He’s always been impetuous, even when I first met him, but then, it’s served both him and Aranea well.  A little luck never hurt, either, I suppose._  She stepped up beside Aranea and took her right hand.  “I suspect you did.  No one else in their right pan would wade into a flotilla of destroyers like that and emerge intact... save for you.”  
  
    Mindfang blinked deliberately at Porrim and grinned.  “You’re just saying that because it’s true, dear heart.”  She let her eye trace from their joined hands up Maryam’s forearm, decorated along it’s entire length with a tattoo that wound around it, under the short sleeve of Porrim’s blouse and culminating at the jadeblood’s breastbone as half of the symbol of the Signless; the matching one on her right arm formed the other half and Aranea was always amazed that her lover had found the courage to get a tattoo of such a significant size.   _But then, no one was more significant in her life than he – not even I.  Besides, the one of my symbol that covers most of the back of her right hand is pretty stunning, too._  
   
    This isn’t the time to be eyeing me up, Rae, came a thought in reply.   _I thought you got your share of that before the sun set?_  
  
    You should know by know that I’m insatiable, love.  My lust for you is matched only by my lust for sending finfaces to the bottom of the sea.  I’m sad that so many good sailors have to go down with them, but if we can take as many of their ships as possible and get our hands on those prisoners before Syhale does something stupid, I will consider this a successful mission.  And then I will do far, far more than eye you up.  Aranea winked at Porrim this time for emphasis.  
  
    _Let’s worry about getting through this night alive first, shall we?  I have a feeling I’m going to be awfully busy well into the morning..._  
  
    This is likely.  I’ll need your skills as Chief Healthtender more than your First Officer ones tonight but then, you were always better at that.  
  
    Hey!  I can run the ship just fine now.  I take my watch on the bridge just like everyone else! Porrim protested mentally.  
  
    _Yes, yes, but you know and I know that you’ll be getting your hands literally dirty tonight.  Let’s wrap this up as quickly as possible._  “Kanmil,” Mindfang called to her goldblooded helmsman, “as soon as Captain Bycros gives the signal, pull up alongside that shitraft.  You’ll be in charge as Porrim and I will be in the boarding party; be prepared for an immediate departure if need be.”  
  
    Inegev Kanmil nodded his acknowledgement and keyed in his course sequence.  “Aye, Keptan.  Ready when he say,” he answered in his heavily accented Alternian.    
  
    “Gooooooood.  Come, Porrim, let’s gather our party and prepare to board.  I’ll take a battleship with a few holes in it if need be.”  
  
  
  
  
    “You know, I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but I wish this were a swordfight,” Porrim groused as she reflexively raised her hand to shield her face from the debris the latest violet energy pulse created.    
  
    Mindfang peered out from behind a bulkhead and fired off a pair of bursts of her own that found their targets.  “I understand entirely.  I’ve never been a fan of these things but then, one shouldn’t bring a sword to a gunfight.  The good news is you have a gun to bring!”  
  
    Porrim adjusted the strap that held her weapon around her shoulder.  “Mr. Pulse Rifle and I have developed a decent relationship, yes, but only out of necessity.”  
  
    “I still can’t believe you named that fucking thing...”  
  
    “I didn’t!  Felida called it that on the night we consummated our kismesissitude and it just sort of... stuck?”  
  
    “You name swords, Porrim, not guns.”  She flattened herself back behind the metal wall as another volley of energy fire tore through the night air.  “Guns have no soul; swords are an extension of the person who wields them.”  
  
    “By that logic, wouldn’t that be like naming your arm, then?”  Porrim asked as she lay down on the deck in preparation for taking a few shots of her own.  
  
    “Of course not!  Who in their right pan would do something like that?  I swear, love, you come up with some of the strangest ideas.  Get ready to roll out on my mark: one... two... eight!”  
  
    _And you think I have some strange ideas?_  On Aranea’s count, Porrim rolled out along the deck and fired a burst of shots at the legs of their assailants.   _At least I can treat those wounds if need be; shots to the torso tend to kill._  As the Navy soldiers fell, Mindfang made a dash towards the bridge door.   _Dammit, Rae, wait for me!_ she thought, quickly scrambling to her feet.  
  
    _I can sense where the guards are, Porrim, relax.  I’m sure there’s a shitload of violetbloods in there but we’ll wait for our crew to join us before I bust in, have no fear.  I haven’t stayed alive this long by being completely foolish._  
  
    No, of course not; it just looks that way to the untrained eye.  
  
    Shush, youuuuuuuu!  That snark is going to get you in trouble one of these nights.  
  
    Porrim opened her mouth to answer verbally but was interrupted by a moan from behind her.  She turned to see one of the fallen Navy men, his wounds leaking a rather bright red shade for a maroonblood, trying to struggle to his feet.  She couldn’t help but notice how the black and red uniform seemed to drape on him.   _Whoever is outfitting these guys is doing a terrible job of it._  Her next assessment was of how badly he was injured.   _All limbs present and accounted for; most of his cuts seem to have been inflicted by either shrapnel or possibly even falling into something?_  A quick glance to her left revealed a shattered wooden crate that answered the question for her.  "Shhh... relax,” Porrim whispered as she knelt down beside him, “Let me take a quick look at that leg of yours.”    
  
    He didn’t say a word but watched in wide-eyed silence as the jadeblood gently moved his torn uniform to get a better view of the depth of the cuts on his thigh.  He winced as she moved the leg itself and this spoke to her of something more concerning.  
  
    “Mostly superficial,” Porrim said, “but I think your leg is broken below the knee.  I wouldn’t try to walk for now but let me see if I can give you something for the pain, okay?”  She reached into the small pouch on her hip and withdrew a small plastic cylinder containing simple white tablets.  “Take this and keep that leg steady, all right?  Sorry I don’t have any water for you.”  Once he had taken the pill from her and forced it down with an audible swallow, she gently patted his head and stood up.  “Stay here; we’ll come back for you.”  Porrim wasn’t certain if the look on his face was one of silent thanks or outright awe, but she was quite sure that he believed her.    
  
    Aranea said nothing to distract her matesprit from attending to the injured young fellow.  Even though he was wearing a Navy uniform, she was quite sure that the lowblood would be more than amenable to switching sides thanks in no small part to Porrim’s medical administrations.  Mindfang had seen Porrim do this thousands of times over the sweeps; the results nearly always resulted in an addition to her crew, for which she was ever grateful.   _Loyalty earned is even stronger than loyalty coerced.  If it wasn’t for her kindpusheredness, I never would have believed that possible._    
  
    Porrim checked to her left and right before darting back to Aranea’s position; four more members of their boarding party appeared from behind the bulkhead closer to the bow and joined up with them.  Mindfang didn’t bother asking them where the other two were; a quick scan of their minds confirmed the reason for their absence.   _I should be glad we only lost two but still...  All right, here’s the plan: we blow the door and fire from crouched position.  I will relay to you where the guards I can sense are.  Dealing with highblood resistance will be more difficult but leave any hand to hand engagement to me.  If you encounter an Admiral, try and take him alive.  At least, try a little harder than usuallllllll..._  
  
    Her crew had a quick chuckle at this and then moved into cover positions while one of their number planted a series of small charges around the perimeter of the bridge access door.  A few seconds later, the deck shook with the detonation; a smoking aperture remained where the steel door stood.  As the Gamblignants poured in, Porrim overheard another groan; she looked over to see one of the bolts that held the doorframe had gone airborne and struck the poorly dressed Navy crewman she had just treated a few moments ago – he was now unconscious on the floor with a large reddish welt on his forehead.   _Aranea?  I know you’re busy but that guy I just helped isn’t dead, is he?_  
  
    What?  Oh... nope, just out cold.  Cover my back, love.  
  
    As Aranea followed her crew into the bridgeblock, Porrim raised her pulse rifle and swept her gaze back and forth before following suit.  Within a few moments, the firefight was over but the sound of Mindfang cursing caught Porrim’s attention.  “What’s the matter?”  
  
    “No Syhale.  Where did that finfaced windbag get to?”  
  
    Porrim thought for a moment but before she could vocalize it, her matesprit had already picked up on it.  “Djoran, what deck is the brig on?”  
  
    Djoran Lebere, an orangeblood with deft hands and computer skills to match, sat down at one of the bridge consoles and called up the information.  “Deck Twelve, Starboard side towards the stern.”  He frowned and then added, “Damage control readout shows that area has received some damage in our initial attack.”  
  
    Mindfang scowled.  “Drat.  Here’s hoping my luck holds and the prisoners survived.  I hope your buddies Rolyat and Rhyane have cleared out the resistance below.  Porrim, Djoran, Nayeel, you’re with me.  The rest of you, hold the bridge and let me know if any other Navy ships decide to suddenly ride to the rescue!”  Their reply was barely heard over the rapid staccato the Marquise’s scarlet boots tapped out as she hurried out the still smoking doorway with those tasked to follow hot on her heels.    
  
  
  
  
    “What a bloody mess,” Malwil Syhale complained, stepping over pieces of shattered bulkheads and twisted metal.  “Maybe that blueblooded seacow did me a favour and killed these insurgents for me.”  
  
    Alyssm Waleti was about to say something to the effect of how unfortunate that would be considering the orders he was given to deliver them alive but the thud of an explosion above them left those words unsaid, cast aside in favour of, “I suspect that indicates they’ve penetrated the bridgeblock door.”  
  
    Syhale bristled.  “Oh, have no doubt I will make them pay for this.  Dearly.”  He backhanded a cluster of wires from his path and surveyed the damage to brigblock ahead:  none of the guards stirred but then, neither did the prisoners they were charged to keep from escaping... save for three.  “Aw, look.  Something wicked this way squirms.”  The Fleet Admiral drew a hooked blade from his boot and stepped between the twisted remains of the bars.  “Guess we’ll just have to tell Condy that her beloved Gamblignant bitch killed them all.”   He raised the weapon and looked over to the softly moaning bronzeblood man on the deck before him.  “Especially you.  You’ve spilled more than your share of violet blood the last couple of sweeps.  Maybe I should give you some makeshift gills and see if you can breathe underwater...”  Syhale kneeled beside the prisoner and aimed the knife at the man’s ribs, fully intending to slit the skin just above his grublegs when the crackle of an energy weapon passing awfully close to his fins made him stop abruptly.  He expected to see Mindfang or one of her pirates standing behind him but was decidedly shocked to see only Captain Waleti, her sidearm drawn and pointed squarely at his head.    
  
    “Step away from the prisoners, sir.”  
  
    Where the expression on Syhale’s face was one of surprise a few moments prior, now only the snarl of derision remained.   “Do you realize what you’ve just done?”  
  
    “Certainly.  I’ve kept you from not only disobeying a direct order from Her Imperious Condescension, but from murdering an unarmed prisoner under your care.  There is no honour to be had in that.”  
  
    “There’s a reason he’s a prisoner,” the Admiral began as he rose to his feet, never taking his eyes off of Waleti’s deep blue ones.  “This man was responsible for the death of many Navy officers, including people you represent as Chief Naval Enforcer!  Condy’s just going to kill him anyway; this is merely delaying the inevitable!  I want his life in exchange for those highbloods who demand justice!”  
  
    “We have orders from the one person who outranks you, Admiral,” Waleti said icily.  “And even then, the idea of killing someone barely conscious couldn’t possibly appeal to your sense of honour.”  
  
    “Honour?” he barked.  “This is a shitblood!  He HAS no honour!  He’s just a filthy animal like the rest of them!  They hatch, they serve, they fill pails and they die!  They’re like bubbles in the water: short-lived and utterly worthless, unlike you and me!”  
  
    “You’re right on exactly one thing: they serve.  That doesn’t make them worthless.  The only lives you seem to care about are the ones that bleed violet and rest are irrelevant.  I’ve spent most of my life with those enlisted lowbloods, sir, and while you think of them as nothing but fodder and criminals, even those I had to physically stand between or defend in a courtblock were people and more often than not, good people pushed too far in a society that deemed them unworthy of the justice you speak of.  I’m taking a stand here, Admiral:  it’s your life or his.  Make for the exit, head down to your sub and escape; this ship is lost to you.  If you stab any of these prisoners, I will shoot you and I will be exonerated as I was acting in defence of an Imperial Edict.  This is your choice to make; I suggest you make it swiftly.  Sir.”  
  
    Waleti was quite certain from the way Syhale’s eyes flicked between her own and the weapon she had trained on him that he was calculating his odds of successfully killing her before she could fire on him but she kept both her gaze and her sidearm locked on and waited for him to even dare to move towards her.  Not a word was spoken; barely a spare breath passed between them.  The ship shook again as another internal explosion rocked it but neither she nor Syhale flinched or even moved.    
  
    After what could have been hours to Captain Waleti, Syhale ever so slowly withdrew his blade from the bronzeblood’s torso and replaced it in his boot before rising to his full height.  “You better hope that when that wretched Gamblignant gets down here that she empties your innards onto the deck because if she doesn’t, I’ll make certain that someone does.  You understand that, right?”  
  
    “Perfectly.”  She considered adding the ‘sir’ but elected not to, knowing full well the effect it would have on him.    
  
    “Don’t think for a moment I don’t mean that.  I’ll have the Grand Highblood himself send someone to find you and when they do, they’ll bring you to me and I will use this knife of mine to eviscerate you.  They’ll be scraping your guts off of the ceiling for wee-”  
  
    “Would you prefer to keep your fins attached to your face or not?” Waleti interrupted. “Leave.  Now.  While you still can.”  
  
    The look Admiral Syhale gave her was death given a face and he never took his violet eyes from her, even as she stepped aside to permit him egress.  No further words were said; a moment later he was gone as though he’d never been there.  It took almost two minutes for Alyssm Waleti to finally lower her weapon though - just in case Syhale changed his mind and returned to follow through on his threat - and she attended to the three prisoners who she had just thrown away her entire career to save.   _I know I did the right thing.  I just hope I can ensure their survival.  I gather Mindfang must want them quite badly... especially this one._  She crouched down and placed her fingers on the neck of the bronzeblooded young man who nearly lost his life at the hands of the Fleet Admiral.   _Still a pulse.  Poor man had no idea just how close he came to his demise.  Truly lucky, this one._    
  
    A cool sensation tickled the back of her bare neck and as she reached up to brush it away, a woman’s cool voice spoke behind her, “Step away from the prisoners and I might just consider not decorating what’s left of this brigblock in a lovely indigo shade.”

 


	36. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyssm Waleti discovers that the enemy of her enemy is her friend. Mindfang and Porrim prepare to face the full force of the Navy's counterattack but luckily Aranea has an ace in the hole...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fun with Waleti; the responses to her have been decidedly positive which makes my day. However, while writing scenes from Waleti's perspective as an outsider is fun, I spent some time with Aranea and Porrim to show how their dynamic has evolved as well; there's LOTS more to come in that department, too. Probably going to update twice a month for now, but good news: I've written a couple of new chapters the last little while so there is some progress again!

   
 ** 35. **

    “I suppose that would be the muzzle of an AH-413 Pulse Rifle Mark X being pressed against the back of my head...” Waleti answered as she slowly raised her hands.

    After a moment of silence, a different voice whispered, “She’s right... at least I think she’s right.  Is she right?”

    “Dammit, Porrim, who cares?” came a harsher whisper.  “Lucky guess.  That or indigobloods have a third eye in the back of their heads I didn’t know about.”  Waleti felt the hard object poke her in the back this time.  “On your feet, gun nut!  And keep those hands up there while I help myself to yourrrrrrrrs.”

    Waleti felt her sidearm being quickly stripped from its holster and realized all she had to work with now was her wits.  This is either going to work out very well or extremely poorly but I suspect it should lean towards the former.  “Based on the fact that you were willing to use your cohort’s name in my presence, you either intend to kill me or you are at ease with my presence.  It would be greatly appreciated if you made your intentions clear as soon as possible.”

    “Well, that depends,” replied the first voice, “Do you happen to know where Super Duper God Admiral Chumpail slithered off to?”  A tittering laugh from the second voice followed this.  “You have no idea how pleased I am that I can still make you make that sound, dear heart.  You know I do that entirely for your benefit.  Anyway, have you an answer for me, Captain?”  

   The last word was almost spat and Waleti was reasonably certain that the person behind her was Marquise Spinneret Mindfang herself.   _Even a blueblood would have no chance of becoming a naval Captain; she wears her self-appointed rank with pride and her disdain for mine stems from the bloodcaste system we have in place.  I need to earn her trust somehow._  “I just traded his life for the lives of those soon-to-be former prisoners.  The weapon you just helped yourself to was instrumental in convincing him to reconsider butchering them where they lay.  I refused to stand and watch people being killed simply because their blood wasn’t a certain shade.  If you wish to try and capture him, he’s on his way to the escape sub under the ship, but knowing Syhale, he’ll activate the self destruct sequence as soon as he’s clear so if the lives of these people are as important to you as you infer, I suggest we evacuate them and ourselves as swiftly as possible.”

    There was a thoughtful pause before an answer came.  “Very well.  First, you should know that I have changed the command codes of this ship so that he won’t be able to blow it up.”

    This caught Waleti entirely off guard, which was a highly unusual occurrence.  She looked back over her shoulder without thinking, which allowed her to confirm the identity of the woman behind her as Mindfang.  “What?  How is that possible?”

    “That’s for me to know and you not to find out.”  The Marquise offered a pointy grin and continued, “Secondly, if what you’re telling me is the truth, you certainly don’t strike me as the usual kind of highblood.  It’s not every night that someone who holds such a position in the Condesce’s forces – and yes, I know what your insignia represents – gets to hold that position without being more than a little bit of a hemohierarchist.  Colour me impressed or easily fooled.  Note that I’m almost never fooled and even less so easily.”  

    “Rest assured I’m not the type to partake in foolishness, Marquise.  And yes, I know full well who you are.  To be honest, I suspect I’m a lot less likely to hear insults about my blood colour from you than I would be from Admiral Syhale.  I’ve done my best to help those under my care receive as fair a trial as I could; all that has ever mattered to me was the truth.  There are those with purple and violet blood that respected that, believe it or not.  Now, would you like my assistance in tending to those in this brigblock who require aid or should we continue discussing the legitimacy of my ascendance to this position?”

    It only took a few moments for Waleti to feel the muzzle of the weapon that was being pressed into her back to be removed.  “I don’t think that will be necessary.  Go ahead, Porrim.”

    The jadeblood hurried over to the forms slumped over in the debris and began checking their vitals.  “As far as I can tell, there are only three survivors.  No serious injuries that I can detect, thankfully.  I’m going to need assistance in moving them back to the ship.”

    “I will assist you if you’ll permit me,” Waleti offered.  

    “You can grab that big chunk of fudge, then.”  Mindfang pointed to the large orangeblooded male laying nearly upside down in what was left of a bulkhead.  “I’ll take this fellow here,” she added as she reached down and carefully lifted the young bronzeblood.  “Porrim, I’m going to leave the woman there for you to stabilize; she looks like she’s lost a lot of blood.”

    “It’s not as bad as it looks, actually; if I didn’t know better, I’d say her hair is actually dyed red, not blood covered.  In fact, I’d go so far as to suggest they all do it.”

    Mindfang took a glimpse of the hair on the head of the man she was carrying:  there were three distinct stripes of bright red running through it.  “You might be on to something, my sweet.   Good catch!”  

    As Waleti lifted the larger lowblood from his position, she examined his hair and found a bright shock of red in it as well.   _I have to give them credit; they pay attention to their surroundings.  But then, I don’t suspect they wouldn’t have lived as long as they have if they didn’t!_  “This one’s hair sports a similar shade.”

    “Well, what do you know?  Do you need help with moving her, Porrim?”

    “Actually, she’s quite stable.  It’s the fellow that was knocked out a couple of decks above that I ought to carry; his injuries were more extensive.  Any chance you can get Rolyat down her to carry her?”

    “Unnecessary.  I can assist.”  Once Waleti had the massive male draped over her shoulder, she crouched down and accepted the much smaller form of the maroonblooded woman from Porrim and then rose with no visible sign of being physically overtaxed.  

    “Hm.”  Mindfang smirked at the ease the indigoblood was able to handle both of her charges.  “Okay, follow me.  Let’s make for the upper decks and get off of this shitraft.”

    Waleti considered this.  “Do you not plan to conscript this vessel into your fleet?  The _Violet_ _Dominion_ is one of the most advanced ships in the Navy.”

    “Nope!  That’s exactly what they’d expect me to do.  What I intend to do, however, is set it up so that the first finface that tries to activate the main computer will trigger the self destruct mechanism.  If I’m lucky, it’ll be Syhale himself coming back to regain his beloved ship.  If I’m not that lucky, it’ll be some other violetblood sycophant looking to score points with the Fleet Admiral by rescuing it from the clutches of the foul Gamblignants.  Either way, I win.”

    “I see.  When you put it that way, I suppose you’re right.”

    As Mindfang led them into the hallway, gingerly stepping over the wreckage at her feet, she added, “I didn’t stay alive this long by doing what others expected me to do, Captain.  If you’re going to stick with me, you’ll need to learn to think that way as well.  That being said, I suspect you’re already well on your way; I bet Syhale didn’t see your change of heart coming at all!”

    “He certainly didn’t... but what makes you think I’ll be sticking with you?”

    “Pleeeeeeeease.  You just turned your back on the highest ranking person on the planet; without help, your lifespan will be measured in moments.  You’re an outlaw now, like it or not.  Welcome to my world... er, what was your name?”

    “Waleti.  Alyssm Waleti.”

    “Alyssm.  What a lovely name.”

    “You do have a matesprit, remember?” came a voice from behind them.

    “Oh, relax, Porrim.  We’re just making a new friend.  You have as much to worry about me falling for her as you would for me falling for this fellow with the ridiculous horns that I have flopped over my shoulder.”

    “I know.  Just bugging you is all.”  

    Mindfang chuckled.  “I’ve got Djoran and Nayeel securing the _Fool’s Gam8it_ alongside this ship.  Rolyat and Rhyane report there is no further resistance; let’s get ourselves and these folks out of here before the rest of the Navy decides to show up.”

    Waleti was trying to figure out how Mindfang had communicated with these people she spoke of but was interrupted by a clunking sound from below.  “That will be the escape sub.”

    “So be it.  Syhale wasn’t our primary target; these people we have literally in hand were what we came for.”  Mindfang took to the stairs and pointed out places where the indigoblood would have to step cautiously.    

    As they rounded the corner at the top of the stairs to the upper deck, Porrim discovered the injured crewman she had left behind was still there, unconscious.  She examined him and discovered he was still breathing.   _Excellent... you’re coming with me._  She made certain his broken limb was secured and then lifted him up in her arms.   _Even for a maroonblood, you’re rather small... not much bigger than Kankri._  She moved as swiftly as she could to the gangplank that rested between the battleship and the vessel she now considered as much of a home as any hive.   _Almost there... hey!  You know, for someone who’s supposedly out cold, you’re a bit grabby, but then you’ve probably suffered a severe concussion as well; you’re not likely steering your own ship right now, to use one of Aranea’s sayings._  Porrim gently shifted him in her arms to dislodge his hands from her breasts.  “Take them directly to my sickbay!” she shouted.

    “Where else would I take them, dear heart?  My respiteblock?  Wait, don’t answer that...”

    Porrim made an exaggerated sigh and shook her head.  Waleti said nothing but simply observed their peculiar dynamic.   _What a strange pair of matesprits,_ she thought _.  But then, it takes all kinds._  She watched as the last of Mindfang’s crew returned from the battleship carrying as many guns and supplies as they could carry.   _I suppose they are Gamblignants, after all.  It’s not like they can go shopping in the Capitol’s finer districts._  

    ”Pull in the plank!  Let’s sail!”  Mindfang shouted.  “Follow me, Alyssm; Sickbay is down these stairs.”  

    Waleti wasn’t used to being addressed by her first name by those who she wasn’t very close with but she didn’t object; she was more interested in making sure the two people she had been encumbered with got where they needed to go.  One flight of wooden stairs and a left turn later, she found herself in what appeared to be a modern looking medical facility.   _I certainly didn’t expect anything of this magnitude on a vessel such as this!_  She waited for Mindfang to place the man she was carrying into a bed first, and then let the blueblood take the woman from her before finding an open bed for the hulking orangeblood on her right shoulder.  Waleti heard a soft click from behind her; she instinctively spun, calculating the probability that the Gamblignant captain had pulled a weapon but found instead that she had deployed a strange biotech cocoon around the maroonblooded woman, which began to fill with sopor slime.   _A recupracoon/bed hybrid?  I’ve never seen anything like that!_

    Porrim entered the medicalblock next and carefully placed her patient into the bed beside the bronzeblood Mindfang had been carrying.  Without any delay, she removed his ill-fitting Navy uniform, deployed the recupracoon-like shell around him and then set it to filling with the thick green liquid.  “That should hel- hey!  His hair has the same red shade as the others!”

    Both Mindfang and Waleti approached and looked as well.  “So he does!  Looks like we have a bit of a mystery on our hands, don’t weeeeeeee?”  A moment after these words crossed her lips, Mindfang’s head snapped up.  “What?  Damn!”  She turned and ran for the stairs.

    “What’s going on here?”  Waleti inquired.

    Porrim knew better than to reveal Aranea’s skills to a relative newcomer, especially one who was invulnerable to them.  “Let’s just say she has a means of discretely communicating with the crew.  Help me secure these other two and then we can head to the bridge and find out what has her so agitated.”

    “Based on what I know about Fleet Admiral Syhale, I suspect it may be that you’re going to have to fight your way out of this sector...”

 

 

 

    “Status report!”

    “Two battleships and six destroyers on intercept course, bearing zero-two-five, approaching at flank speed!” Inegev Kanmil moved over slightly to permit his captain a clear look at his console. “Time to intercept is five minutes, Keptan.”

    Mindfang closed her eyes.   _All ships!  Move to engage approaching Navy vessels.  Protect this flagship at all costs!  Kanmil, set course one-seven-eight, maximum speed!_  
     
    The goldblood’s fingers were entering the commands as soon as the Marquise finished the thought.  “Confirm destination is Base One, Keptan?”

    “Yes,” she said aloud.  “Prepare to engage cloaking and jamming as soon as able.”

    “Aye, Keptan.”

    _Horuss has that island cloaked; making my ship disappear was grub’s play.   I just hope we can get it hidden before some keen Navy officer determines my intended course._

    “Missile incoming!” Kanmil shouted.  “Time to im-"

    Mindfang silenced him mentally and had his hands flying over the weapons console.   _Come on…_  The sight of the guns appearing along the starboard side of the ship was quite welcome but she feared it would be too late.   _Worth a shot… FIRE!!!!!!!!_

    Bolts of blue energy lanced out from the cannons and Mindfang clutched on to the console, eyes unblinking as she watched out the window for that telltale explosion that would confirm her countermeasures had worked.  

    The explosion came but far closer to _Fool’s Gam8it_ than she expected; the ship rocked with the shock wave and threw her and her helmsman to the deck.  She was scrambling to her feet as she sent a query to her engineering crew.  

    _Far as I can tell, everything is down_ , came the reply from Lerach Reckut, her chief engineer.   _That blast wasn’t about explosive yield, it was about creating an EMP.  I bet we didn’t even hit the thing; it self-detonated!  They didn’t want to destroy us, Captain –_

_They want to board!  Shit! Everyone else is engaged with the primary fleet.  Well, well, Syhale, you’re not as dumb as I thought.  ALL HANDS!  PREPARE TO BE BOARDED!_

    Porrim appeared in the doorway.  “Did you just think what I thought you thought?”

    “What do you think, love?”  Mindfang hauled Inegev to his feet and then marched past her matesprit and out the door.  

    “I think I’d rather use my sword than Mr. Pulse Rifle this time.”

    “I think you’ve finally got this Gamblignant thing down, Porrim.”  She leaned back, gave her matesprit a quick kiss, and then hurried to the railing.  “Come!  We need to prepare our defenses.”

    “Aside from those energy cannons, which I gather are rendered as non-functional as the rest of the ship’s artillery, I assume our defenses consist of us holding a bunch of sharp objects?”

    Mindfang snorted.  “Well, of course!  I wouldn’t have it any other way!”  

    As they rounded the corner of the stern, they found Waleti already watching the navy vessels approaching.  “I fear my initial assessment of the situation was correct.”

    “Do you hear me complaining, Alyssm?  It’s been a while since my blade has seen action.”  In a fluid motion, Mindfang drew her long, hooked blue sword from its scabbard which caused Waleti to step back out of concern for losing a facial feature.  “Behold, _Spider8ite_!”

    Waleti looked at her blankly for a moment.  “You… named your sword?”

    Porrim smirked.  “It’s better than what she was going to name it.”

    “Youuuuuuuu be quiet!”

    “She was going to call it ‘ _8lue Steel_ ’.”

    Waleti arched an eyebrow.  “‘ _8lue Steel_?’”

    In reply, Mindfang tossed her mane and gave Alyssm Waleti a look that caused the indigoblood to attempt repress a smile, an attempt that ended in abject failure.  “Any sword worth its salt has a name, especially one as unique as this one,” Mindfang remarked as she adjusted her grip on the glowing cobalt blade.  

    “Well, if you wish for me to assist you in the defense of your vessel, I will require some form of armament.   Whether it has a name or not is irrelevant to me, but I have to admit that bladed weapons aren’t my strongest skillset.”

    As the rest of the crew of Fool’s Gam8it began to assemble on the deck, each brandishing a sword of some kind, Mindfang said, “We do tend to favour those around here, but perhaps we can accommodate unusual tastes.  Our pulse rifles have been rendered ineffective, but I’m sure you gathered that.”

    Waleti nodded.  “Indeed.  I am, however, rather proficient with polearms.”

    Mindfang pondered this for a moment.  “Inegev, grab the broom from the closet, will you?”

    “You mean the dustsweeper, Keptan?” he inquired.

    “I don’t give a squeakbeast’s ass what you call it back home, Kanmil, just get the bloody thing!  And hurry!”

    Without another word, he departed and was back seconds later holding what was, in fact, a broom.  “You have got to be kidding me,” Waleti muttered as he offered it to his captain.  

    “Watch this!” Mindfang exclaimed as she broke the bristled part off and tossed it aside.  “Ta-daaaaaaaa!  Instant polearm!”

    Porrim chuckled as she watched Waleti accept the makeshift weapon and examine it as though it might suddenly spring to life and bite her.  “It’s horribly unbalanced and far too light... but I suppose I can make it work.”

    “A good hivebuilder never blames her tools; make it work for you.”  Aranea ignored Waleti’s sigh and closed her eyes.   _I’m going to try something that worked for us at Seven Island Bay, Porrim; do your best to think of something happy._

_Ah, yes, I remember now.  Does the rest of the crew know what you’re up to?_

_They will in a moment.  Just look at your token if you need something to focus on._

    The facets of the rich blue sapphire on Porrim’s finger reflected the bright pink moonlight above and she kept her eyes on it while she felt the icy fingers of blind fear tickle her thinkpan.   _I’ve never been a fan of you using your empathic abilities like this but if it helps even the odds against us, I really have no place to complain.  It doesn’t affect me quite as deeply as it does the rest of the crew but at least they know it’s not being aimed at them.  
   
    Every navy crewman that decides to throw themselves in the water in terror is one less we have to carve up on our own deck, love.  Especially important considering our cargo below said deck._  

    Waleti looked around at the Gamblignants; some appeared to be shaking but were holding their gazes firmly locked on the approaching Navy vessels.   _I wouldn’t have pictured this lot to be scared of much; something seems rather odd here.  And just as quickly as the shaking started, they stopped; all back to their usual straight-backed bravado.  So peculiar..._

    “How many do you think went overboard, Captain?” asked one of the orangebloods.

    “A few, but we’re still going to have our hands full.  They’re only a couple of minutes away.  If you need to practice with that stick of yours, Alyssm, now would be the time.”

    “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me,” she replied, turning her attention to the cruisers and destroyers drawing closer by the moment.  

    Mindfang was about to reply that she wasn’t worried in the slightest but she stopped and turned her head as though she heard something.  A smile appeared on her face and Porrim asked, “What?”

    “There you arrrrrrrre.  Five... four... three... two... one...”

    Waleti’s eyes widened as the nearest Navy ship exploded less than two kilometers away.  “What the...”

    Aside from a few minor course adjustments, the rest of the ships continued towards their target.  A few seconds later, another of their number erupted in a spray of flame and debris.  “Don’t think we’re out of the woods yet,” Mindfang announced loudly, “a few of those shitrafts are going to get close enough to deploy their boarding parties.  Just hold your positions and send as many of them into the drink as you can.”  She thought for a moment.   _Porrim?_

_Yes?_

_Darling Porrim, I’ve been thinking... perhaps you should head below and hold position there?_

_What?  Why?_

_Well, if any of these guys should slip past us, they’ll be looking for our new guests.  It would be far too easy for them to escape with the Reapers while we’re preoccupied._

_Oh, right.  I’m sure that’s your motivation.  And not to try and protect me from melee combat._

_Dammit, Porrim, you were right beside me when we boarded their flagship!  No one is questioning your ability!  And what if an errant blade took your life?  You’re our healthtender; we don’t have a few extra of those kicking around in the storage locker!_

_I’m the First Officer of this ship, Rae.  I stand with my crew.  Stop trying to shield me from harm!  And I’m a healthtender, not a porcelain doll!_  

    Aranea shot her an exasperated scowl.   _No one said you were, dear heart.  Why the deuce are you so damn stubborn?_

_Learned it from the besssssssst_ , came the reply accompanied by a wink.  

    _I’ll remember that.  Fine, have it your way.  All I ask is that you take a position near the stairs to your sickbay; I’ll post someone else by the other stairwell just in case._

_That’s acceptable.  Good luck._

_I deal in no other kind, love._  Aranea gave Porrim’s rear a quick squeeze as the jadeblood moved past her to take her assigned position; it was all her matesprit could do not to make a startled noise.  She watched until Porrim was in place and had drawn her own sword, a thin blade of dark steel given a name that would forever remind her of why she fought against the Imperial regime: _Sufferer_.  Mindfang then looked to her crew:  all were loose and ready, waiting for the first Imperial to pull up alongside and unleash their invaders.  Even Alyssm Waleti, one she had no empathic influence on due to her indigo blood, looked as combat ready as everyone else around her.   _This... this is what it’s all about.  The anticipation, the thrill, the uncertainty of what’s to come.  Granted, I have an advantage that many don’t but a split second is worth more than... than... EVERYONE BEHIND THE BRIDGE BULKHEAD NOW!!!!!!!!_

    As the first cruiser pulled within range, the crew of _Fool’s Gam8it_ ducked behind the cover the bridgeblock provided.  Waleti, who didn’t receive the mental warning, saw everyone turn and scramble; a glace at the approaching cruiser, now all but on top of them, explained why.   _Just because the pulse rifles on this ship have been negated doesn’t mean the ones the Navy crewmen are carrying have been!_  She lunged for shelter just as the first beams struck the deck behind her.  

    “Sorry about that,” Mindfang said as Waleti plunked down beside her.  “I forgot you weren’t on my... network.  You’re obviously a pretty bright one, though.”

    “I’m going to need to be if we’re going to get out of this alive!” Waleti exclaimed.

    “Don’t fret, Alyssm; we’re going to be just fiiiiiiiine.”

    Waleti was incredulous.  “There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, you know.  I can already hear boots hitting the deck!”

    “Mmhmm.  I hear them, too.”

    This time Waleti looked to Porrim, who just smiled knowingly.   _How can they be so damn calm whe-_

    A bright blue-white blast filled her eyes followed by a shout from Mindfang, “NOW!!!!!!!!”  The Gamblignants leapt from their position and poured out on to the deck, swords raised and bellowing fiercely.  Waleti was right on their heels without even thinking; as she came around the corner, she was shocked to see melees occurring not only on _Fool’s Gam8it_ , but also on the cruiser itself.  The other cruisers that were inbound had either stopped kilometers away, too far to be of any use, or were on fire and in the process of slipping below the waves.  What struck her as most surprising was the presence of a blue submarine floating alongside the two ships.   _Where did that com-_

    She didn’t have a chance to finish the thought; she pitched forward in blinding pain from a blow to the back of her head that struck with more force than she’d ever experienced.  What returned her focus was the sensation of being rolled onto her back and a heavy object being placed roughly into her midsection, as though she were being stepped on.  Her vision blurred, Waleti opened her eyes and tried to resolve the figure standing over – ON her – as best she could.  “Who...”  

    “Thought you could sneak up on us, eh?”  An oliveblood woman tipped her tricorne hat back and placed the tip of her sword against Waleti’s exposed throat.  “Not a fucking chance.  Give me one reason why I don’t open you up, blueberry pie?”  She pressed her foot down on Waleti’s stomach for emphasis.  “I don’t need to use my sword to do it, either.”

    Waleti looked up and squinted to get a better look at her assailant.   _Cybernetics... no wonder she hits so hard.  And that eye is very strange..._ “I’m... with your crew...”

    “Ha!  Seriously?  That uniform suggests otherwise.  That and I’ve never seen your face before.  Nice haircut, though!  See ya!”  

    _Strange final thought but at least it’s a compliment..._ Alyssm Waleti closed her eyes.

    “FELIDA, NO!  She’s with us!” Mindfang shouted, looking over towards where the indigoblood lay prone under the boot of her moirail.  “Let her up!”

    “Well, why didn’t you say so?”  A pusherbeat later, the boot was removed and Waleti was being rapidly pulled to her feet by a metallic arm.  

    “I... tried to?”

    “Sorry ‘bout that!  Well, grab your... um, stick, I guess, and let’s have at these guys!”

    Waleti placed a hand on the back of her head and felt the swelling lump forming there.   _Stick?  I’ll show you ‘stick’..._  Before Felida could engage one of the invaders, Waleti plucked her makeshift staff from the deck, twirled it and drove it into the neck of a Navy crewman and then spun backwards to slam it into the temple of another who was still trying to make his pulse rifle function.  

    “Not bad for someone who just had her bell rung,” Felida remarked, offering Waleti a grin before wading into the ranks of woefully unprepared and now virtually unarmed Navy crew that found themselves standing on a Gamblignant ship with no functional weaponry.  Her path took her towards the stairwell where Porrim was engaged with a pair of assailants who, unlike the majority of the soldiers, weren’t encumbered with pulse rifles but instead sought to infiltrate the lower decks of the ship and carried smaller bladed weapons instead.  Felida slipped behind one and dispatched him quickly, which allowed Porrim to focus on the other and eliminate her as well.  

    “About bloody time you showed up,” Porrim grumbled, but with a smirk on her face.

    “What?  Show up too late and see my Jadebutt get perforated by the likes of these?  Not a chance!”

    “Hey, I had that completely under control, I’ll have you know!”

    “Uh huh.  Yup, sure.”  Felida went to wipe the blade on the body before her but noticed another of the Navy crew running towards her, intent on using his pulse rifle as a bludgeon.  “Porrim, hold this,” she said, tossing her sword by the hilt to her kismesis.  “I’m gonna make this a fair fight.”

    Porrim snagged the weapon effortlessly but watched the considerably larger opponent close the distance between them in a matter of moments.  “You’re certain this is a good idea?”

    Felida only grinned and let her weight fall back on her organic right leg while she waited until the crewman was all but on top of her.  Before he could drive the butt of his weapon into her skull, she pulled back with her metallic left foot and then swung it at him as hard as she could.  

    The result was spectacular:  not only was his charge completely halted, but the attacker was sent flying into the air in the opposite direction, disappearing into the night sky and out of sight.  “Hell fucking YES!!!!!  Did you see THAT?”

    Porrim could barely bring herself to speak.  “How did you... Did I just see what I thought I saw?”

    “You know damn right you did!  I just kicked that dude into next week!  Horuss installed a kinetic accelerator into my foot last time we were home.  I’ve been just itching to try it out!”

    “I think I’ve completely lost sight of him; can you still see him?”

    The circuits in Felida’s cybernetic right eye glowed for a moment as power flowed though it.  “Oh yeah, I got him!  Tracking him now... five kilometers and he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down!  Woo!”

    “That was... wow...”

    “Sword me, Porrim; as wicked as that was, I don’t think I can punt all of them,” Felida demanded as she strode over towards the incredulous jadeblood.  Once she had her weapon back in hand, she threw a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure no one else was sneaking up behind her and then stole a fierce kiss from her kismesis.  “Missed you, bitch!  That was so much fucking fun; when we’re done with these clowns, I want a piece of you downstairs,” she whispered into Porrim’s sponge clot before giving it a quick nip with her teeth.

    Porrim inhaled sharply.  “Get in line, Kittie.  Besides, I need to know that leg of yours isn’t going to suddenly go off in the middle of it and put us both into orbit!”

    “I make no such promises.”  With another quick kiss, Felida turned on her heel and strutted back into the battle, humming a jaunty tune as she went.

    _My word.  Put a silly hat and a short black jacket on her and she’s turned into a mini-Mindfang in her own right,_ Porrim thought, letting her eyes linger on her black lover’s shapely posterior as she departed.   _What mode of monster have we made, Aranea?_  She placed her back to the bulkhead and raised Sufferer in her left hand, scanning as she was taught to ensure no one slipped by.  Despite the sweeps of training under her matesprit and her kismesis as well as other members of their crew, Porrim never genuinely relished swordplay, save for the particular occasions where her “blacktice” with Felida boiled over into something far more fun.   _Frankly, if I don’t have to swing this at anyone else tonight, I’d be fine with that._

_You may get your wish, love,_ came Aranea’s mental voice.   _We should have this finished up shortly and we get a new cruiser to play with, too!  And “mini-Mindfang”?  You really think so?_

_I meant that as a compliment.  I think.  Now stop pestering me and wrap this up so you don’t get wounded and I can check on our guests below._

_Your concern for my well being is truly touching, love._

_Rae..._

_Fiiiiiiiine.  Party pooper.  You’re no fun, you know that?_ Aranea joked.

    _I’m a healthtender, not a social planner.  You wanted a chance to get your stab on, you got it.  Go play._

_Okay, mom!_

_If you were anyone else, Rae, I’d be getting MY stab on for that.  You know this._

_Oh, believe me, I doooooooo...  Matespritship has its privileges, after all._

    Porrim laughed in spite of herself.   _After all these sweeps, once a brat..._

 

 


	37. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Porrim sets to work in her sickbay, she finds that two of the people she and Mindfang had rescued are up and around and one of them seems just a touch too interested in her matesprit for her comfort. The other is decidedly interested in her, but in a much paler way. Emotions run a touch higher than Porrim or Aranea would like in the aftermath...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, what's a story without a little conflict? For those of you a touch concerned by this, just keep in mind what Felida has to say at the end of this chapter. Now, for those who haven't read my previous works, the crewmates of Rufioh's were introduced there and one of them in particular was rather popular: one Squish Imdead. Ol' Squish started life as my idea of what I'd do if I had $10,000 to donate to the Homestuck Game Kickstarter: I wanted to create a troll that was so pathetic, so asking to be killed that there would have been NO WAY Hussie could have brought himself to kill him. His symbol is a bullseye and his horns are like arrows pointing directly to his head. Here's a sprite my moirail [Mercale](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercale/pseuds/Mercale) did of him: [Squish Sprite](http://mercale.tumblr.com/post/60949983700/squish-imdead) and you can see him (as well as the other two carrying on in this story, Kandun Klarck (aka Drawback) and Daalla Emburi (aka Catalyst)) in a lovely piece done by the talented [Trina](http://trinamersol.deviantart.com/) (miss you Trina! Sorry life has been so insane on my end lately) which you can see here: [Nobody Lives Forever Headshots by Trina Mersol](http://trinamersol.deviantart.com/art/Nobody-lives-forever-460769655) Anyway, I've been writing plenty lately so more to come for certain!

   
 ** 36. **

    “Connection’s secure!  We’re ready to ride!” called Kaiyuh Umbras from the open hatch of the submarine.  “Sure you guys can handle being towed by _Deep 8lue_?”

    “Considering this was an entirely likely possibility from the start, I’m sure we can handle it just fine,” Porrim replied to her First Officer counterpart.  Kaiyuh, a tealblood, was even shorter than Felida but twice as nice to deal with.  “Can I be reasonably certain you won’t fall asleep at the helm again, should your Captain opt to stay with us for the day?”

    “Oh sure, pick on the narcoleptic!  No way; I’m still pretty stoked about how this turned out!  What a haul!”

    “We’re not out of the whale’s mouth yet, Kayiuh.”  Wow... signs you’ve been a ship for a long time, Porrim thought to herself.  “All of your electronic countermeasures and scrambling are still fully functional?”

    “Yup!  Their EMP didn’t affect us at that depth.  Bet they weren’t counting on a taste of their own medicine!”

    “Evidently not.   _Co8alt Thief_ and _Lucky 8r8k_ have that cruiser under tow as well, so as soon as the Captain gives the word, which should be any minute, make way for Base One as quickly as you can.”

    There was no need for Porrim to elaborate as to who “The Captain” was, even though Deep 8lue was commanded by another.  “Sounds good!  Say the word!”  

    “The word isn’t mine to say but you’ll be the first to hear it.”  Porrim returned Kaiyuh’s jaunty wave and watched her close the hatch.   _Another ‘rescue’ like Felida… and myself, in a way.  Kindness towards lowbloods in front of the wrong eyes landed her in a prison frigate bound for Ryyker Island.  Certainly the last person anyone expected would thrive as a Gamblignant, but then again, I’m certain there were more than a few who said the same of me once._  Her thoughts drifted to some of the crew who welcomed her when she arrived:   _Ianrad, Wexlin, even Hyvare… they took me under their collective wings and made me feel at home.  Something told me that it wasn’t just Aranea’s doing that they were so kind to me, either, so I’ve made a point of extending as much courtesy to new arrivals as they provided to me.  Kaiyuh has certainly blossomed in this environment and it warms my pusher to see it._  

    Porrim turned and headed back towards the nearest stairway that led below deck.  Better make sure my patients are stabilized.  As she came down, she could hear a rather animated conversation taking place.   _Oh, this ought to be interesting.  Speaking of ‘rescues’…_

    “-to tell me that you had a chance to ice Syhale himself and you let him go?  Dang… I woulda laid that finface low given the chance, doll.”

    She wasn’t certain who the male voice belonged to, but Porrim gathered the next came from the indigoblood she and Aranea had encountered in the brigblock on Syhale’s flagship.   “Considering he was willing to kill you in, if you’ll pardon the expression, cold blood, would I have been any less reprehensible for doing the same to him?”

    “But think of the lives you could have saved if you had!”

    “The lives I saved were those of you and your companions.  These are the only lives that I can knowingly say were not ended due to his malfeasance.  I will be able to sleep at day knowing that, at least,” Waleti countered.  As Porrim entered the sickbay, Waleti gestured to her and to Mindfang, who was standing beside her, quite interested in observing this exchange, and added, “You can also thank these two as well.  I certainly do; not only did they choose to spare my life, but also orchestrated our escape.”

    The man who was engaging Waleti in this conversation was the bronzeblood Aranea extracted from the rubble of the brigblock.  As far as she could tell, he was the only one of the four rescues that was conscious.  His attention turned to Mindfang; “Well, never thought I’d see the night where it would be you bailing me out, but I gotta say thanks a million, Marquise.”  A smirk appeared on his face that, in Porrim’s opinion, looked like it belonged there at all times.  “I also gotta say you’re WAY more beautiful in person.”

    “Flattery will get you everywhere, Summoner, including a ride on my ship.”

    “Is that all it’ll get me a ride on?” he asked with a wink.

    _You have GOT to be kidding me..._ Porrim thought, her features tightening up into a narrow scowl.

    “You’re a brazen one, aren’t youuuuuuuu?”  Mindfang approached him and let one of her fingers trace down the side of his face.  “Alas, while I can appreciate someone who knows no bounds, you’ll find that my quadrants are decidedly occupied.”  She let the hand that was upon his face continue on its path to end up pointing at Porrim.  “Rufioh Nitram, please meet my First Officer and matesprit, Porrim Maryam.”

    “Welcome aboard,” Porrim said tersely, her eyes shifting elsewhere.   _Being a little bit brazen with our names all of a sudden, Rae?_

_Oh settle down, dear heart.  He can be trusted.  He’s one of ours._

_Since when did you start trusting other Gamblignants?_

_Since we all realized that the Navy was trying to pick a fight.  One we can’t let them win.  It was only a matter of time before we crossed paths with him.  Now relaaaaaaaax; he’s harmless._

_Sure he is.  The last time I saw a ‘little boy smile’ like that, the fellow wearing it started a revolution and got himself killed for it._

_You’re fucking hot when you’re jealous, you know that?_

_I’m NOT jealous.  Just asking you to show some decorum is all._

_Would you rather I call you Dolorosa, then?  Like that won’t get him asking questions?_

_Fine.  Just... be careful, okay?_

    Nitram and Waleti looked at each other.  “Got kinda quiet in here all of sudden, didn’t it?” he quipped.

    She looked at the two Gamblignants who appeared to be having a silent conversation comprised solely of facial expressions.  “Indeed.”  Waleti’s thinkpan began working on the possibility that it was, in fact, what was actually occurring.

    “Where are my manners?” Mindfang said, returning her focus to her guests.  “Rufioh, may I also introduce to you Alyssm Waleti, former captain and Chief Naval Enforcer.  The events leading to your rescue from the clutches of Exalted Supreme Overlord and Chief Bottle Washer Syhale...”  She paused, anticipating a snort from her matesprit and was not left wanting for it, then continued, “...are the reason the word ‘former’ precedes her titles.”

    “Well, thanks to all of you, then.  Really do appreciate it.  Any chance we’re going to start making tracks?  And if we do, are we going to be followed by aircraft?”

    Waleti made a coughing laugh.  “I don’t suspect we have much to fear in that department.  Remember the Navy rules this world.  For someone like Admiral Syhale, even considering calling upon the Air Force would be a massive blow to his dignity.  He’s lost badly here:  not just the prisoners he was so proud to capture, but his flagship as well.  He’s going to hear plenty about this from his contemporaries, be assured.”

    “Awwwwwwww.  That’s too bad.  Truly.”  Mindfang stuck her lip out in a mock pout.

    “Hey, are we ready to roll yet?” said another voice.  “I got a First Mate that’s so excited to set sail that she might piss her pants on the deck of my sub, and I sure as hell don’t need that on an airtight ship!  I may be riding with you guys, but I’ll never hear the end of it from the crew if she actually does wet herself.”

    All eyes turned to the diminutive oliveblood that had swept in.  “Ladies and gentletrolls,” Mindfang began, “may I introduce Captain Felida Oceleo, my lovely moirail.  I gather some of you are more familiar with her than others.”

    Waleti tried not to think about the swollen lump on the back of her head or the bruise on her stomach thanks to her earlier introduction to the woman.  Rufioh offered a jaunty wave while Porrim just shook her head.  “Captain Oceleo... Will wonders never cease?”

    “Listen here, Jadebutt,” Felida said, stomping up to Porrim, “I got my own boat to play with now so you gotta call me ‘Captain’, too.”

    Porrim made a disgusted sound.  “That’ll be the night.  You couldn’t captain a hackme team to a victory against a squad of dead lusii.”

    “Oh hell yes.  Talk snarky to me, bitch.”  She stood on her tiptoes and stuck her tongue in Porrim’s mouth, causing Waleti’s eyes to widen for what she figured was the hundredth time that night.  

    “What the...”

    “Yes, they’re declared kismesises,” Mindfang explained, taking great pleasure from Waleti’s befuddlement.

    “So let me get this straight:  your moirail is your matesprit’s kismesis.”

    “Well done, Alyssm!  I can see how you made Chief Naval Enforcer with such fine deductive skills!  And that’s not meant to be an insult, believe me.”

    Waleti blinked a couple of times.  “That... is the most inclade thing I have ever heard of.”

    Rufioh was watching the two women hatekiss and laughing.  “That’s awesome!  Dang, I’ve heard of inclade relationships, but that’s a beaut!”

    Porrim detected Rufioh’s ogling and broke away from Felida.  “Don’t you have tin can masquerading as a ship to run or something?”

    Felida sighed.  “If it wasn’t for that ‘tin can’, this ship would be masquerading as a ghost ship.  Keep that in mind next time you want to throw shade.  I just need to make sure your little buddy doesn’t fuck this tow job up.”

    “I find it most hilarious that you actually get to call someone ‘little buddy’.”  

    “And she’s so fucking chipper!  Ye gods, Porrim, how did you put up with her while you were training her?”

    “I don’t know; maybe you should ask the Captain how she put up with you as her First Mate all those sweeps.  Funny how what goes around comes around.”

    “She’s got you there, Felida,” Mindfang chortled.  

    “But Captain,” Oceleo said, sauntering up to the blueblood, “I always did my very best...”  

    “You still do, my sweet.  Now, go tell Kaiyuh we’re ready to depart and watch from the bridgeblock to make certain it goes smoothly with us and with our new toy.”

    “Yes, Mistr- I mean, Captain.”   Repeating the same action as she did with Porrim, Felida rose up on the balls of her feet and placed a kiss on Mindfang’s lips that was just long and loud enough to make Waleti’s eyebrows rise and Rufioh laugh at the sight.  Without so much as a look back, Oceleo strode out of the block and back up the stairs as quickly as she had arrived, humming away the whole time.

    “Oh, doll, the look on your face...” Nitram cackled.

    Waleti said nothing, couldn’t bring herself to if she wanted to, but looked at Mindfang who just shrugged and smirked knowingly.  “I tend to have that effect on people.”

    Porrim made no attempt to hide her smile as she moved past them to inspect the other occupants of the sickbay beds.  Once she was certain that their vital signs were stable, she drained the sopor slime back into the tanks contained within the bedframes and opened the shells.  She stood beside the largest of them and said, “This fellow was pretty badly hurt when we arrived.  He’s going to take some time to come around but he should pull through.”

    “Kandun!  Thank the gods he’s alive,” Rufioh said, hopping off of his bed and standing beside Porrim.  “Man, he and I have seen some things.”

    “Good news: you’ll get to see some more,” Porrim replied dryly before moving to the next bed, where a slight woman lay, also still unconscious.  “Her injuries weren’t terribly severe; a concussion was the worst she sustained.”

    “That’s Daalla Emburi.”  Rufioh turned to watch the jadeblood healthtender work.  “It’s so odd to see her sitting still… or lying still, I guess.”

    “Beat me to it,” Porrim chuckled.  She examined the readouts and found herself squinting.  “Something must be wrong with this display.  Too bright for some reason.”

    Nitram laughed.  “Nah, that’s just her.  There’s a special kind of energy around Daalla.  It’s why we call her ‘Catalyst’; she takes things and adds to them; makes them work better.”

    Porrim had already moved to the fourth bed and was examining the young maroonblood in the Navy uniform she had carried back to the ship herself.  She first examined the readouts on his leg and then leaned over him to inspect the angry looking red welt on his forehead from the bolt that slammed into it at high speed earlier that night.  “His leg is doing well, and this,” she said as she gently brushed the shock of hair that kept falling across the lump out of the way, “should hopefully heal in no… time…”  Her voice fell away as she realized that as she still had her hand on the young fellow’s hair, he was not only awake but had placed his hands on either side of her breasts.  “HEY!  WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

    Instead of flinching or pulling away, he gave her an innocent smirk.  “Squishy…” he said.

    This elicited a howl of laughter from Rufioh while Porrim’s mouth moved soundlessly.  Mindfang wasn’t sure which emotion she found more entertaining:  her matesprit’s stunned shock, Nitram’s glee or the maroonblood’s genuine happiness.   _Oh, this is riiiiiiiich…_

    Porrim wasn’t sure what she should do:  swat his hands away or just take a step back, but she looked at his lopsided grin and found it wasn’t lecherous at all.  “What… well, maybe they are?  But…”

    “Haha!  You can relax, babe.  ‘Squishee’ is his nickname, but his real name is actually just Squish.”

    “His… what?”

    “Seriously.  He’s Squish Imdead.  And I think he’s trying to give you a hug.”

    By this point, Mindfang had been reduced to gales of laughter.  “Oh, Porrim…” she gasped, “the look… on your face…”

    “Is this some kind of a joke?” she asked indignantly.

    “Not in the slightest,” Rufioh answered.  “The guy’s got some strange luck; you’d think getting saddled with a handle like that was bad enough, but the oddest things seem to happen to him.  He doesn’t say much but he’s a super guy, though; I trust him like no one else.”

    Porrim looked down at him; she could barely see his eyes for that mop of hair that just refused to stay out of his face but the contented expression on his face just spoke to her.   _And I thought Rufioh’s smile was charming!  But while Rufioh’s approach is more dashing, this fellow’s is… kind of sweet?_  “All right, Squish,” she said, gently taking his wrists in her hands and guiding them back down from her chest to his sides, “how about we keep our hands to ourselves for the moment and make certain that bone in your leg is going to heal properly.”  As she rolled up the pantleg of the ill-fitting uniform, something occurred to her.  “Wait… so you know him?  He’s not a Navy ensign?”

    “Ensign?” Mindfang said between gasping breaths as she fought to regain her composure.  “That’s cute.  I thought you would know an oliveblood when you saw one by now.  Maroonbloods don’t tend to rise above the rank of ‘cannon fodder’.”

    “Sorry, some of us didn’t actually serve in a real Navy before,” Porrim sighed, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation.  “What I’m trying to confirm is that Squish here isn’t actually one of their number?”

    “Nope,” Rufioh said, “he’s one of mine.  I sent him out to infiltrate them as soon as the big battleship showed up.  Suggested he grab the first maroonblood uniform he could get his hands on and when - not if - we’d be overrun, that way he’d have a shot of springing us.  He must have been on his way to do so when your crew caught up to him.”

    “Well, all apologies to Mister Squish – if that is his real name,” Mindfang said, “but if you’re wearing a Navy uniform, you’re fair game to us.  That being said, it’s Porrim here you have to thank for sparing his life.  She has a knack for helping those if need of it and those she helps often have a change of attitude, frequently followed by a change of allegiance.  Frankly, my old approach would have been to leave none alive in my wake, but my darling Porrim has taught me that sometimes a little kindness can go a long way.”

    Porrim closed her eyes and turned her face to modestly hide the jade blush that rose to her cheeks from Rufioh but opened them quickly when she felt hands at her chest again.  This time, she just placed her hands on Squish’s shoulders as best she could to return his makeshift hug and then tousled his hair as she stepped away.  “You’re too kind.”

    “No, dear heart, you the one who’s too kind, remember?  I fear it’s infectious.”  Mindfang met her red lover a few steps from where Rufioh was sitting, placed an arm around her waist and a kiss upon her lips.  “And it’s why I love you so.  You made me more than I was, which I believe is the greatest gift one can ask for.”  

    Porrim beamed at the compliment and gave Mindfang a quick kiss in return.  

    _I feel a flash of jealousy again, but that deep green emotion isn’t coming from Porrim this time… I’m going to need to keep a close eye the Summoner, I think._  Mindfang offered her hand to Rufioh who took it and hopped off of the recupracoon/bed he was sitting on.  “Well, as your host, I best find quarters for you and Alyssm as well as your compatriots once they’re well enough to leave Porrim’s care, which I suspect ought to be sooner than later.”

    “Sounds like a plan to me, doll!”  

    He smiled broadly and she couldn’t help but return it.   _Annnnnnnnd there’s Porrim’s green streak again.  This may need to be addressed sooner than later, I fear._  “Do you require any special sleeping arrangements, Alyssm?  While this may not be a Five-Star Hivetel, I do have a couple of hammocks without holes in them I save for my highblood guests.”

    “Spinneret, seriously,” Porrim said.  “Don’t listen to her; we have beds and ‘coons and if we keep the crew busy with repairs until we arrive at Base One, I’m certain you could find somewhere to rest if you needed to.”

    “I may take you up on that. This has been one of the most… trying nights I can ever recall and I need some time to process everything that’s gone on here.  Thank you for your hospitality…” She paused as she sought the words she wanted.  “And for your kindness.  Especially that.  I hope that I can be of some use to you and yours in the future.”

    “Have no fear of that,” Mindfang answered.  “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.  And you strike me as someone with a good thinkpan on her shoulders.  Come along, then; let’s see if we can find a bed for you both.”

    _And try not to end up in his…_ Porrim started thinking before she was able to stop herself.

    Aranea’s eyebrows went up but she said nothing outwardly.   _Really, Porrim?  Relaaaaaaaax.  Seriously._

_I’m sorry.  I’m just… weary is all._

_I know.  You’ve done well tonight.  Really you have.  I’ll see you in our respiteblock once we have everyone settled and I’m certain we’re not being tracked._

_Okay.  Sounds good._  She watched the three of them exit and then turned to face Squish Imdead, who was now sitting up on his elbows watching her intently.  Porrim sighed and moved towards him.  “Hey now, that leg of yours is still unstable.  How about you lie back down and tell me all about how you ended up working with that guy?”

 

 

 

    “Well, there she is,” Felida announced as Porrim entered the Captain’s respiteblock.  “Overtime is unpaid on this ship last time I checked.”

    “Last time I checked, overtime wasn’t paid, period.  Rae told me Condy put a stop to that practice long before you and I were hatched.”  She looked to her matesprit, who was reclining in her plush blue velvet and ironwood chair, nursing a metal flagon of rum.  “That is correct, isn’t it?”

    “It was long gone by the time I was drinking Navy rum, and I was barely eleven sweeps old then.  Fear not, my love, I’ll happily pay you in kisses should you demand recompense.”

    Porrim used the heel of one of her boots to help pry off the other before pulling off the remaining one.  “I do appreciate the offer but I’m still debating if I have the energy to return the favour this morning.  I’ve lost count of how many hours I’ve been on my feet.”

    “The same number as I.  Minus the last one, of course.  Felida and I have put a serious dent into this bottle while we were waiting; feel free to help yourself.  If you’re still feeling a bit rough, consider it an ‘attitude adjustment’.”  Aranea reached down to pick up the glass bottle and swished it around as enticingly as she could.

    “Don’t mind if I do.”  Porrim accepted the proffered vessel and took a gulp straight from it.  

    “Holy uckfay, Porrim, you must be feeling rough.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen you actually take a pull like that.  Must have been that raid on the Miasma Lake base…”

    “Fuck Miasma Lake!” Porrim spat, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.  “You would bring that up.”

    Aranea sent a wave of calm to wash over her evidently agitated matesprit.  “Shhhhhhhh… it wounds my sponge clots to hear such coarseness from your lovely lips.  This is a time and place for relaxation, love.  We succeeded in our mission this time.  Yes, lives were lost but we did what needed to be done.”

    “I had to stitch up a lot of people tonight, Rae.  That’s what needed to be done.”

    “I understand your feelings on this,” Aranea said, rising from her chair and joining her matesprit, the soft staccato of her heels marking her movement.  “Maybe I’ve become so accustomed to the cost of battle over the thousands of engagements I’ve been involved in that I forget the true value of the price paid, but you always remind me and I need that reminder. “  She slipped her long arms around Porrim’s waist.  “But you need to be reminded that we’re doing this for a reason.  We’ve just had to step up the combat side of things the last sweep or two as Syhale has become so much more aggressive.”

    “Because we’ve been raiding his ships far more often,” Porrim countered.

    “Well, of course, love.  How else am I supposed to feed a few thousand hungry Gamblignants?  Meulin threw up her hands when we hit a hundred; frankly, I thought she was going to serve ME on a platter when we doubled that number after the Bikanel raids!”

    “Gotta admit, she was a helluva lot happier once we started bringing in supplies instead of just feeding people the critters on the island.  She was worried she was going to be asked to hunt the place bare!”  Felida brought her metallic hand to her chin in thought.  “Well, technically, she does hunt in the nude anyway…”

    Porrim sighed.  “Which I know you enjoy watching.  My word, am I not good enough for anyone around here anymore?”

    Aranea looked Porrim in the eyes and raised an eyebrow.  “Porrim Maryam, would you listen to yourself already?  I can’t remember seeing you so jealous in ages!  This sort of thing ill becomes you, dear heart.”

    “Well, what am I supposed to think?  You flirting with the Summoner, someone who was the closest thing you’ve had to a kismesis since Admiral Fishfood, right in front of me, and tonight of all nights?”

    “I thought we agreed that we were going to celebrate that as soon as we got settled back on the island.”

    “Fifty sweeps together and how do we celebrate it?  Knocking over another Navy fleet.”

    “Not just another Navy fleet, Porrim!  We took out Syhale’s bloody flagship!  AND stole his prized prisoner right out from under his fins!  Wasn’t it amazing?”

    “This is not how I wanted to spend our sweepiversary and you know it,” Porrim fumed.  “Would you rather I wasn’t here and you could spend it getting drunk by yourself?  Or would you be sharing a bottle or eight of rum with him?”

    “You’re being unreasonable.  You were perfectly fine with it this evening; I thought you understood the timing of this operation trumped everything.”

    Porrim let her shoulders slump.  “Just because I understand it doesn’t mean I have to like it.  The last thing I want is to be selfish, Aranea, but it seems everytime we try to celebrate US, something always happens.”  

    “Hah.  Something always happens, indeed… should be my bloody epitaph, that.”  Aranea reached over to the bottle in Porrim’s grasp and took a deep swig from it, nearly bopping Porrim in the face in the process.  As a result, the jadeblood took a step back and turned away.  “Porrim, seriouslyyyyyyyy.”

    “Seriously indeed!”  Porrim clenched her fists and hung her head.  “All I wanted is a morning for us to celebrate or maybe not to have to put up with you flirting with the man who was, until rather recently, an opponent!  I’d have less issue with this if it was black leanings – but then I’d probably have to auspistice that and then that poor Waleti woman’s thinkpan would explode at the sheer incladeness of it!”

    “Porrim, you really need to settle down.”

    Maryam bit her lip before answering. “I’d say ‘make me’, but the thing is that you actually could.  Dammit, Rae, I just want some respect, especially tonight of all nights!  I had to spend most of it stitching together members of our crew and theirs while all I wanted was your time and yours alone!  No offense, Felida…”

    “None taken!” Oceleo replied in a voice that sounded far cheerier than the awkwardness she felt at watching her moirail and kismesis squabble.  “I was just waiting here for you to show up so that I could toast you two and then head over to my former quarters or a hammock somewhere and let you two have at it.  Although I have to admit this isn’t the ‘have at it’ I was expecting.”

    “See, Porrim?  Now you’ve gone and made poor Felida uncomfortable.”

    “Super.  Like I didn’t feel bad enough.  Look, I’ll just go sleep in the ‘coon in the First Mate’s quarters and Felida can stay here.  I don’t mean to come off as petulant-”

    “You are, though,” Aranea interjected.

    “Am I?  How many times has our work interrupted our time together?  It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but what I enjoy most is my time with you and my time with her.”

    Felida chuckled.  “Not like we don’t get the lion’s share of interruptions, too…”

    Porrim made a snorting sound.  “True enough.  But, Aranea, most of ours should be avoidable.  Just once I’d like to come ahead of your missions.”

    Aranea rolled her eyes and sighed.  “You doooooooo, Porrim!  Literally and figuratively!  How many times do I have to tell you this?”  

    “Don’t tell me, show me!” Porrim shouted.  

    “Then knock off this ridiculous jealousy and I might!”

    “Ridiculous?  This is a special night for us and you flirt with someone right in front of my face?  Don’t you realize how much that hurts, especially when I’ve been looking so forward to finally having time to celebrate with you now that this operation is over with?”

    This drew an exasperated sigh from Aranea.  “I wasn’t doing it intentionally.  You know me better than anyone; sometimes I can’t help myself.  Flirting is just a part of who I am; I’ve stayed true to you for fifty sweeps, haven’t I?”

    “You just don’t get it, do you?  To hell with this; I need some space.”  She didn’t slam the door of the respiteblock behind her but slammed the one across the hall shut instead.  

    “Wow, that’s not like her at all,” Felida remarked.  “She must be seriously pissed off.  Hey!  Where are you going?”

    “Above,” Aranea grumbled, droplets of the rum bottle splashing out onto the wooden floor as she stalked out the door to the stairwell.  “If she wants to choke on her pride, she can do so alone.  I need some air.”

    Felida sat blinking in the soft lighting of the Captain’s respiteblock, wondering what the hell just happened.  “Well, that escalated quickly.”  She stood up and walked over to the triple wide bed with its luxurious sheets where she began to undress.  “One wants space, the other wants air.  It’s only a matter of time before one fills the other again.  This’ll pass soon enough.”

 

 


	38. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the middle of her brooding over an argument with her matesprit, Mindfang is joined on the deck of the Fool's Gam8it by the Summoner, who reveals something that not even an empath as talented as she could have expected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely some throwbacks to Nobody Lives Forever for those of you who have read it. For those who haven't, there's still plenty to see here. I felt I needed to address the canon romance of the latter part of Mindfang's life but as I'm sure you know by now, things don't really tend to follow that rail anymore, do they?

**37.**  
  
    “Well, hey there, doll!  What’re the odds of meeting you here?”  
  
    Mindfang kept one arm on the rail at the bow of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ while she took another pull from her rum bottle and smirked.  “Pretty good considering I’m the captain of this ship, I’d say.”    
  
    Rufioh Nitram chuckled at her response.  “True.  But you know what I meant.  I figured you’d be below deck till tomorrow evening.  Been a long night.”  
  
    She looked out to the horizon; the first hint of daylight was just starting to make its presence known as the stars to the east began to fade from view.  “Hard to believe I’ve been awake this long.  Guess the rush from battle is still keeping me going.”  
  
    A moment later Rufioh took up beside her, doing his best not to accidently hit the back of her head with his rather wide horns.  “Something tells me it’s not just that.”  
  
    _Ha!  Who’s the empath here…_  “Whatever it was that told you that, it was right.  Can it sleep better at day knowing that?”  
  
    “For the record, it doesn’t feel like going to sleep yet, either.”  He paused for a moment and then added, “Wanna talk about it?”  
  
    “Not really.”  This was followed by another long drink.   
  
    “All right.”  They watched the waves pass under the ship for a while, nothing but open sea ahead of them and he smiled.  “In case I haven’t said it yet, I owe you one.  A big one.”  
  
    Mindfang nodded.  “Indeed you do.  Don’t think I won’t cash in on that at some point.”  
  
    Rufioh laughed.  “Of that I have no doubt at all!  I’m just curious what kind of coin you want it in?”  
  
    She scanned his emotions and was surprised to find that while there was more than a hint of innuendo behind his words, it wasn’t anywhere near as overpowering as she suspected it would be.   _More than meets the eye, Summoner?  Let’s see what you have to say…_ “I deal in many different currencies, Nitram.  I would be most curious as to what you have to offer.”  
  
    “Well, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to start with some conversation?”  
  
    “Talk is cheap, but then I’ve never shied away from a good chinwag.  You have my sponge clots to yourself at the moment; make good use of them.”  He smiled and she couldn’t stop a hint of a smirk from forming at the corner of her own mouth.    
  
    “Will do!  I tell you what, though; I wouldn’t mind having a sip of some of your ‘social lubricant’ there.  Certainly helps loosen one’s tongue.”  
  
    Mindfang hoisted the heavy glass bottle and handed it to him.  “I, for one, have no issue with loose tongues whatsoever.  Just make certain to pass it back when you’re done.  And no backwashing; I have no idea what kind of cooties you picked up on Fleet Admiral Blowhard’s Happy Fun Boat.”  
  
    Rufioh laughed so hard he snorted.  “You have gotta be kidding me.”  
  
    “Not me.  Life’s too short to kid.  And I’m not saying that to be a typist, just so you know.”  
  
    “Oh, I gather you’re nothing like that.  I’m just worried if you say something that funny while I have a mouthful that I might spit it out and nobody wants that.”  
  
    She nodded.  “Got that right.  This is the good stuff.”  
  
    “Well then I feel honoured, doll!  Here’s to you!”  He raised the bottle first to her and then to his lips.  A moment later, he spat the contents of his mouth over the side.  “BLUH!  What the fuck did I just drink?”  
  
    Mindfang started cackling.  “I told you!  The good stuff!”  
  
    Rufioh hung his tongue out of his mouth in hopes the booze would evaporate but he began to fear there would be no means to rid it of the flavour.  “I didn’t realize gaper scrubber came in more than one grade!”  
  
    “Oh give me that back before you waste another drop,” she said, but not unkindly.  “This is two hundred sweep old rum, I’ll have you know.”  
  
    “I didn’t know ‘Cap’n Eyegouge’ was in business two hundred sweeps ago!”  
  
    “Ho ho, ha ha and hee hee.  Still better than that ‘Stinky Peette’ trash I’ve seen showing up in barblocks as of late.”  
  
    Rufioh laughed.  “’Ah cha cha cha... delicious!’  That’s how the ads go, right?  Man, I get a kick outta that seal...”  
  
    Spinneret shut her eyes and shook her head.  “If I had a caegar for every time I heard the crew say that after downing a shot of it, I’d... have even more money than I do now, but never mind that!  Don’t tell me you’ve been watching Condyvision?”  
  
    “Know thy enemy, they say.  I say that’s good advice, no?”  
  
    _And no one knows her better than I._  “Generally, but the only thing you’d learn from watching that trash is just how depraved she is.  And I suspect you were already well aware of that.”  
  
    “Painfully so, babe.”  He undid his vest and revealed white bandages wrapped around his midsection and up over his chest.  “Those Navy goons really did a number on me.”  
  
    An unexpected sensation tripped through Aranea’s mind.   _There was duplicity in that statement.   Those bandages aren’t Porrim’s work; they’re too sloppy and she’s meticulous to a fault.  What’s he hiding and why?_  “You don’t say.  I thought most of your injuries were caused by flying debris when we punched holes in that shitraft Syhale called a flagship?”    
  
    He reached up and touched the bump on his head.  “Well, yeah, but not all of them.  No biggie, though.  But never mind me; something tells me you’ve got a need to be out here to let the sea breeze work its magic and carry some of your troubles away.”  
  
    “Perceptive of you.  What makes you say that?”  
  
    “The way you came storming up here, no boots on and clutching that bottle like you wished your hand was around somebody’s neck instead.  Pretty obvious something’s not right in the world of Marquise Spinneret Mindfang.  Something in her own personal world, I bet.”  Despite receiving a scowl in reply, Rufioh added, “You don’t have to tell me; I know I’m new here and you don’t know me but I’ve got two sponge clots and I’m willing to listen.”  
  
    Mindfang eyed him warily.   _You lie to me about your injuries and yet you’re absolutely sincere about wanting to listen kindly.  You’re certainly not what I expected at all…_  “I would say something to the effect of ‘Who said you were right about there being something wrong’, but there’s no point in lying to you, is there?”  She scanned him for a sign of regret for being less than honest about his bandages and found there was a brief hint of that.    
  
    “Nope,” Rufioh said.  “So let me guess:  your matesprit’s feeling a bit put upon right now and you’re getting the brunt of it, right?”  
  
    “That’s not far off, actually.”  
  
    “Doesn’t really seem fair, does it?”  
  
    She huffed.  “Since when did life come with the suggestion of being fair at all?”    
  
    “Sure doesn’t.  If it did, good people like my crew - Fenrix, Kalina, Geordi – would be alive while scum like Syhale would be sinking to the depths instead.”  
  
    This wave of emotion struck her rather hard.  “I understand.  Far better than most.  If it had been I who had encountered him instead of that Waleti, be assured the seas would be running violet right now.”    
  
    Rufioh gently placed a hand on hers.  “Thanks.  I really appreciate the sentiment.”  
  
    Mindfang looked his hand, surprisingly worn and weathered for one so young, and opted to let it stay.  “It’s well meant, believe me.  I’ve had enough of the Admiralty to last a thousand violetblood lifetimes.  I don’t know enough about your operation, but in case you hadn’t gathered, our objective is to see if we can’t effect some serious changes on this planet.”  
  
    “Oh, we noticed, doll,” Nitram replied.  “Where we’ve encountered Navy ships, the prisoners we’ve taken have asked if the Marquise was involved and if so, where can they sign up?  You’ve got quite the rep!”  
  
    “Glad to hearrrrrrrr it,” she purred.  “Means we’re doing something right.  So how come you and yours chose not to seek me out but do your own thing instead?”  
  
    He chuckled.  “Are you kidding?  I didn’t think you’d have any interest in affiliating with an outfit as small as mine.  I pictured you as this larger-than-life Gamblignant queen with a fleet of a thousand ships that wouldn’t mind too terribly if we helped ourselves to whatever Navy ships happened through our strait.”  
  
    “And what makes you think I’m not a larger-than-life Gamblignant queen with said thousand ship fleet at my command?” she asked with a smirk.  
  
    “Heh.  Far as I can tell, you’ve only got a hundred ships, tops.”  He followed this with a wink and she laughed.  
  
    “Talk to me after we count up our haul from this mission.  And you’re only seeing the ones I brought to this dance.  I have five bases across the ocean each with their own compliment of vessels.”  
  
    “Still not a thousand, though, right?”  
  
    Mindfang squinted at him.  “If you rounded up, it totally would be.”  
  
    Rufioh gave her hand the gentlest squeeze.  “Rounded up to the nearest thousand, you mean?”  
  
    “Maybeeeeeeee…”  
  
    He laughed heartily.  “I’ll make sure I add ‘funny’ to my description of the Marquise for my remaining crew!”  
  
    “Funny ha-ha or funny looking?”  
  
    “Hey, the only one funny looking around here is me, doll.”  
  
    She studied the Summoner’s face; while she wouldn’t have called him classically handsome with his broad nose and strange hair, there was something about him that called out to her and it began and ended with his infectious smile.   _And here I am smiling along with him.  I haven’t felt like this since…_  “I wouldn’t call you that, Rufioh, and I’d make anyone who said as such look a lot less pretty for doing so.”  
  
    “Wow… Thanks!”  He ran his free hand through his hair as far as his horns would allow him to do so and gave her a lopsided grin.  “So… what was it you wanted to talk about again?”  
  
    “Hmm?  Oh, right.  Porrim.”  She sighed and took another drink from the rum bottle, all but finishing it in the process.  Mindfang wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and relished the sweet burn of the alcohol on her lips.  “Would you believe tonight is our fiftieth sweepiversary?”  
  
    “Fifty?  Nice!  Congratulations.”  
  
    “Yeah.  And look at what we spent it doing.”  
  
    Rufioh nodded slightly as he realized what she meant.  “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I sure appreciate it!”  
  
    Mindfang sighed and looked into his eyes; thoughts of what she wanted to do to him flickered through her thinkpan and down her spine to where a warmth was gathering between her thighs.   _Aranea, what are you thinking?  Tell me this is the rum’s doing…_  “I’m glad you do.  You know, you don’t seem like such a bad guy at all, Mister Summoner.  I could use a fellow like you around.  I don’t suppose you’d be willing to sign up?  The pay is decent but I’ll need you and your crew to follow my lead.  Is that too much to ask?”  
  
    “I’m afraid all that’s left of my crew is in your sickbay.  Syhale destroyed the rest before you arrived.”  
  
    “Oh.  Well, I know it’s pale comfort, but I do wish we could have arrived sooner, then.”  
  
    His smile reappeared and her pusher skipped in her chest.  “No worries, babe.  I’m just glad you decided to show up in the first place!  Otherwise I have no idea what would have become of us.”  
  
    _I have a pretty good idea_ , Aranea thought to herself but decided not to speak it aloud.  “Glad to have helped.  As for Porrim, she’s frustrated by the fact that we didn’t find time for ourselves tonight.  I can’t really blame her but she should know after nearly fifty sweeps with a Gamblignant that sometimes duty comes before all else.”  
  
    “Yeah, but don’t tell me that doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten how to have fun once in a while?”  
  
    “Pshhhhhhhh.  I’ll have you know I’m the most fun person on the planet!”  
  
    “Are you, now?  When was the last time you danced?”  Rufioh’s hand grasped hers and he gently pulled her away from the railing.    
  
    For the briefest of moments, she wasn’t sure if she should perforate him, throw him overboard or strap him to the bow of the ship like some freakish looking figurehead but the moment after those thoughts surfaced, they were followed by her realization that she couldn’t remember the last time that she had danced.  “I… can’t recall.  And it pains me dearly to say that.”  
  
    In a moment, one of his hands was around her waist and the other in his.  “Then what say we remedy that, doll?”  
  
    “You do realize there happens to be a decided lack of music playing, Rufioh.”  
  
    “What more do we need than the song of the sea?  Just listen to the rhythm of the waves hitting the hull.”  Without giving her so much as a second to object, he led her into a close dance, somewhat fast, somewhat slow, but in sync with the water lapping up against the leading edge of the _Fool’s Gam8it_.    
  
    “I have to admit, this is unusual, but it seems to be working.”  
  
    He beamed.  “Hey, you gotta just trust me.”  
  
    Mindfang turned on her heel as they reached the railing again.  “I’m starting toooooooo,” she said, taking the lead from him and trying to hide her amazement at how easily he adapted to her doing so.  “I don’t think I’ve encountered anyone quite so forward in a long time.”  
  
    “Is that a problem?”  
  
    “No, actually.  Quite the opposite.  Refreshing in a way.”  Before long they encountered the railing on the other side and they switched again.  “So tell me, aside from the obvious reasons such as the hemohierachy is awful and needs to be abolished, why did you take up the fight?  Do you enjoy the fame that fighting back brings or do just have a culling wish?”  
  
    Rufioh laughed.  “Neither, actually.  I figure my life is so short that I might as well put it to good use.  I grew up on the streets of Alinam City; the kind of place where the value of lowblood life is as close to zero as you can get.  I watched too many good people being dragged away or killed for no reason that I couldn’t sit still any longer.  Organized my first uprising when I was six sweeps old: we managed to wrestle a Legislacerator to the ground and made her promise never to prosecute another lowblood without proper evidence before the Enforcers showed up and we had to run like hell.”  
  
    Aranea chuckled at the thought of it.  “Braver than most, that’s for sure.  I’ve had a run-in with a tealblood Legislacerator and they’re more dangerous than they look.”  She tipped her head back to reveal the tattoo of the jade spider on her neck.  “See that?”  
  
    “I do.  What’s it mean?”  
  
    “That spider is sewing shut a gash on my neck that teal-tongued twat opened up; she left me to bleed out in the brigblock of this very ship.”  She paused and her step stuttered for a moment.  “If it wasn’t for Porrim, I would have.  That’s why the tattoo is there.”  
  
    “That’s pretty cool!  I love it when tattoos have meaning.”  
  
    “I’d have it no other way.  I’d never get one without it being something special.  I have a few now and I love every one of them.”  
  
    Nitram smirked.  “Maybe you can give me a guided tour of them sometime?”  
  
    She met his eyes.  “If this were fifty sweeps ago or so, I’d be showing them all to you now, except that I only would have had the one on my back to display.”  
  
    “If this were fifty sweeps ago, I’d be nothing more than the twinkle in my progenitor’s eye!  Or would that be my progenitor’s progenitor’s eye?  Actually, wait…”  He looked skyward while he did the mental math but his feet never missed a step.  
  
    Mindfang couldn’t help but smile at his sudden mental diversion.  “Don’t worry about it.  Point is that once upon a time I was a tad more promiscuous in my red quadrant.  I fear that ship has sailed.”  
  
    “You sure?  You may have a matesprit but I’ve heard of some moirallegiances that can get pretty steamy…”  
  
    She gave him a look of mock surprise.  “You don’t say!”  
  
    “I do say!  Oh wait, I think I may have seen an example of that in your sickbay tonight, didn’t I?”  
  
    “Perhapssssssss…”  
  
    “Okay, then,” Rufioh continued, “say I’d have been a bigger deal.  Would you have considered me for a kismesis?”  
  
    Mindfang bit her lip for a moment, then spun him out and twirled him back in again with a bit more force than she would have liked.  “My dear Rufioh, remind me to show you what happened to my last ebon lover.  I keep one of his fins on a necklace and I wear it on occasion to piss of the likes of Syhale.  I’m done with blackrom.  I have no peer as a rival now; it just wouldn’t be fair.”  
  
    Nitram raised his eyebrows.  “Is that so?  I wouldn’t think you’d be so prone to arrogance.”  
  
    “Not arrogance; merely a simple fact.  If Syhale is supposed to be the king of the seas in Condy’s absence, I just made a complete fool of him.  There really isn’t anyone left on the planet to give me a run for my caegars anymore.  In a way, I’m rather saddened by that.”  
  
    “I don’t know; I’d like to hope you could find a challenge out there somewhere.  Some people are full of surprises, after all.”  
  
    She chortled.  “I’m rather difficult to surprise.”  As she dropped her hand to his waist to take the lead again, she grazed it up against his bandaged ribs.  “Although I am surprised that didn’t seem to hurt you too terribly.”  
  
    He nodded.  “Yeah… you’re pretty perceptive, I’ll give you that.  I wear these bandages for other reasons.”  
  
    Mindfang considered probing his thinkpan for the answer but held back.   _He’s right; there are too few surprises in my life these nights.  Perhaps I should let him reveal the secret; he seems like he’s itching to anyway for some reason._  “Is that so?” she echoed.  
  
    This time he spun her out away from him and then brought her in so that her back was pressed up against his chest.  Rufioh leaned in and whispered, “Have you ever wanted to fly?”  
  
    “If you’re planning on surprising me by throwing me off of my own ship, Rufioh, I wouldn’t recommend it.  I’d soon send your head flying off of your shoulders if you try.”  
  
    “Babe, if I wanted you to trust me, that’s the last thing I’d do.  No, I’m serious:  have you ever thought about what it would be like to just take off into the sky, tearing through the air without anything holding you back?”  
  
    “Save for fear and good judgment, of course?” she asked, tipping her head back slightly to move her ear closer to his lips.  “Luckily I happen to lack the former but I make up for that with having the latter in reserve.  Even with a bottle of rum in me.”  She felt his hands working down around her waist.  “But I’m not THAT drunk; might I inquire as to what you’re up to there?”  
  
    “Don’t worry, it’s a good surprise. It’ll make up for not being up front with these bandages.”  
  
    Mindfang caught a glimpse of the white ribbons of gauze as they fell to the wooden deck below.  “Okay, I’m trusting you.”  
  
    “That’s music to my sponge clots, doll!  But you didn’t answer my question:  did you ever dream about flying?”  
  
    “Of course.  In fact as much as I love the sea, I’ve often dreamt of taking to the skies.  To be able to slip the bounds of gravity and soar over the open ocean; who wouldn’t be breathtaken by that?  Does that sound crazy to you?”  
  
    “Are you kidding?  In a world full of people, only some WANT to fly.  Isn’t THAT crazy?”  
  
    She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath of the cool sea air and sighed.  “I like the way you think.  I want you to know this.”  Aranea felt his warm breath on her neck as he signed his reply.  “So, how long to I have to wait for this surprise of yours?”  
  
    “Ready when you are.  All you need to do is close your eyes and think about your flying dreams.”  
  
    “All right.”   _What could he possibly have in mind?  Whatever it is it’s creating a bit of a breeze… unless the winds just picked up?  My, that’s cool on the face…  Kind of a strange noise there, too... Winds don’t usually make a ‘fwoop fwoop’ sound... What in the blue hells is going on here?_  She could hear his breathing pick up pace in her ear.  “Rufioh, what’s taking you so long?”  
  
    “Wait for it... almost there...”  
  
    “You better not be doing what I think you’re doing back there or so help me...”  
  
    “Trust me, you have no idea, hon!  Okay... get ready... and take a look!”  
  
    “Okay, then, let’s HOOOOOOOOLY SHIT WE’RE FLYING WE’RE FLYING WE’RE FLYING”  
  
    Rufioh laughed with glee.  “Yep!  What do you think?”  
  
    Mindfang twisted her head around to try and figure out what was actually happening.  She was amazed to see that he wasn’t wearing a jet pack or anything like that, but a pair of large orange wings were flapping behind him and, as far as she could tell, they actually were attached to his back.    
  
    “HOW????????”  
  
    “Uhh... how do I say this... I have wings?”  
  
    “HOW THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE WINGS????????”  
  
    He laughed heartily.  “Because I was hatched with them?  Pretty cool, huh?”  
  
    Mindfang looked around, her eyes as wide as they’d ever been:  she was sweeping across the ocean maybe ten meters above it with nothing but open water ahead.  The breeze was making her eyes begin to water; her instinct was to reach up and wipe them but she realized that Rufioh had her around the waist and worried that her squirming about might make him drop her into the cold water below so she did her best to blink away the moisture instead.  “Yeah…”    
  
    “All right, then let’s go for a ride!”  He tightened his grip on her, drew a deep breath and let his wings spread fully before flapping them hard to gain some speed and altitude.  After a few minutes and miles were behind them, Rufioh noted that his passenger, who he found rather chatty up to this point, asked, “Should I take your silence to mean you find this boring or that you’re awestruck?”   
  
    “That last one.  That.”    
  
    He flexed the muscles in his back and they began to rise and begin a sweeping turn that brought the stars into view.  “Glad you like it!  Something tells me you don’t get seasick so this shouldn’t bother you too much.”  
  
    “Not in the least…” Mindfang all but whispered.  “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”  
  
    “You got it, doll!  Here we go!”  This time he banked harder to the left, which brought them back down closer to the sea and the first rays of sunlight on the opposite horizon sparkling atop the small wave crests.    
  
    _This… my gods, this is… incredible._  Her eyes lit upon her fleet as it crossed the ocean, the spoils of what she considered one of her greatest victories as a Gamblignant and as a rebel in tow.   _What a night this has been… and who knew that my prize would be so much more than I expected?_  It wasn’t just the scent of the sea air that filled her sniffnodes but the tang of his scent as the sweat from his exertions blew from his skin.   _Magnificent.  Truly magnificent.  This stirs my soul in ways that it hasn’t since…_  
  
    She looked to her right and in the distance, illuminated by the morning twilight, was a solitary island.   _Blue Recluse…_  A wave of memories and emotions tore through her, a thousand thoughts in a single moment and in that moment she understood what needed to be done.  
  
    “Rufioh?  Perhaps we should make our way back to the ship?”  
  
    “Yeah, I suppose so.  Getting a bit tuckered out, anyway.  I don’t get to do this often enough and even less often with a passenger.  You enjoying the ride still?”  
  
    “You have no idea!  Thank you for this!”  
  
    He grinned and turned his body so that they banked low over the water and then rose slightly, now on course for the vessel from which they’d departed.    
  
  
  
  
    Minutes later, Rufioh’s black boots touched the deck of the _Fool’s Gambit_ once more and her bare feet followed a moment after.  “So, what do you say, doll?  Helluva ride?”  
  
    “Like none other,” Mindfang answered, her smile so wide her fangs were openly visible.  “Truly majestic.  Thank you for this, Rufioh.  I will cherish it always.”  
  
    “Doesn’t have to be the last time…”  
  
    She tossed her hair back to try and clear some of the wayward strands from her face.  “Perhaps not.  I do hope you choose to stick around.”  
  
    He closed his eyes and grinned again.  “I got nowhere else to go.  Not for a while, anyway.  And I do owe you one.”  
  
    “I consider that debt paid in full.”  She studied his features again and his smile spoke to her on a level she could never shape into words if she tried.    
  
    Rufioh reached forward and took her slender hands into his.  “I’m glad to hear it.  Listen, I’d be willing to take you on another ride, and that one takes two.”  
  
    “Rufioh, I…”  
  
    “I see that smile, doll.  I know you’re feeling what I’m feeling.  Don’t worry… it’s only love…”  
  
    He held her gaze, took in that strange, captivating eye of hers, then closed his own and leaned in, his lips parted.  His face was gently met by her hand on his cheek… but it offered a gentle, unexpected resistance.  Rufioh looked at her only to see the ceruleanblood sigh, slowly shake her head twice and then lean in and kiss him lightly on the cheek.  Without another word, Aranea let his hands go, turned around and walked back to the stairwell, her bare feet making no sound as she left.  He watched her go without calling out to her, all words of protest or persuasion fading in his throat, knowing that her heart truly belonged to another.    
  
  
  
  
  
    “Porrim?  Porrim?  Are you awake?”  
  
    A long pause.  “I’m not asleep if that’s what you’re asking.”  
  
    “Gooooooood.  Then get off of that bed and come with me.”  
  
    Another silence just long enough to be taken as reluctance.  “And why would I want to do that?  Is the ship on fire?”  
  
    “No, but if we don’t get going right now, my eyes are going to be.”  
  
    Porrim glanced over at the chronometer beside her bed.  “I’ve been laying here for an hour.  Guess I wasn’t sleeping anyway.”  As she sat up, she felt a hand on her shoulder.  “Rae, I…”  
  
    “Shhhhhhhh.  No.  Not a word.  I don’t know how often you’ve ever heard me say this, but Porrim, my love, I’m sorry.  Sometimes I forget myself and maybe I take you for granted sometimes.  I didn’t mean to be so flirtatious.  You’re the only one I love and that hasn’t changed.  I fought for you, killed for you, and no matter what, you’re the most valuable of all the treasures I’ve ever known: my most beautiful jewel.  I love you, Porrim Maryam.  I would still fight for you.  I would still kill for you.  But now and then I forget I don’t always need to do those things; what I need to do is make time for you.  I completely messed that up and I’m sorry.  Please come with me and let me make it up to you.”  
  
    Aranea couldn’t see Porrim’s face in the dark but she could feel her matesprit’s indignance fall away and the beauty of her emotional shift back into a happier state resonated through her empathic senses like the sunrise outside.  “All right,” Porrim answered, placing her hand on Aranea’s and then rising to her feet.  “I’m sorry I was being so petulant.  I know you’re doing your best and I appreciate it.  What do you have in mind?”  
  
    “Not a what, dear heart, but a where…”  
  
  
  
  
    “Felida!  Wake up!”  
  
    “Mmmgajdflx..”  
  
    “I’m leaving you in command of the fleet; Porrim and I need a couple of nights to ourselves.  I’m loading up the lifeboat and we’re going to be on Blue Recluse.  Carry on to Base One and tell Horuss the _Fool’s Gam8it_ is going to need a new cloaking device.”  
  
    “merf…”  
  
    “And while he’s at it, see if he can’t amplify the power so that it can extend over more than one ship.  I want an entire small fleet to be able to sneak up on something now that Syhale is going to be gunning even harder for us.”  
  
    “wootie…”  
  
    “Of course he is!  That arrogant fishfondler isn’t going to take this well.  Keep an eye on Waleti – not a foot this time – and see if you can find a place for her.  She may be very valuable to us.”  
  
    “potrzebie…”  
  
    “I have no idea why you’d bring up ancient systems of measurement at this hour but I trust you enough not to run the fleet into the ground.  I do have a spare communicator but only use it for emergencies.  Accidentally tying yourself to something in our respiteblock does not constitute an emergency; you can get Meulin to cut you free again and then maybe you’ll be smarter about this whole rope fetish business.”  Aranea leaned in to give her moirail a kiss and a squeeze on her rear, which resulted in a contented purr.  “I’ll fill the daywatch in on what’s happening before we go.  Don’t wait up for us, my sweet; we’ll all have some fun when we get back.”  
  
    “mmmmm…”  
  
    “Attagirllllllll...” 

 


	39. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea and Porrim enjoy some well earned time to themselves on Blue Recluse Island before returning to Base One to take account of the aftermath of their skirmish with the Imperial Navy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY EASTER HAVE SOME SMUT WOO
> 
> For those of you reading this story for the DoloFang Sexytimes, this is probably long overdue in your opinion. ;) Hope you enjoy it! Next chapter will be focusing more on what Horuss' island looks like now but don't worry, there will still be the occasional foray behind the door of Mindfang's respiteblock (or wherever else they happen to be) in the future.

   
** 38. **

    Porrim’s left leg shook violently, kicking the wet sand out and away as she felt the impending waves of delight making their way through her for what must have been the sixth time that night.  She sunk her nails into the blue towel underneath her and drew rapid shivering breaths.  “Yes…  gods, yes… don’t stop… please… again…”

    No words came from her matesprit’s mouth, which was currently engaged in suckling at Porrim’s flushed green nub and decidedly moist lower lips, but she had more means of communication at her disposal than most others did.   _Yessssssss… again… come for me, love._

    What started as a whimper from Porrim’s mouth rapidly increased in volume as she felt the shockwaves hit her body and mind.  There was none of the familiar wetness escaping her this time; her body had been run almost dry after two straight nights and days of sexual releases, punctuated only by breaks to eat and drink and talk.  They had shared the intense bond created by Aranea’s empathic merging on a couple of occasions, now a familiar and easy gestalt to achieve, but the echo of it still remained and Porrim knew the woman who was caressing her with her mouth would be enjoying every delicious pulse of orgasm to follow right along with her.  She did her best to breathe in as her teeth chattered but still ended up lost to the  pleasure, unable to speak so much as an articulate word.  

    _That was… incredible… so wonderful…_

_I still find it funny that you sometimes still “pant” mentally, thinking between your breaths.  It’s adorrrrrrrrable._  

    Porrim was able to making a chuckling sound as she came to.  It took a decided effort to let go of the blanket that separated her from the dense sand underneath her body; she curled and uncurled both her fingers and toes and flexing them to relax those digits.  “I’m glad… you think so.  I’m amazed… I still have the energy… to even speak at all!”

    “Does that mean you’re satisfied at last, my love?”

    Despite still being on her back, Porrim was able to nod enough to convey her answer.  “Uh-huh!  Quite!  I was probably satisfied at some point last night but I certainly wasn’t going to say no to this.”  

    Aranea sat up on her knees and gently turned her head from side to side, stretching the muscles in her slender neck.  “And I’m glad you didn’t.  There are few things I enjoy more than feeling the folds of your flap under my tongue and the sensations of you tightening around my fingers as you come… again and again…”

    The flare between Porrim’s legs at her matesprit’s words was equal parts pleasure and ache; the soreness born of repeated climax was overwhelming the tingle of desire and she reflexively pressed her thighs together.  “Ohhhhh… if only…”

    Aranea didn’t need to ask what she meant; she could feel the jadeblood’s physical and emotional fatigue quite plainly.  “But I suppose I could give you a rest.  We’re probably going to need to pack up soon.  The communicator hasn’t gone off so I’m hoping that’s a good sign, but we ought to figure out our next move sooner than later.”

    “I suppose.”  Porrim took a full breath and, with some effort, rolled over onto her side and then rose to a similar kneeling position.  She arched her back and felt it make gentle pops as things settled back into place.  “No sand in my hair this time?”

    “Not much.  Those larger towels are far more suited to this sort of thing, aren’t they?”  Aranea looked down to her bent knees and brushed a couple of small rock particles off of one of them.  “Although perhaps I could use one under myself next time.”

    “We’ll have to keep that in mind.”  With slightly shaky legs, Porrim stood up and walked over to Aranea, offering a hand to help her up, which was taken.  This gesture became an embrace, arms tight around each other’s bodies.  “I love you.  Thank you again for this.  I’m sorry I was such a jealous fool.”

    Aranea raised a hand to gently stroke Porrim’s cheek.  “No, dear heart; I’ve said it many times the last couple of nights:  this is on me and I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have been so tone deaf to your concerns.  I know I’ve missed a few important dates over the sweeps because of some mission or other and for me to act like I was around the Summoner was just too much.  Perhaps in some other place or some other time, he and I could have been something, but I’m with you and I always will be.  I’m sorry for even making you feel like it could ever be otherwise.”

    Porrim’s face drew up into a smile and she pressed up against the hand Aranea offered.  “Thank you.  It means the world to me to hear you say so.”

    “You’ve come a long way, Porrim Maryam,” Aranea said, planting a quick kiss on her matesprit’s lips.  “Hells, both of us have.  I’m trying not to lose sight of our goal but I also need to make sure I don’t lose sight of us as well.”  

    “Both are important,” Porrim said, placing her hands on Aranea’s shoulders.  “I’ll support you as best I can in whatever we do.”

    “Thank you, love.  The thing is I have a feeling that what we’re about to do may get a whole lot more complicated in the next little while.  I need you to be fully on board with it.  No more questioning that which does not need to be questioned, all right?  And by that I mean us; if you have a legitimate concern about one plan or another, you can absolutely tell me about it privately.  But if we’re going to reel in the Big Fish herself, you’re going to need to trust in me completely.”

    Porrim swallowed.  “The idea of it seems so… far fetched.  Like it’s not even possible.”

    “Dear heart, you’ve been with me for fifty sweeps.  Fifty!  And you still believe that there are things that aren’t possible?”

    “I suppose not… we have done some rather amazing things.”

    “You do realize that two nights ago, we were standing on the bridge of the flagship of the Imperial Navy, right?”

    “True enough.  So what became of it, anyway?”

    Aranea’s grin was as wide as ever.  “I had Djoran rig it so that the first person who touched the main computer would initiate a silent one minute countdown to self destruct.  It’s flotsam and hopefully it turned another admiral or two into Tentacle Chow in the process.”

    Porrim laughed despite the decidedly grim context of her lover’s words.  “I certainly wouldn’t complain.  All right; you know I’m yours.  Always.  I trust you.”

    “Nothing could possibly make me happier, my dear.  Nothing.  So, shall we make our way to the tent?  It’ll take about four hours to reach Base One from here if the weather cooperates.”

    After she had picked up the large towel, they began the short walk towards their campsite.  The thought of choppy seas still made Porrim queasy.  “My poor protein chute spasms at the thought that it might not.  It’s bad enough getting through a storm on _Fool’s Gam8it_ , never mind on the lifeboat!”

    “Fear not; we should be fine.  I notice some clouds on the horizon but the winds should help us along before they reach us.  In fact, I figure they should just drift south anyway.”

    “No matter how many times I see you do it, I still don’t understand how you have such a knack for predicting the weather.”

    “Sweeps of experience plus a natural talent, my love.  I don’t understand your skills at sewing or how you picked up playing that strange flute of yours so easily, but we all have our abilities.”  The grin returned to Aranea’s face.  “Actually, in retrospect, I can see how you’d be a natural with a flute…”

    Porrim gave her a sly look.  “Is that so?  And why would you say that?”

    “Well, I know you haven’t handled a bulge before but no one would hold a bulge the way one would hold a flute, much less shove a flute into their mouth like that, anyway.  But you do seem to be able to work magic your tongue and your fingers… and you can certainly cause your instrument of choice to make beautiful music.”

    “Are you asking for a demonstration, Rae?  Perhaps a private concerto?”

    “Maybeeeeeeee…”

    Porrim said not another word, but threw the towel down, kicked the corners of it to open it as best she could, grabbed a cackling Aranea, set her down on it and then lay on top of her, skin to skin, placing long sucking kisses upon her neck.  Aranea’s laughter soon gave way to sighing moans and Porrim responded by moving those kisses down across the blueblood’s chest, lingering long upon her rapidly swelling right nipple, before taking them down Aranea’s side and across the faint hints of her grubleg marks, around the curve of her hip and over the soft grey-blue mound of her seedflap.  She felt her matesprit twitch a couple of times as the kisses landed upon places on her body that were quite sensitive but those came to rest as she brought her lips to bear on the already well-visited small blue erection of Aranea’s nub, those tickle-induced gasps switching to the excited sounds that Porrim knew so well.

    She drank in the scent of Aranea’s sex, although it quickly changed as her mouth licked and caressed the soft lips they encountered.  In between long, slow sucks at her labia, Porrim deftly slipped one finger into her mouth, and then another, and brought them to slowly trace the short distance between her lover’s seedflap and nook, eventually resting them upon the moister opening until they slipped inside with practiced ease.  She relished the high-pitched sound Aranea made as they did and she waited until her matesprit was comfortable before resuming her ministrations with her tongue and now the two fingers inside of her as well.  Shortly after, Porrim wet a finger on her right hand and let it explore Aranea’s nook, it too finding its way inside as that part of her relaxed.   _There.  Now the concert begins…_

_Yessssssss… play me, dear heart…_

    Porrim used her tongue to trace circles short and long around the outside of the firm nub underneath before sweeping it underneath in between the occasional suck.  She worked her fingers in and out of both of Aranea’s openings, sometimes in opposition, sometimes together, feeling and listening to her lover’s movements and sounds to establish a perfect rhythm.  She would occasionally draw the fingers out very slowly, almost trembling, until her fingertips were at the very edge of Aranea’s body before sliding them back in again, which made the recipient of all of this pleasuring call out loudly and happily.  “Oh gods yes!  Fuck, Porrim… again!  Take me… to the edge… and back again…”

    Porrim said nothing but continued drawing swirls on Aranea’s nub with her tongue and resumed sliding her digits in and out, occasionally adding a hint of vibration or a slight curl.  She could feel the wetness from Aranea’s seedflap leaking out and running down, adding moisture to the nookbound finger for which she was grateful; she didn’t want to stop doing what she was doing with her tongue to re-wet that if she could help it.  Before long, the telltale clenching began and Porrim held the tempo with her tongue as she knew to do when Aranea was close to her climax; a few moments later came the high-pitched wail and the blue-tinged release that followed.  It was far from the cerulean flood that Porrim was used to; like herself, Aranea was all but spent after their frequent lovemaking but there was still enough of an emission that she was able to taste of it, to drink in the very essence of her matesprit and let it linger in her senses.   _Felida introduced me to this and can’t thank her enough for it._  Porrim gave Aranea a few moments of rest but then, on a whim, started moving her fingers again, slowly at first but then more rapidly than before.

    “Oh… OH!  What… do you think… you’re up to?” Aranea gasped.

    “Shhhhhh…” was the only answer Porrim gave audibly and then placed her lips directly over Aranea’s desensitized nub and began to suck on it, holding it in her mouth while licking at it quickly.  She didn’t have to wait long for a response:  a minute later, it was the blueblood who was clutching hard at the towel underneath of her, her back arching involuntarily while Porrim held fast with her mouth and hands until Aranea called out and one further pulse of blue surged from her seedflap to cover Porrim’s slowing fingers.  As Aranea shook in orgasmic ecstasy on the towel, Porrim unashamedly took those blue covered digits into her mouth and sucked them clean.   _If I weren’t so sore, I’d ask her to take me again…_

_And I would oblige… Ye gods!  That was incrediblllllllle!  What inspired you to try that?_

_Just an idea I had.  To keep with the music theme, I was hoping for one big crescendo as a finale._

_And you got it, yes?_

    Porrim chuckled and moved to lie beside the still quivering blueblood.  “You tell me!”

    _I would if I could!  My mouth doesn’t work yet, love._

_That has to be a first!_

_Ho ho, ha ha and hee hee._   Aranea bared her fangs in a smile as she tried to regain control of her body.   _I’ll laugh when my teeth stop chattering._

    Porrim did her best to embrace her lover.  “Well, I hope this helps.”

    “Y-y-yes… Th-thank y-y-you…”

    “You’re quite welcome.  You genuinely weren’t expecting that, were you?”

    _No!  Not at all!  It’s rare for someone to surprise me like that!  I can come many times a night – as you’re well aware by now – but I usually need a rest in-between.  That was amazing!  I’ve maybe experienced that once or twice before._

    “Oh,” Porrim said, somewhat crestfallen.  “And I thought I might have actually done something unique for you.”

    _Hey, no need to fret about that!  It’s been… a verrrrrrrry long time since it happened and let me tell you, you were far nicer about it than my matesprit at the time was.  This was truly wonderful and I loved every single moment of it.  Thank you again!_

    This brought a smile to Porrim’s face.  “I’d say it was my pleasure, but…”

    _Heh heh… the pleasure was all mine, love!_

    “I wouldn’t go that far.  I do take a lot of pleasure from pleasuring you, you know.  More and more so as the sweeps go by.”

    “Oh, I’ve noticed,” Aranea said as she felt her body begin to finally relax.  “Even in my excitement, I could sense you enjoying me:  both my orgasm and what came from it.  Are you and Felida going to be fighting over me like some kind of snack bar from here on, hmmmmmmmm?”

    Despite feeling much more comfortable about this than she ever had, Porrim still blushed.  “It would give us something else to scrap over.  I’m sure she’d get a kick out of that.”

    “I’m sure you’re right.  And I would certainly be willing to be scrapped over from time to time.  Wouldn’t be the first time, I suppose.”

    Porrim really wasn’t all that interested in hearing about how others had loved or hated her matesprit while the colours of their love were still fresh upon their fingers.  “So, I suppose we should get going?”

    Aranea nodded.  “I didn’t exactly pack a lot of food in case you hadn’t noticed.  And as much as you might like to think otherwise, I fear we can’t survive on seedflap alone.”

    “As your healthtender, I’m afraid I have to agree with that assessment.” Porrim made an exaggerated sigh and moved to stand up.  “I really could use a proper meal.  But not until we get back home, just in case we hit rough seas.  The only thing worse than throwing up is throwing up on an empty stomach.”

    “Hmmmmmmmm… I don’t suspect your stomach is entirely empty.”

    Porrim rolled her eyes.  “That doesn’t count and you know it.”

    “So I do, my love, so I do.”  Aranea took Porrim’s offered hand and stood up as well.  “This poor towel is going to need a serious washing.”

    “I was just planning on throwing it into one of Horuss’s… ‘incineighrators’.”  Porrim scrunched up her face as she said the word.  

    Aranea laughed.  “I never thought I would meet anyone who loathed horse puns more than I do.  This is why I love you, Porrim.  That and many, many other reasons.”  She pulled Porrim close and kissed her.  

    “I love you too, Aranea.  And I suspect ‘loathe’ isn’t strong enough a word.”  Porrim sighed and looked over to the tent.  “I suppose we should get going.  That towel isn’t going to burn itself.”

    “If it does, it won’t be from our lack of effort.  There was a fair bit of friction upon it, after all.”

    Porrim put a hand to her face.  “What Horuss is to awful horse puns, you are to innuendo.”

    Aranea beamed and set about picking the towel up from the grassy ground.  “I’d ask you to pick this up but another peek at that choice ass of yours and we could be right back on it again.”

    “You know how there’s a word for killing your black lover?  ‘Kismesicide’?  Is there one for sexing your red lover to death?”

    “Wanna find out?”

    “You’re incorrigible.”

    “No, I’m Aranea Serket to you and Marquise Spinneret Mindfang to the rest of the world.  Haven’t you been paying attention the last fifty sweeps?”

    “Excuse me,” Porrim said, hands on her hips, “did I say you could borrow my snark tonight?”

    “Dear heart, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m a Gamblignant.  I don’t ask…”  Aranea punctuated this by pulling the jadeblood up into her arms and kissing her fiercely.  “I take.”

    Porrim chuckled and shook her head.  “I think I’ve been taken enough times for one night.  Let’s get going before you make me tie YOU up for a change.”

    “Ooooooooh!  Threat or promise?”

    “Whatever it takes to get you back on the boat.  While I may happen to enjoy how you taste, if I don’t get some loaf in me, I’m going to start considering how you’d taste slow cooked over an open fire.”

    Aranea shuddered.  “Ick.  Say no more, love.  I’ll grab the tent…”

 

 

 

    “Well, well, she stirrrrrrrrs.  I was wondering if I was going to have to carry you in or not!”

    Porrim blinked a few times as she came to.  “Sorry… The hum of the engines must have put me to sleep.”

    Aranea chortled at this.  “Somehow I suspect what we just spent the last two nights doing may have had more to do with it.  Not that I’m complaining whatsoever.”  

    “Glad to hear it.  Where are we?”

    “Just coming up on the island.  I’m sending the codes now.”  Aranea entered a series of keystrokes into the small computer on board the lifeboat.  

    Porrim sat up and looked out the canopy window:  the familiar shape of Horuss’s island was quite near and, as it always appeared, there was no sign of activity around the grey stone cliffs and sparse trees.   _No matter how many times we approach this, it never ceases to amaze me._  

    “Preparing to cross the defense screen horizon.  Just want to make sure I don’t hit any of the holoprojector buoys… unlike some of us here.”

    “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

    “Nope!  I’m just glad we had the ships available to chase down that trawler that happened to witness a massive island start to wobble.”  Aranea used a joystick to adjust the boat’s course slightly.  “Turned out to be rather serendipitous; you have to admit Inegev Kanmil was a great find.  What a waste of a helmsman on a scow like that.  Sure, I can barely understand a word he says, but then, I don’t have to.”

     “Some of us have to try.  That’s one of the hardest accents to understand I’ve ever heard.  That being said, I rarely have to tell him anything; he knows what he’s doing.”

    Aranea nodded.  “I find goldbloods seem to have a knack for navigating.  Not to sound typist or anything but it’s a stereotype that seems to hold water.”

    Porrim thought again of her time with Mituna Captor and how his gifts went above and beyond mere navigational skills.  “I’d be inclined to agree.”  She was about to add to this when the telltale flash of light that signified their passage across the holoprojectors perimeter happened and she blinked quickly to try and minimize its effects.  Once her vision was restored, she surveyed the true face of the island that had become their home:  numerous caves along the base housed ships of all shapes and sizes, and a few white hiveblocks could be seen poking up along the edge of its coastline, all still dwarfed by the tall white tower in the center.  There was a swarm of activity on the vessels that could be seen; many of them were in dire need of repair from the previous battle, while some were captured ships that were either being refitted or, if they were too badly damaged, being stripped down to provide parts for the rest of the makeshift fleet.  “Any idea how many were gained and lost?”

    “Felida said it was decidedly a victory in terms of number of vessels won. Our crews were able to commandeer plenty of ships but we took some significant damage to the ones we brought to the dance.  The good news is that our latest recruits will get plenty of practical experience in repairs and then have ships of their own to serve on.”

    “Do we finally have enough?” Porrim asked.

    “You can never have enough trollpower or firepower, love.  But for what I’m planning?  I’d say we’re finally close, yes.”

    “And when do you plan to share what that plan entails with me?”

    Aranea pulled the lifeboat up to the pier where the _Fool’s Gam8it_ was docked.  “As soon as I have it all worked out, which shouldn’t be much longer.  I’m just debating a couple of things and then when it comes time to make our moves, I’ll fill you in.”

    Porrim sighed loudly to make her displeasure known.  “I’m your matesprit AND your First Mate.  I do wish you’d share your plans with me.”

    “Porrim, my love, this is something that requires me to be exceedingly cautious and even more so when it comes to you because you hold those very roles in my life.  I haven’t even revealed the entirety of this plan to Felida yet.  Yes, I know you’d love to vet it and I will give you the chance to do so, but for now, I have to work a couple of things out on my own.”  Aranea shut down the engines and then leaned forward to give Porrim a quick kiss.  “Trust me, okay?  You’re going to have a big role to play when all of this goes down.  Bigger than even my own if it works out.  Let’s just say I was inspired by a conversation with someone very close to you many sweeps ago.  And while your thinkpan chews on that as I know full well that it will, let’s catch up with Felida and find out what’s what, okay?”

    “All right.  And just so you know, my thinkpan doesn’t ‘chew’.”

    “The hell it doesn’t.  I can already hear it chewing away.  Nom nom nom…”

    Porrim laughed before she could stifle it.  “You suck.”

    “So do you.  For which I remain ever thankful.”  Aranea opened the hatch, stepped onto the deck and offered Porrim a hand.  “Let’s go see how our new friends are enjoying their new surroundings…”

 

 


	40. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindfang gives her latest recruits, including Rufioh and Alyssm Waleti, a personal tour of her island base. How she introduces those two in particular to her special abilities is considerably different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured it was important to address where Aranea and Rufioh left off so that opens this chapter. However, I also really wanted to have Mindfang do Mindfang things and her conversation with Waleti allowed me to return to that "manipul8ive" side of her character for a while (for those unfamiliar with where Waleti came from, let's just say this mirrors the kind of interaction that Alyssm and Vriska share briefly in one of my editor/moirail's tales, just taken to a higher level). It was also fun to reintroduce Meulin in her role as a teacher of sorts. And, of course, the impending return of the OC who belongs to the person who asked for this tale in the first place (as well as an OC cameo for someone who has been very much an encouraging fan of these works; enjoy!).

   
** 39. **

    “Stable tennis!  Get it?”

    Aranea watched Rufioh’s mouth working but there was no sound coming from it.  “Don’t worry, Nitram,” she called out as she and Porrim approached from behind them, “all of his jokes – and I use that word loosely – have that effect on people.”

    Horuss Zahhak turned to face Mindfang and Porrim as they crested the hill.  “Welcome home, Marquise!  I was just having an enlightening conversation with this young man.  He certainly has quite a sense of humour!”

    “Oh yeah… yeah, I sure do!  Ha ha!” Rufioh said, forcing a grin that he suspected would be obviously forced to everyone but the massive indigoblood standing before him.  “Horuss here was just giving us a guided tour of the grounds.”  He gestured behind to the three people accompanying him.  “Kandun, Daalla, Squish, these are the women you owe your lives to.”

    The towering male and the slight woman, both maroonbloods, made to voice their greetings and thanks when the third, a short man with a messy mop of hair, suddenly dashed towards them and latched onto Porrim in as tight an embrace as he could offer.    
“Oof!  Well, hello again!  Nice to see that you’re…”

    “squishy…”

    Porrim looked down to find his face pressed firmly into her breasts.  “Er… yes, we established that last time.”  She embraced him and debated trying to pry him away from her chest.  “I’m actually quite amazed that you’re not on crutches, to be honest!”

    The woman answered to this.  “Yeah, Squish seems to be able to heal himself fairly easily.  Good thing, too; that little shit can manage to get hurt standing still sometimes!  I was able to help speed things up a bit for him; he insisted on being able to run over to hug you when he saw you next.”

    “Well, congratulations, Squish,” Porrim said as she gently stepped out of his embrace, “you succeeded and I’m quite thrilled to see it.”   _Rae?   I hate to ask this of you, but…_

_Relaaaaaaaax.  All I’m getting from him is genuine awe and respect.  He thinks you’re pretty amazing.  Your boobs are just a bonus._

    Porrim examined his face; the little fellow was grinning ear to ear and from what she could see of his face, it reminded her not a small amount of someone else she once cared very deeply for.   _I know he’s not… HIM but this poor fellow looks like he could use a guiding hand._  Before she even realized that she was doing it, Porrim started to run her fingers through his matted hair in an effort to comb it and tidy it up a bit.  When she did so, Squish began to vibrate happily.   _Is he actually purring?_  
  
    He is indeed!  You do have some magic in those hands of yours, love.  Should I be the one jealous now?

    It took every ounce of effort for Porrim not to make an audible snort at Aranea’s comment but she succeeded.  “You seem like a nice enough guy.  Glad I could help.”

    “Squish is the man,” rumbled Kandun Klarck, the man Rufioh called Drawback.  “Sure, he gets his share of bruises but he can get into places a guy like me would never have a hope to.  Of course, sometimes we gotta bail his ass out, but that’s half the fun.”

    Mindfang looked over to him.  “I like the way you think.”  She approached Rufioh and his cohorts, slowly and deliberately, letting her heels tap out a steady rhythm on the white stone pavement in front of the tower.  Her gaze landed briefly upon Rufioh and a brush up against his mind revealed a swirl of mixed emotions.  Best address that sooner than later, too.  “What have you shown them so far, Horuss?”

    “Only my workshop and some parts of the tower.  I didn’t want to keep them penned up too long in there, of horse; as you’ve reminded me on multiple occasions, only I would have any desire to stay in there all night, every night.”

    “And I was absolutely right about that,” she replied.  “Very well, then; if you’d all like to follow me, I will give you the grand tour myself.  Porrim, my love?  While I’m doing that, can you find Felida for me?  I have a little assignment for her; it’s something I know she’ll absolutely relish doing.”

    Porrim nodded and gave Aranea’s hand a squeeze.  “We’ll catch up with you down below.”  With that, she headed into the tower and towards the spiral stairwell that lead down to the docking facilities below the island.  

    Aranea noticed Squish Imdead’s attention set squarely on watching Porrim leave.   _How adorable: a pale crush.  I wonder if I should let Porrim know or if she can figure it out on her own.  She can be so oblivious sometimes._  “Care to join us, Horuss?  You could use some fresh air.”

    “Indeed I could.  I also suspect the moonlight is about to become considerably lessened with these clouds rolling in.”  At that, Horuss lifted one of his rather thick legs and stomped on the ground twice.  In response, a series of lampposts emerged from the ground along every pathway in sight and lit up, providing a rich pink glow.  

    Mindfang chuckled.  “Now you’re just showing off.”

    Zahhak grinned, a few drops of perspiration forming on his brow.  “Er… perhaps?”

    “It’s quite alright.  We are trying to impress our guests, after all.  Come with me and I’ll show you what other wonders our island has to offer!  Horuss, if you’d kindly lead the way?  I need to speak with Rufioh about some… unfinished business first.”

    “Certainly, Marquise!  If the rest of you would follow me, please?”  

    As Horuss lead Squish, Kandun and Daalla down the well lit path, Rufioh stepped up beside Mindfang and said, “Now that’s something I never thought I’d get to see.”

    “And what would that be?” Mindfang asked.  “A grown man actually stomping the ground like a horse to make lights pop up out of the ground?”

    “Uh… well, that too.  But an indigoblood saying ‘please’ to a bunch of lowbloods like us?  Still kinda disconcerting, you know?”

    “Have I not been kind to you as well?”

    Rufioh went to answer but the words didn’t come.

    Mindfang sighed.  “Look, Rufioh, this is why I wanted you to stay behind for a moment.  I… owe you an apology for leading you on like I did.  Flying with you was genuinely wonderful and I really did feel something for you, but you have to know that my heart belongs to another.”

    “Hey, it’s me who needs to apologize, doll.  I knew full well you had a matesprit, but you seemed so unhappy there and I had this… I dunno, this feeling inside when I saw you that I just wanted to see what would happen, you know?  Fortune favours the bold and all that, right?”

    She smiled sweetly and took his hand in hers.  “Any other night that boldness would have landed you a rich reward but that time has come and gone.  Some other place, some other time, you and I are likely lovers, but here and now, I love darling Porrim with every fiber of my being.  If you can live with that, I could really use someone with your skills and daring at my side.”

    “Flattery, as you said the other night, will get you everywhere.  All right, Marquise, if I can’t have you as a red lover, I suppose I can handle having you as a friend.  Just know I… think you’re pretty damn amazing.”

    “That makes two of us,” Mindfang answered with a wink.  

    Rufioh wanted to clear up what she meant by that but just smiled and let go of her hand, just in case said matesprit showed up again unexpectedly.  “Guess we should get moving, eh?”

    “I suppose so.”

    Rufioh had to resist the urge to take her hand again but curled his fingers into his hand instead.  “I wish there were some way to read your mind.”

    Mindfang gave him a sideways look.  “It’s not as much fun as everyone would expect it to be, trust me.”

    “And you know this how?  Remind me to keep my distance from you at a Watch Me table!”

    She smirked.  “A smart idea, Nitram.  Let’s just say that I have a means of communicating with my crew that many would consider… unconventional.”

    “Really!  Such as?”

    _I suppose I might as well let you know before your compatriots so that you can help ease them into it when the time comes and it’s less of a shock._

    Rufioh stopped.  “Did you just… talk without moving your mouth?”

    “You could say that.”   _Or think it.  Whichever you preferrrrrrrr…_

    “Dang!  That’s cool!  What else can you do?”

    _I’d show you but first you really ought to stop picking your nose in public._

    He turned to look at her but was somewhat restrained by the finger lodged firmly in his left nostril.  “Waitaminute…  How did you…”

    _I’m a woman of many talents, Nitram, but rest assured I use them very sparingly.  I have no intentions of making you do anything against your will.  In a firefight, however, taking the mental reins of my crew is sometimes necessary.  In fact, in many cases it has been the difference between life and death.  This is why I make it a policy to show any potential candidates what I’m capable of and how it works.  Amazingly, only a few choose to leave; most are more than willing to stick around and be a part of this operation._  

    “Let me get this straight:  you can control more than one person at once?”

    _Mmhmm.  The lower on the hemospectrum, the easier it is for me to influence them.  I can control hundreds of lowbloods at once.  It starts to become more difficult around the midbloods.  For instance, I could control Porrim if I so chose but aside for the obvious reasons why I avoid doing so unless absolutely necessary, her jade blood makes it so that I have to focus on her and only her. Tealbloods, I can barely sense their emotions – an unfortunate limitation that nearly cost me my life and it’s Porrim I have to thank for saving it – and anyone above me is as unreadable as a brick wall.  As for Horuss, however, I can tell you exactly what he’s thinking._

    “How is that possible?  He’s an indigoblood, right?”

    _Simple.  All he thinks about are horses and machines.  You don’t need to be an empath to figure that out._  Mindfang gave him a knowing smile.

    “Ha!  I suppose not.  So you’re an empath?  Do you think it’s possible for me to surprise you?”

    “I can’t rule out the possibility,” she said aloud, “but I can count the number of times in my life when I’ve been truly surprised on the fingers of both hands.  You’re certainly welcome to try.”

    “All right.  Give me a sec…”

    Mindfang extended her mental feelers and detected his attempts at evading her thoughts, but found that there was a strange undercurrent to them that she had never encountered before.  She tried to sharpen her focus but was distracted by something peculiar occurring in front of her.  “You realize you’ve got a flutterby on your nose, right?”

    “Yep, sure do!”  Rufioh smiled and for a moment that voice inside of her that sang out for him echoed inside.  He extended his arms outward to the side and closed his eyes.  A few moments later, another blue flutterby appeared… and then another.  In the span of a minute, Rufioh’s arms were covered by what Mindfang believed to be the entire flutterby population of the island, save for the one that now rested on her nose.  

    “Okaaaaaaaay.  Consider me officially surprised.  How did you do that?”

    “Let’s just say that what you can do to people, I can do to animals and lusii.”

    She wanted to nod but also didn’t want to disturb the small insect that adorned her face.  “A fitting choice for a demonstration considering your own wings.”  A thought dawned on her, followed by a question: “Do you have limitations like mine?  Especially when it comes to lusii?”

    Rufioh thought for a moment.  “I can’t say for certain.  I have influenced a purpleblood’s lusus once in an escape we made, so maybe not?  Why do you ask?”

    “In order to find out, of course.  Now, as darling as this critter on my face is, could you ask it to maybe relocate before I sneeze it into next week?”

    “Haha, sure.  I’m sure she’d appreciate the warning.”  A moment later, that flutterby was winging its way back into the forest; a couple of seconds afterwards, the rest of its companions followed suit, departing in a cloud of moving wings – a tight formation at first which soon scattered into random looping flightpaths.  Just because he could, Rufioh had the one that trailed the pack do a couple of barrel rolls and then take off to return to whence it came.  

    Mindfang whistled softly.  “Yep, that was a surprise and a half.  Let’s just say you’ve given me one hell of an idea.”

    “Yeah?” Rufioh asked, one eyebrow raised.  “And what would that be?”

    “A secret for now, but when the time comes, I swear I will let you know.  Fair enough?”

    He nodded.  “Sure.  So, now that we’ve both shown off our ‘superpowers’, what next?”

    “I suppose we should catch up with the others.  I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the rest of the tour, after all.”  Mindfang picked up the pace down the smooth white path towards the rows of buildings ahead.  

    Rufioh kept pace with her, taking in their surroundings.  “So, uh… what’s in these up ahead?”

    “A combination of training, storage and respiteblocks.  The one on the far right is food preparation.  It takes a fair bit of work to keep everyone here fed and watered.  In fact, many of the folks that we’ve liberated that choose not to serve on a ship elect to work there.  I rarely have need to mentally hijack the cooks, after all.  Unless Meu gets it in her pretty little head to cook up some kind of awful fish stew.  Then I have to intervene.  Sometimes there’s an ‘accidental’ fire.”

    “Accidental, huh?  Somehow I suspect there’s very little accidental where you’re involved, doll.”

    “You learn quickly, Nitram.  I like that.”

    “So, who’s this Meu?”

    Mindfang gestured with her chin to indicate that the woman in question was ahead.  “I’ll introduce you in a sec.  Meulin is my chief cook and proverbial bottle washer.  Actually, let me say she’s a lot more than that; she’s led a very, very interesting life.  She’s also a wonderful instructor when it comes to unarmed melee combat technique.  When in danger, she’s been known to eviscerate an entire Screamarine squadron with her bare hands.  And feet and teeth, too, I suppose.”

    Rufioh grimaced at the thought.  “Eep.  Note to self: don’t mess with her.”

    “You’ll make an excellent student; that’s usually her first lesson.  See those woods over there?  She’ll often bring out some game that she’s hunted to keep her skills sharp and give it to her cooking staff to put into pies and whatnot.  She takes great care not to overhunt, though; this is why I end up importing much of our food.  If you’ll note those two ships inbound to your left, I strongly suspect that they’re carrying pilfered supplies.  Most of it ends up being Navy rations as we prefer to hit their vessels versus general supply ones, but every now and then, we help ourselves to whatever is handy.  Making sure that the crew of those ships is either offered a job or has enough supplies to get themselves where they need to go.”

    “I see.  Quite the operation!”

    Mindfang was about to agree when she noticed another woman had joined the group she had sent on ahead to meet Meulin.  “Well, well… Looks like our newer indigoblood has decided to join the fun as well.”

    “Oh, you mean Waleti?  Yeah, I spent a fair bit of time chatting with her the night before you and your matesprit got back.  She had some exciting tales to tell.”

    “I bet she would!  I’d love to hear a few of them myself.  I’ll have to pin her down for a spell.”

    A brief pause before Rufioh asked, “You don’t mean that literally, right?”

    Mindfang chose to answer with a fangs-bared grin.  “I haven’t decided yet.”

    “Uh-huh… gotcha.”  As they crested the last small hill, Rufioh noticed a small group of trolls out on the field beside the trainingblock as well as his own crew and Waleti and Zahhak.  “Looks like she was doing some training before we got here.”

    “She’s always busy, that one.  There’s one new recruit she seems quite interested in working with: another lesser blueblood called Lunara Umbreo.  Poor girl’s mute for some reason but she at least she can direct her thoughts towards someone to help her communicate – kind of like what I can do but over a much shorter range.  She’s a little firecracker but seems friendly enough; Meu has taken her under her proverbial wing, but then she’s always had a soft spot for those who need a hand.”

    “Umbreo…” Rufioh mumbled.  “Don’t you already have one of those?  Your moirail’s First Mate on the sub?”

    “That’s Umbras.  Seems to be a trend with some of these teal-turquoise types.  Maybe it has something to do with the sounds their lusii make?  Anyway, I suspect you and yours could learn a thing or eight from Meulin.  Let’s see what she has to say for herself.”  

    Mindfang and Rufioh came up to join the rest of them.  “Well, helloooooooo, Meu!  Is it just me or are none of your students bleeding yet?”

    The lithe oliveblood woman smiled.  “We were just getting started!  So, Horuss tells me you have some more new ones for me to work with as well?”

    “Indeed!  May I present Rufioh Nitram, who you would know as the Summoner, leader of the Reapers.”

    Rufioh took Meulin’s hand and bent to kiss it.  “Very pleased to meet you.”  

    Meulin smiled cheerfully but he noted it wasn’t one full of starry-eyed attraction.   _Dang… Oh for two around these parts.  Am I losing my touch?_

_While I suspect you’re used to the boys and girls falling all over themselves for you much as I once was, Rufioh, you just happen to be barking up the wrong trees here is all._  Mindfang was impressed to see that Nitram had the wherewithal not to suddenly turn to look at her.   _Meu here has no interest in romance, red or black.  Let’s just say that she’s had her fill it as a whole.  The only quadrant she maintains now is her moirallegiance with Horuss.  Don’t take it personally, cowboy._

_It’s gonna take me a while to get used to the fact that you can do that, doll…_  

    Mindfang carried on with her introductions.  “These are his crewmates:  Kandun Klarck, Daalla Emburi and – yes, this is his real name – Squish Imdead.”  

    Meulin smiled warmly.  “Welcome!  My name is Meulin Leijon and my job is to see that you’re all well fed, have decent quarters and occasionally kick the stuffing out of you so that you can do the same to the bad guys later on.  How’s that sound?”

    They all had a chuckle at this save for Squish who Mindfang gathered was already anticipating the bruises to come.  

    A thought entered Mindfang’s thinkpan from another source.   _She seems too nice to kick anything out of anyone, no?_

    Mindfang looked over to Lunara, who she gathered was embarking on her first training session with Leijon.  She knew that she could communicate mentally with the small, silent blueblood thanks to a shared ability and, with a knowing grin, transmitted back her own memory of her first encounter with the once and former Disciple nearly fifty sweeps prior that almost ended her life.  The usually ever-present smile on Lunara’s face dropped away very quickly.   _Fear not, dear; I suspect she’ll hold back.  A bit._

    “I gather you’ve already met the lovely Alyssm Waleti, then?” Mindfang asked Meulin, although she already knew the answer the moment she gestured to the woman thanks to Leijon’s thoughts.  

    “I have!  She stopped by last night with Horuss.  We had a wonderful conversation.  I don’t suspect there’s going to be a lot that I can teach her combat-wise, honestly.”

    Waleti inclined her head slightly towards Meulin as a gesture of respect and thanks.

    “Is that so?” Mindfang asked.  “You do realize that Felida got the better of her once already?  Or had you heard about that?  No offense, Alyssm; I know the circumstances were rather unusual, but I just thought sweet Meulin might like to know that little tidbit of information.”

    At this, Waleti looked over to Meulin and swore she could see the oliveblood’s left eye twitch.  “I don’t see what the purpose of sharing that particular piece of information would be…”

    “Let’s just say that those two have a rather interesting relationship,” Mindfang said.  “Sometimes they get along famously; Meulin brings out a youthful joy in Felida that I have only rarely seen before.  And at other times, they have a ‘friendly’ rivalry that borders on something a touch more ebon.  If Felida didn’t already have Porrim for a kismesis and Meu wasn’t terribly interested in such things, I’d strongly suspect those two would have filled a bucket of some kind by now.  Good thing I have no interest in auspistism.  Isn’t that right, Meu?”

    “Just so you know,” Meulin began with a touch of pride in her voice, “despite all of the mechanical contraptions that my moirail has so kindly attached to her body,” – she paused to give Horuss an unimpressed look that set Zahhak to sweating yet again – “Felida Oceleo has never defeated me in a sparring match.  Not.  Even.  Once.  I’ll just chalk up her getting the jump on you to some skullduggery I’m sure she pulled off behind your back.”

    “I would say your analysis is rather close to being correct, yes.”  Waleti opted not to mention just how close Felida had come to ending her new career with Mindfang before it had even began.  “Perhaps I might take a lesson or two from you later on, if that’s all right?”

    Meulin’s smile was back in full effect.  “Absolutely!  You just say the word!  Speaking of which…”  She turned to her small group of trainees.  “Okay, if you folks go into that building there, you’ll see the changeblock on the left hand side.  Grab an outfit that will fit you and come on back out once you’re changed up.”  

    After they bowed to her in reply, they set off to do just that.  “Outfits?” Mindfang asked.  “You mean they’re not learning to fight in the nude like you prefer to hunt?”  

    “Nah.  That’s next week.  Learning to fight naked is an important skill.”  

    Mindfang couldn’t read Waleti’s thoughts but she was more than reasonably certain the indigoblood’s eyes were wide open.  

    “Pssh.  Clothes or not, she’s no bigger than I am!” Daalla exclaimed.  “Look at her!  Do you really expect me to believe that she could kick anyone’s ass here?  Even if Mister Horse here wasn’t her moirail, she wouldn’t stand a chance against something like him!  Seriously!  Come on, Kitty; let’s see what you’re made of!”  The red-haired maroonblood started striding over towards Meulin, intent on taking her before she had a chance to prepare.

    “Daalla,” warned Rufioh, “this might not be the time or place to go off like...”    
Before he could finish his sentence, Emburi was skidding across the ground in front of him.  “Oh shit!  Are you okay?”

    “…she booted me… in the head…”

    Mindfang raised an eyebrow.  “That plan probably wasn’t thought through very well.”

    “Planning has never really been her strong suit,” Rufioh said, helping his friend to her feet.  “She’s smart about most things but has a few momentary lapses of reason when it comes to picking fights.”

    Daalla spat twice, swept the dirt off of her blouse and shorts and then faced Meulin, who was still smiling a short distance away.  “You’re very lucky,” Leijon said happily, “so few students get to learn so much so quickly!  I can tell you’re eager to learn more!”

    “Hey, I wasn’t ready!  Bitch, it is ON,” Emburi fumed.  She stomped out towards the oliveblood again.  “Come and get some of this, Shorty!  I’ll fucking show you wh-”

    A hollow thump and Emburi was sent careening back towards Kandun, who was laughing at this display of misplaced bravado.  “You really don’t know when to quit, do you?  She kicked your ass – or your head, actually – with nothing but her left foot!”

    “Mind if… I jus… lie down here for a minnit?”  When Daalla hit the ground this time, she stayed there.

    “While there is a time and a place for courageously rushing headlong into battle,” Mindfang began, gently nudging the prone form of Catalyst with her scarlet boot, “please tell me this one isn’t going to be a problem in the future?”

    “No, don’t worry,” Rufioh answered, “for the most part, she’s as quick a learner as you’ll find.  She won’t do THAT again, be assured.  She just needed to… uh… ‘establish her place’ is the best way to put it.  I even had to do this to her once when I met her; she fell into line right away after that.”

    “Gooooooood.  I’d hate to have to kill someone who could be useful to me.  Wouldn’t be the first time, but I’m never happy about having to do it.”  Mindfang looked to Klarck.  “Would you kindly?”

    “Already on it,” he replied, scooping up the limp rustblooded woman and draping her over his broad shoulder.  “Not the first time I’ve done this, probably not the last.”

    “Horuss?  Would you go grab some bandages back at the tower and meet us below?” Mindfang asked.  “We’ll take the entrance by my hive.”

    “Yes, Marquise!”  Zahhak looked over to his moirail who simply shrugged and continued smiling serenely.  “I’ll be there swiftly!”

    “Yes, yes; less talk, more trot.  I doubt she’ll bleed out but maybe you should bring one of your nifty toys to help with the swelling as well?  She’s going to have a fair pair of lumps other than the rumblespheres she started out tonight with.”

    He nodded and started off back to his white tower at a brisk pace.

    Mindfang watched him leave and then returned to the others.  “Now, to continue our tour, that’s our desalinization plant over there, there are defensive batteries there and there so you don’t want to be standing on those rocks for any reason when the sirens go off, and that lovely building over there is my hive.  If you should happen to need something during the day go ask somebody like Horuss or Meu here because they’ll be awake and I’ll be sleeping.  Unless, of course, it’s an actual emergency in which case I will likely already know allllllll about it.  Now, there is an entrance to the docks below in every building on the island, but I’ll take you for a walk around to see the woods first.  Just a note:  if you happen to be up before sunset and notice a strange white animal that kind of looks like a lusus but isn’t milling about in the bushes, please refrain from shooting it: it’s probably just Meu here hunting up something for your next meal.”

    “I would really appreciate not being shot, yes,” Meulin added.  “So, you’re off to your block and then below, then?”

    “We are indeed.  Thank you for that… demonstration, my dear.  It was impressive as always.  Do try not to cripple the recruits, please and thank you?”

    “I’ll do my best!”

    “You always do.”  Mindfang looked to her entourage and gestured for them to carry on down the path.  “Shall we?”  They nodded and waved to Meulin who simply continued to smile warmly.  Mindfang’s eyes suddenly opened wide.  “Oh!  One moment… I almost forgot something.”  

    Rufioh and the rest turned to see what it was that Mindfang had neglected to attend to.  The answer left them agape:  Mindfang strutted up to Meulin, grabbed her around the waist and planted a fierce, wet kiss on her mouth; it lasted long enough to baffle anyone who saw it.  When Spinneret broke away, Meulin seemed befuddled but once Mindfang had returned to her equally stunned entourage, the oliveblood shook her head a couple of times and then turned around to await her students like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

    Mindfang pointed down the pathway towards the wood-adorned building a short distance away.  “Okay, my hive is that way.  Follow me!”

    The group did as they were bid, but the little was said until Rufioh inquired, “Uh… what just happened there?”

    “I just made out with Meulin Leijon.  I thought that was pretty obvious.”

    Mindfang’s frank confession just served to confuse him even more.  “Can I ask why?”

    “Sure!”

    Rufioh awaited an answer but one didn’t come immediately after.  “Uh, okay… so, why?”

    “I thought you’d never ask!  Because she’s fucking hot!  Didn’t you see her?  Maybe I have a thing for greenbloods or something but I’ve always had it for sweet, sweet Meulin.  I do it whenever I think I can get away with it.  Admittedly, my primary motivation was simply to screw with Alyssm’s thinkpan even more than I have already.”

    Waleti blinked a few times and then put a hand to her face.  “You have got to be kidding me…”

    At this point, nothing really seemed to surprise Rufioh anymore.  “She’s not in one of your quads, is she?”

    “Nope!”

    “You totally wouldn’t have done that if Horuss was around, would you have?”

    “Nope!”

    He looked back over his shoulder; Meulin was just in the process of giving her group their first lesson on combat stances.  “So, what you can do mentally won’t affect Horuss, hence why he wasn’t here.  Meu herself isn’t going to remember this at all, is she?”

    “Nope!”

    A moment later, something else dawned on him.  “I’m not going to remember this in a few moments, am I?”

    “Nope!”

    Rufioh blinked twice.  “Boy, that Meulin is something else.  You figure she didn’t mess Daalla up too badly, right, doll?”

    “Not at all.  A boot to the head or two is usually the norm during a sparring session with her.  Daalla just got a head start on her studies… so to speak.”

    “Nicely done,” Rufioh said, laughing.  

    “I thought so, too.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak with dear Alyssm for a moment.”

    “No worries!”  Rufioh held up to let Waleti pass.  

    Mindfang and Waleti walked a few paces ahead of Rufioh and Kandun; Daalla continued to snooze peacefully on Drawback’s shoulder.  “Soooooooo…”

    “You’re terrible.”

    “I most certainly am not!” Mindfang huffed.  “I thought that demonstration proved that I’m really quite excellent.  If you’d like me to prove it to you personally, I’d be flattered… but I probably shouldn’t.  I’d rather not get into too much trouble with my ‘sprit if you don’t mind.”

    Waleti gave her a sideways glance.  “I don’t know what you’ve done to everyone else, but yet I still… know.”

    “I don’t suppose anyone explained to you how my abilities work yet.  You’ve obviously seen them in action during our skirmish with the Navy.  Basically, I’m an advanced empath.  I can read the emotions of anyone around me, communicate with them mentally through that empathic channel and in many cases, control them outright if need be.  As I told Rufioh earlier tonight, be assured I do not use those abilities lightly; I will only possess my crew members in the most dire of situations or if they need to work as one and far faster than any other means of communication could permit.  You may have also noticed they don’t work on anyone higher on the hemospectrum than I.  So, because I cannot mentally influence you at all, this is also a test of trust, Alyssm.  I need to know I can trust you with important information.  I would greatly appreciate it if you kept that particular event to yourself; you realize I will know very quickly if you don’t.”

    It didn’t take Waleti long to understand.  “This is true.”

    “I’m glad you understand this.  As much as I’m having fun with confusing the hell out of you where my quads are concerned, there is a method to my madness.  Know that I am entirely dedicated to my matesprit and my moirail.  I just need to know that I can trust you.”

    Waleti nodded.  “You can.  I’m in your debt.”

    “My dear, dear Alyssm… so is absolutely everyone else on this island in some way.  But fear not; these are debts I have no desire to ever ‘collect on’, so to speak.  All I ask is that you give me your very best at all times.  And that you either get rid of that bloody Navy uniform or stash it somewhere in case we need it for infiltration purposes.”  
Upon hearing this, Waleti looked back at the Gamblignants behind her.  “Admittedly, vests and blouses aren’t generally my preferred mode of dress.”

    “If you’ll have a look at my own style, you’ll find there are ways to accessorise that might work far better for someone like yourself,” Mindfang said with a smirk.  “Our clothing stores are down below.  And if there’s anyone who can help you find what it is that suits you when it comes to vestments, that person is Porrim Maryam.  I’ll make certain she takes you into our closets and gives you the very best of the stylistic skills she has at her disposal.”

    “I don’t suppose it involves a similar set of skills that you happened to display a few minutes ago with Meulin?”

    Mindfang looked at her and blinked slowly and deliberately.  “Meulin?  I have no idea what you mean, Alyssm.”

    Waleti realized quickly the meaning behind what was being said.  “Right.  Neither do I.”

    “So verrrrrrrry pleased to hear it…”

 

 

 

    “You sure you couldn’t fit a thousand ships in here, doll?”

    Mindfang grinned.  “I’m quite certain.  Not without stacking them on top of one another, at least.  Admittedly, we do have a fair bit of turnover, especially thanks to some of our more recent raids, so I suppose you could say I have had a thousand ships under my command over my career, give or take a couple.  So, do I fit the picture you had of me now, Rufioh?”

    Rufioh Nitram scanned the gigantic cavern yet again, trying to take in the sheer enormity of it.  There were eight large ships within this cavernous dome and he knew that there were at least seven more hubs like this one underneath the island.  “Close enough!  Which one’s the ship you brought us in on?”

    “My flagship, _Fool’s Gam8it_ , is just over there.”  She pointed and began to walk across the metal catwalk towards it; the rest fell in behind her.  “These bays are almost full; I have twenty capital ships and another forty smaller vessels in here and there are more docked at my other bases.  I’m pleased to say we finally have enough hands to crew them all.”

    “If you don’t mind my asking, what do you plan to do with what amounts to your own personal armada?” Waleti inquired.  

    “Well, Alyssm, be assured that I don’t intend to simply come down here every night and polish the deck railings from sundown to sunrise.  As for my official plans, I’m still working out the details but it amounts to this: wreak havoc on the Imperial Navy until Her Imperious Condescension herself  takes notice and has to come back home from her little trek through the stars.  Once that happens, I plan to have a little sit down with her and see if we can’t change the way things are done around these parts.”

    Every single one of the trolls (save for Daalla, who was still blissfully unconscious on Kandun’s shoulder) stood around Mindfang with expressions of incredulity on their faces.  It was Rufioh who found the voice to speak first, “Dang… You’re either the most optimistic person I’ve ever met, or you’re so completely out of your thinkpan, there’s not even a word to describe it.”

    Mindfang shrugged.  “The optimistic one is my matesprit.  She inspires me to new heights on a nightly basis.  When you see her next, take a good look at the sigil on the chain around her neck; that will explain a lot about what inspires her.  I think each of you understand that real change requires courage, skill and a lot of luck.  I happen to have all three of those in abundance.  If we don’t try, we don’t succeed.  It’s that simple.  I’ve been trying to surround myself with those who share that belief and bring talents to the table.  Some of you I’ve sought intentionally, some of you have been found serendipitously, but either way, you’re here now and I swear that we’re going to do our damnedest to try and make the change we want to see.  It won’t be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.  Fair enough?  Are you with me, then?”

     All three of them nodded, impressed by her enthusiasm and desire.  

    “Gooooooood.  I will do my best to ensure your belief in me is well placed.  Now, before I begin our next lesson on communications – Rufioh has already had a demonstration but I’m certain he could benefit from another – I need to stop by our one and only submarine, _Deep 8lue_ , to deliver a message to my moirail.  Come along?”

    The assembled trolls fell in behind her as she turned on her scarlet heel and walked swiftly over to the dark blue submarine; Kandun began making efforts to rouse the unconscious Daalla as they did so.  

    As Mindfang approached, she noticed Felida and Porrim chatting on the dock beside it.  “Helloooooooo, ladies!  Just who I needed to see.”

    Felida turned to face her and adjusted the black hat on her head.  “Hello, Captain!  Always nice to be needed!  What can we do for you this fine evening?”

    “I don’t think what she needed was to have her sponge clots pummeled with exuberant chatter,” Porrim said, flicking the triangle shaped hat to set it slightly askew again.  

    “Keep it up and see who gets pummeled this morning, jadebutt.”

    Porrim smirked.  “To turn a phrase, ‘threat or promise’?”

    Felida bit her lip and looked up to the jadeblood and half-whispered, “When I get my hands on you, I am going to paddle that curvy ass of yours until it all but glows green and then I’m going to lick it absolutely senseles-”

    “Now, now, you too, save it for the respiteblock,” admonished Mindfang.  “The last thing we need is for our new crewmates to think that random romantic shenanigans, red or black, happen all the time around these parts.”  The quiet snort that she knew came from Waleti brought a fangs-bared smile to her face which confused her quadmates for a moment before she continued, “Actually, darling Porrim, I have a task in mind that I would like Captain Oceleo to attend to personally.”

    At this, Felida looked to Porrim again, deliberately recentered her hat and then stuck her olive green tongue out at her kismesis.  Porrim only smiled sagely and whispered, “Try not to wear that out too early.  I’d hate to see you unable to fulfill your attempt at a threat... or promise.  Whichever it happened to be.”

    “Why, yes, Captain, I’D be thrilled to help!” Felida all but shouted.  “What would you like ME to do?”

    Mindfang could barely contain the urge to wink at Porrim.  “Wellllllll, I need you to send a message for me.  Code: Turquoise.”

    The look of glee fell from Felida’s face as fast as it initially appeared; the snort from Porrim was much louder than the one from Waleti.  “You have got to be kidding me,” Felida grumbled.

    “Shall I just throw you in the water now?” Porrim inquired.  “Might as well get a head start.”  

    Felida scowled.  “Keep talking, lady, and the only head you’re gonna get is...”

    “Felidaaaaaaaa... let’s go, shall we?  Time is, as always, of the essence.  You can use the comm in your readyblock.  Be glad I don’t send you to go pick Aurana up in person.  In your favour, it’s much more difficult to toss someone off the side of a submarine.”

    “She’d find a way,” the oliveblood groused.

    Porrim nodded.  “She would.”

    Rufioh, like the others, was puzzled.  “So, uh... what’s an Aurana?”

    Felida hung her head while Mindfang grinned.  “You’ll seeeeeeee...”

 

 


	41. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fleet Admiral Malwil Syhale finds himself on the receiving end of an upbraiding by the only person who outranked him. Following his heated exchange with the Condesce, Syhale sits down to figure out a different approach to dealing with Mindfang and employs two others to assist him in doing so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! Sorry for the delays as always. Trying to sell my house and it has been a rather difficult thing to do. If you've got any positive vibes to spare, I won't complain if you send 'em my way! As for the story, you can gather Syhale is not going to take losing his flagship very well. By the way, the last character introduced in this chapter is not quite the fantroll you think she is, but her ancestor (note the spelling of the first name). I felt since Nektan Whelan showed up in the last story (anecdotally, granted) that she should get a chance to strut her stuff. Hope you like what I end up doing with her!

  
** 40. **

    “Just once, Syhale, I’d love for you to be able to make me laugh because you’ve done something funny, not because you’ve done something unbeleechfully STUPID.”  

    Malwil Syhale placed his hands behind his back to hide the fact that his violet blood was trickling from his palms where his long nails had pierced them again.  “And how is defending the prisoners that you asked me to procure considered stupid, Your Highness?”  He refused to make any use of the fish puns that Her Imperious Condescence littered her speech with: _All the more reason she’s unfit to lead anyone anywhere; only someone with serious pan damage could possibly find those amusing, much less partake in them willingly. And last time I checked, leeches weren’t fish, anyway._ “You won’t let us sink Mindfang so what was I supposed to do?  Hand them over?  What are my priorities?”

    “Your priority is to STOP BEING SUCH A BLUBBERING FUCKUP!!!”

    No matter how many times the Condesce had yelled at him, he couldn’t help but flinch at her full fury.  “I did everything I could, Your Highness.  What I didn’t anticipate was the sudden defection of the Chief Naval Enforcer.  Waleti’s erratic behaviour was completely unexpected.”

    The Condesce narrowed her gold and fuchsia eyes.  “While I’ve never met the beach, everything I’ve read about Alyssm Waleti suggests she was as cool as they come.  What the actual fuck happened there, Syhale?  I don’t know many indigobloods who shit the seabed under pressure, save for one.”

    Syhale carefully considered his reply.  “All you need to know is that she drew her sidearm on me and insisted I leave my own ship.  I have no idea if she was in cahoots with Mindfang but I wouldn’t bet on it... at least not at the time.  It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if she took up with her after this, though!”

    “And what motivation would Waleti have had to draw on you?  Hmm?”  The Condesce looked back over her shoulder towards her helmsman who, while unable to vocalize aloud, had obviously added his two caegars’ worth on the subject.  “My esteemed navigator suggests that you might have considered krilling the prisoners and she stopped you from doing so.  What were your orders about the prisoners?  Oh yes, now I raymember: BRING THEM IN ALIVE AT ALL COSTS!”

    “You tell that goldblooded gargoyle to mind his own damn business!” Syhale shouted at the screen in front of him.  “I don’t have to answer to lowblooded prisone-”

    Before he could say another word, a long purple tentacle appeared from a hatch in his console and clouted him upside the head, sending the admiral to the floor of his officeblock.  “First of all, I won’t have you speaking to My Tuna that way.  Secondly, you are supposed to be the very best the Navy has to offer.  I have to trust you to look after our damn planet while I’m trying to find us some new ones to add to our burgeoning Empire and you can’t even find a way to keep a Gamblignant in check without blasting her into chum!  You mean to tell me that you were the best violetblooded grub to come squirming out of the Trial Caves in the last few millennia?  It’s a wonder the Mother Grub didn’t eat you herself!”

    Syhale snarled as he picked himself up.   _Forgot she had those.  Won’t make that mistake twice._  He adjusted his various medals and insignia and continued, “Look, Your Highness, either you need to let me deal with her, gloves off and guns blazing, or there’s going to be serious problems here.  If we aren’t able to deal with her effectively, the populace will lose their respect for the Navy.”

    “And whose fault is that?  You like to complain that Marquise Spinneret Mindfang is just a blueblood and therefore your inferior.  You tell me you’re so much smarter than her and yet she’s been handing you your horns for the last fifty sweeps!  You do realize this is the coddamn last straw, right?  If you can’t find a way to coexist with her without harming her, I’m either going to put Yamato back in charge – if he’s actually still breathing, that is – or maybe I should just give Mindfang YOUR job?  How about that, you thundering imbeshell?”

    This was simply too much for him to take.  “If you ever think for a second that any of us would EVER accept your former fucktoy as Fleet Admiral, think again!  We are VIOLETBLOODS!  This planet is ours to do with as we will!  All others serve US!”

    “EXCEPT ME.  Do NOT forget this!  If I have to come back there and give you a demonstration of why I’m the Empress, be assured that it will be a long, long lesson and it will NOT end well for you.  Maybe I’ll have Kurloz cook up a new flavour of Faygo with a distinct violet tinge to it; a real limited edition.  Then we’ll see how much you like being SERVED.”  The Condesce leaned towards her viewscreen, her face now filling Syhale’s, and growled, “This is your last chance, Malwil.  Either improve your Navy so that it’s not so vulnerable to Gamblignant attacks or I’ll find someone who will.  And I give precisely ZERO fucks about the colour of their blood, just because it would piss you and those floundering fools you call the Admiralty right off!  Now quit wasting that precious violet blood of yours by digging your nails into your hands yet again and actually do somefin useful, will you?”

    Syhale’s seething was derailed by her comment on his bleeding hands.  He relaxed then but fought the urge to bring them back out in front of him.  “How do you know...”

    “Do you really need to ask?  I KNOW EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW!  I swear I’m giving you a nailblunter for Twelfth Perigee’s Eve this sweep; can’t have you leaking violet all over the decks of MY ships.  Maybe I’ll give you a fucking deckswabber and have some ensign teach you how to use it, too.”

    The rage reappeared instantly as he noted that she chose the lowblood slang word for the mop.  “That will be utterly unnecessary, Your Highness.”

    “The only thing unnecessary is your failure.  Figure it trout.  And do it quickly... for your own hake.”    

    The viewscreen winked out and Syhale let the air escape his breathing sacs through his gills slowly.   _I’m essentially the Lord Regent of this world and yet I still feel like a raw cadet after every time I speak with her.  I can’t believe I ever had any red feelings for her._  He pulled his grey leather chair over and flopped down into it, wincing as the gouges in his palms hit the ironwood armrests.   _The last one who tried to woo her was Cronus Ampora and look where that got him._

    This thought triggered another one.   _He was also caught up with Mindfang for some inexplicable reason. Bad enough she owned him black but to flush red for her too was an amateur mistake.  What was it about her that moved him so?  Other than some weird fetish to fill a pail with someone lower on the scale than he..._  “Computer, display records of Admiral Cronus Ampora concerning his relationship and dealings with Marquise Spinneret Mindfang.”

    _“Records are sealed.  Present Security Clearance Violet Silver or higher.”_

    “For fuck’s sake... Computer, recognize Fleet Admiral Malwil Syhale, clearance Violet Gold.”

    _“Clearance accepted.”_  Moments later, a series of documents appeared on his screen.    
 _Why would these be protected even from most of the Admiralty?_  Syhale sifted through most of the documents for some inkling as to what motivated Ampora to suddenly develop red feelings for Mindfang.   _Most of this is just tawdry; the moonings of a pushersick buffoon who couldn’t get what he wanted._  The next document, labelled “PROJECT: DISCIPLE”, piqued his curiousity.  “What did Ampora have to do with her?”

    A few screen touches later, he had his answer.  Went to Mindfang to get her to help find out who the Disciple actually was.   _But why?  I know some bluebloods have mental abilities... she must be one of those._  Syhale knew better than to call up Mindfang’s files again; he’d already tried that many sweeps ago and found it completely empty. Some sort of trick she must have pulled.   _Ampora probably unwittingly assisted in that.  Lovesick tool.  Even if I did remember her real name, I’d bet my fortune that file is expunged as well, thanks to Bitchy Peixes._  He chuckled at his own nickname for her, simple as it was, and continued reading.   _Hmm... sale of a political prisoner from Dualscar to Mindfang... purpose of assistance with Imperial interrogation as part of the deal.  Demonstration of Mindfang’s abilities shows promise... that answers that question.  Prisoner, known as Dolorosa..._

    “Dolorosa?”  Syhale’s fins fluttered with puzzlement.  “No wonder this was sealed.”  He continued reading:   _Intent was to establish the name of the escaped political prisoner known as Disciple, known matesprit to the Signless, in order to facilitate her recapture.  Project was ultimately unsuccessful due to withdrawal of cooperation by Mindfang.  Whereabouts of Dolorosa, a.k.a. Porrim Maryam, are unknown._  

    Syhale touched the small picture on the screen that displayed the name “Dolorosa”.  It magnified and brought up the Navy’s files on her.   _Maryam?  She’s a jadeblood?  Wonder if she went back to the caves or..._ “Computer, display logs of _Violet Dominion_ , bridge cameras six and eight, final night of operation.”  A moment and then a chirp of confirmation.  “Show timestamp Eleventh Hour, split feed, ten times normal playback, display on main monitor.”  A moment later, the large screen to his right flared to life with a dual image of the bridge of his former flagship.   _Glad I downloaded these before I evacuated._  Another swell of anger rose in his throat and he exhaled violently at the thought that his proud vessel, which he thought of as more of a hive than his actual hive, was no more than flotsam now thanks to the woman he expected to appear in the playback momentarily.  

    He was not disappointed: as soon as the intruders appeared, he tapped the screen with his sharp yellow nail to pause the playback and then set it to proceed at normal speed.  He watched as Mindfang and her crew blasted out the main hatch and poured into the bridgeblock.   _It was fortuitous I wasn’t present but part of me wishes I’d had the chance to impale that blueblooded upstart and smear her entrails across my deck.  Could have just chalked it up to an “unfortunate accident” and no one would have been the wiser. Might have had to liquidate my bridgeblock crew but small price to pay to remove that thorn from my side.  Granted, Condy might have removed my head from my neck in response but then at least I’d get some damn piece and quiet.  Wait..._  He froze the image on the large screen by tapping the small one in front of him and then drew a small box around one figure in particular.  “Computer, zoom in on that box, five hundred percent.”

    _“Syntax error; word not recognized: percent.”_

    This time it was Syhale’s bottom lip that bled from being bit into.  “For fuck’s sake!”  He looked skyward as though to address a massive red battleship wherever it was in space and spoke tersely, “Computer.  Zoom in on that box.  Five hundred _PERCH_ -cent.”

    _“Acknowledged.”_

_She needs to be gutted if for no other reason than that.  Her cruel streak knows no bounds._  He returned his attention to the screen and his scowl unfurled into something resembling a smile.  “There you are...”  The woman who now filled his main viewscreen may have had longer and fuller hair and her clothing was much different than what she was wearing in the image from the file, but there was no question in his thinkpan whatsoever that this was the long lost Dolorosa.   _Once a rebel, eh?  Now let’s take a closer look yet..._  Another shape drawn, followed by “Computer, zoom in on that box, three hundred... perchcent and enhance for low lighting.”

    _“Acknowledged.”_

    The screen now filled with a close up of the Dolorosa’s left hand, which sported a large blue jewel.  As the enhancement software worked its magic, the image brightened, revealing a golden spider sitting atop a stunning sapphire.  

    “Aha!  Well, Ampora, in case you didn’t know, that’s why she balked at your advances.  And probably her motivation for killing you, not just the usual reasons for kismesicide.  I know the others told you not to chase her red but you just couldn’t help yourself.  At least I won’t have to worry about muddying my own quadrants when I fix Mindfang once and for all.  Hers, on the other hand...”  Syhale closed the files and called up the communications screen.  A few seconds later, the Dolorosa’s elegant face was replaced with a much more hideous one.

    “You motherfucking rang, Admiral?”

    Syhale did everything in his power not to grimace at what he witnessed; while he had no qualms about opening up an opponent and using what he found inside as a message to his enemies, Kurloz Makara, the Grand Highblood, had literally made it an art form.  Makara’s hands contained some form of goldblood gore and judging by the degree of mess in which he and the walls behind him were covered in, Syhale was reasonably certain that the Grand Highblood had extended his Mirthful Masterpiece to reach from beyond its original place behind his throne in the Grand Justiceblock and onto the surrounding walls.  “I did indeed.”

    Makara could still see the barest hint of distaste on violetblood’s face and made certain to point it out.  “Does my art disturb you, Admiral?  I fucking well hope so.”

    “Please.  I’ve spilled my share of guts over the sweeps.  I just choose not to roll around in it like some kind of rabid animal.  But I do have a question for you concerning that...”

    “Oh?”  In an effort to continue to push the seadweller even further off edge, the Grand Highblood raised the offal in his hand and proceeded to take a bite from it.  “And what would that be?”

    _This beast needs to be culled.  Maybe even sooner than Mindfang._  “Do you happen to have a shade of jade in your painting at all?”

    “I do, but there isn’t much of an opportunity to collect it from those cave dwelling mother... er...”

    Syhale snickered.  “If there’s anyone on the planet that you probably shouldn’t call ‘motherfuckers’, it’s the Solemn Sisters.  Then again, they’re the ones who actually pour the pails into the Mother Grub so perhaps it’s MORE accurate?  Doesn’t matter; what I’m wondering is if the drones can take over that job as well.”

    Makara squinted as he considered this.  “Why would they need to?  What kind of motherfucking mirth are you thinking of setting in motion?”

    “The kind where a bunch of jadebloods get culled and maybe a couple get captured.  One that will force Mindfang and her jadeblooded matesprit to knock off their thieving ways once and for all.”

    “Mindfang’s matesprit is a jadeblood?  Well, motherfuck.”

    “My thoughts exactly.  And you wouldn’t believe which one in particular: the Dolorosa.  Been a while since you’ve heard that name, I suspect.”

    The Grand Highblood raised his eyebrows, spattered nearly golden with his chosen artistic medium.  “You have got to me motherfucking kidding me.”

    “I don’t kid.  All the more reason to make her life miserable.  And besides, if Condy-”

    “You mean ‘Her Highness’,” Makara interjected.

    Syhale took a quick breath before continuing.  “Whatever you want to call her.  She won’t let us take down Mindfang directly but she never said anything about not pestering her matesprit.  Besides, that may actually have the side effect of making Her Imperious Condescension happy; she still seems to have some strange, misguided love for that arrogant criminal.  If we either recapture or subjugate Mindfang’s freed slave, that might open some doors for Her Highness to rekindle an old flame.  If we can’t attack Mindfang directly, we go after the ones she holds dear.  Love is nothing more than a weakness, after all.”

    “It is at that,” Makara agreed.

    _Funny, that weird statue of a long-dead tealblooded woman mounted in the middle of that ridiculous fountain you had built in front of the Grand Justicehive would suggest you feel otherwise, but as long as you’re on board, who cares?_  “So, here’s what I propose:  a joint operation between my Screamarines and your Subjuggalators.  We hit the Mother Grub caves and capture the Sisters.  If some of them happen to not survive, oh well.  It’s not like the Mother Grub won’t just squeeze a few more out later, I’m sure.  Unless... if Mindfang doesn’t do what we tell her to, we eradicate ALL of them!  It’s not like it hasn’t happened before.  Any lime on that wall of yours?”

    Instead of answering the Admiral’s question, the Grand Highblood posed his own.  “You do realize that this will be a lot more difficult than you suspect? Are you not aware of what those spooky motherfuckers are capable of?”

    Syhale blinked his eyes, incredulous at what he was hearing.  “Kurloz, you realize there are a whopping six of them.  Seven if you count Mindfang’s pet traitor.”

    “They’re bred to protect the young.  And that’s exactly what they’ll fucking do.  To the death.  And maybe even beyond that.”

    “Look, if your sorry Subjuggalandlovers are actually a bunch of adorable purple pansies in cute clown makeup, we can do this without you.”

    Now it was Makara’s turn to squirm and Syhale relished every moment of it.  “Fine.  But you provide the transportation.”

    “Don’t we always?  It’s not like you purplebloods can swim for shit.  At least, not for long.  I’ll be preparing the orders in the next hour; your bunch of chucklefucks better be on the docks ready to go at sunset tomorrow or we leave without them.”

    “They shall be ready.”

    “How many are you sending?” Syhale asked.

    There was no pause preceding the Grand Highblood’s reply.  “Every last motherfucking one of them.  You’ll need them.”

    Syhale wasn’t certain if this was meant as an insult to his ocean-to-land troops, the Screamarines, or if there was no slander given at all.  “All right.  Guess I’ll order a bigger boat.”

    “The biggest you have, Admiral.  Or should I say, the biggest you have left.”

    There was no question about the intent of that statement.   _Eat shit, clown._  “Seventh hour, we depart.  Syhale out.”  He jabbed the comm panel and ended the transmission as abruptly as he could.   _Impudent landdwelling piece of filth.  But what if he’s on to something?_  

    He reached over and initiated another communication request.  A few moments later another voice came over the speakers.  “Yes, Admiral Syhale?”

    “Commander Durgas, I need your very best Screamarines for a mission of the highest importance.  I’ll be sending the details within the hour but here’s the thing:  I need you to come along and you’ll be serving as my new aide.”

    The female voice audibly stammered for a moment.  “Me, sir?”

    “Would you prefer I bring someone else, Rafemi?  I can arrange for you to take permanent shore leave if you’d prefer.”

    The menace in his voice, however subtle, was not missed by Durgas.  “No, sir.  I will be ready.  Thank you for this honour, Sir!”

    “Thank me if you survive, Domineer.  Syhale out.”  He ended the transmission and returned the image of the Dolorosa to his large viewscreen.   _The way to Mindfang’s head is through her heart, it would seem.  No hard feelings, Maryam, but your Sisters are about to find themselves unemployed..._  


 


	42. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurana's return has a decidedly interesting effect on Felida, who decides to take her frustrations out on her kismesis. Porrim is more than happy to help in her own way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be the last REALLY graphic spot for a few chapters but there's plenty of flirting and give and take to come, have no fear. Plenty of peril and action in the next little bit, but feel free to really enjoy this chapter if you're here for the sexytimes. There will be more, I promise.

**41.**  
  
    “One hundred and forty three!” Aurana laughed, spitting the sea water from her mouth.  
  
    “IT DOESN’T COUNT IF I DRAG YOU DOWN WITH ME, DUMMY!” Felida sputtered.  “This was totally a draw!”  
  
    “I don’t know; maybe we should ask Porrim?”  Aurana Zashyl looked up to Porrim, who was standing on the dock and may or may not have been involved in helping the caninesque turquoiseblood sneak up on her kismesis.    
  
    Felida’s eyes shot daggers in Porrim’s direction.  “Yes, why not ask that turncoat?  What say you, Jadebutt?”  
      
    Porrim put her hand to her chin in a deliberately thoughtful-looking pose.  “Well, considering she did get the drop on you, I’d be inclined to give her the point.  However, you did manage to haul her into the water as well without using any of your cybernetic enhancements so that counts for something.”  
  
    “See?  Doesn’t count, Poochie!  Go soak your head!”  Felida tried to push down on Zashyl and the two began playfully scuffling in the warm water that filled the docking dome.  
  
    “However,” Porrim added, “since Aurana did manage to take you by surprise, she should receive half a point for her efforts, or ‘One hundred and forty two and one half.’  That being said, fractional values aren’t permitted in this exchange and that requires rounding up which yields a total of ‘One hundred and forty three.’  Thanks for coming out, Felida.”  
  
    “WHAT?  Porrim, you suck for hoverbus fare and give change!  When I get out of here I’m gonna baragalgaglglglarb...”    
  
    Aurana took advantage of Felida’s diatribe to push her under the water instead.  “Quit beating your gums and take your bath like a good little kitty!  Thanks, Porrim!”  
  
    The jadeblood chuckled softly.  “My pleasure.  I suspect it’ll actually be my pleasure once you get her properly riled up.”  
  
    “Oh, I’d say she’s good and ready, yep.”  
  
    Felida’s head emerged from the water as she gulped in deep sacfuls of air.  “That... is... IT.”  She swam away from Aurana and back to the synthetic wood deck that Porrim was standing on where _8uzzsaw_ , the former Navy destroyer that brought Mindfang’s former bodyguard back from Capitol, was docked.  Using her metallic arm, Felida vaulted herself back onto the pier, grabbed Porrim by the hand and dragged her off.    
  
    “It appears I’m required elsewhere,” Porrim said, laughing.    
  
    “So it would seem!  Nice seeing you again, Kitty!  We’ll catch up later!”  
  
    Felida said nothing but wore a strange smirk on her face as she continued to drag Porrim behind her, leaving puddles of water in their wake.    
  
  
  
  
    After nearly fifty sweeps, Porrim knew exactly where this was heading.  As soon as Felida opened the doors to her respiteblock and hauled the grinning jadeblood inside, Porrim began undoing her shirt as quickly as she could.  It wasn’t quickly enough; Felida grabbed the front of it and tore it wide open, exposing Porrim’s round breasts and sending buttons flying across the respiteblock.  “Not again...”  
  
    “Never mind; you can sew it up later!”  Before Porrim could protest again, Felida picked her up, put her onto the plastic coated foam floor and jumped on top of her, putting her lips onto Porrim’s neck and sucking fiercely.    
  
    “Ohhhhhh... you ARE aroused, aren’t you...”  
  
    “What gave you that idea?” Felida hissed into her sponge clot before resuming her sucking even more intensely than before.  
  
    “You keep that up, it’ll leave a mark...”  
  
    Another wet smack and Felida brought herself nose-to-nose with her black lover.  “That’s the plan.”  
  
    Porrim grinned and closed her eyes as Felida’s mouth took up residence on the other side of her neck now, just below her jawline.  She gasped as the sensations ran through her, from her ear all the way down her back and into the seat of her body, causing the natural and ancient anger and hunger to stir in anticipation of pleasure to come.  She felt Felida’s wet skin and shirt pressed up against her chest, the oliveblood’s nipples pressing small points into her which created a pulse of need to flare between her thighs.  In response, her hands came up to Felida’s sopping shorts and she started tugging at them, hoping to either undo them or pull them from her bottom.    
  
    “What, you want at that already?” Felida panted.    
  
    Porrim responded by pulling at the waistband that much harder.  “I know you do.  You’re so turned on there’s no way you’re going to be able to wait to get me off.”  
  
    “You know me, all right.  And you’re about to get all of me...” Oceleo lifted her hips as best she could so that Porrim could slide the soaked garment off; once it got down to her knees, she shook it off of her legs and then sat lightly on Porrim’s chest, just below the swell of her breasts.  “You think you’re ready?”  
  
    “For anything you have?  Always,” Porrim answered.    
  
    Felida rose to a crouch and then turned herself around to lower her posterior into Porrim’s face, her knees on either side of her kismesis’s head.  She moved her hips gently, lowering gently until she could feel her lips rub up against Porrim’s nose.  “How’s that for a view?”  
  
    “It’ll do,” came the slightly muffled reply.    
  
    “It’ll have to do more than that.”  Felida leaned forward ever so slightly and dropped her seedflap, moist from both the water and the olive wetness of arousal, onto where she believed Porrim’s mouth to be.  “If you think you’re so fucking good, stick your tongue in there and prove it.”  
  
    _I’m good at more than just that, I’ll have you know_ , Porrim thought but figured it was just better to show than to say.  She wanted to raise her hands to improve her access, but the way Felida was crouching over her, it was impossible to do.   _Forcing me to improvise, then?  I’m more than up to it..._  Porrim lifted her head slightly and extended her tongue; it reached Felida’s lips with ease, causing the small oliveblood to gasp at the sensation.   _Normally I’d start by nipping at her thighs but she’s already quite excited.  All of that latent hate towards Aurana is mixed with her hate for me and the results are bound to be... explosive._    
  
    Felida took the hint and lowered herself even further.  In response, Porrim took what she could of her pitch partner’s seedflap into her mouth and began to lightly tug and suck on it; her nose would occasionally bump up against Oceleo’s nook, which she knew would intensify the feelings that came with her oral pleasuring.   _I’m just glad she’s well washed thanks to her impromptu bath!_    
  
    “Rrrrr... you like playing with that, don’t you?” Felida asked, clenching her teeth.    
  
    “I know you like having it played with.  And I can get at it just fine without my hands, in case you haven’t noticed.”  
  
    “Ha!  If you can actually get me off without using your hands, you’re more talented than I thought.  It’s usually your fingers that do the talking; let’s see what else you’ve got!”  
  
    _Oh, I’ll show you..._  At this, Porrim made a couple of soft drags of her tongue just alongside Felida’s engorged nub and then reached forward slightly to engulf it within her mouth, applying just a hint of suction at first and then more and less, almost nursing at it.  When this produced the caterwauling that her kismesis was known for, she worked her tongue into it as well, letting it caress and flick at the tight bud trapped between her lips.  The effect on Oceleo was quite evident:  Felida was all but incoherent in her ramblings, alternating between cursing and keening, her fingernails occasionally sinking into Porrim’s legs in furious delight.  Porrim shook off the pain from those scratches and was able to continue to focus on what she was doing, sucking and flicking and tasting, occasionally pushing her nose into the opening of Felida’s seedflap between breaths, until her goal was reached:  with no warning save a scream a split second before her release, Felida’s hategasm tore through her and the warm sticky olive fluid spattered her thighs and coated Porrim’s face and chest before she collapsed forward onto the jadeblood’s body with a relieved moan.  Porrim was quite used to this by now; she licked her lips, tasting the sweet but slightly tangy result, and exhaled sharply through her nose to clear a means to catch a breath and speak.  “I trust you found that satisfactory?”  
  
    “huhn... huhn... Yeah... what... the fuck... were you doing... back there?”  
  
    “Using everything I had at my disposal to get you off.  Told you I knew what I was doing.”  
  
    Felida caught her breath and rolled off of Porrim’s now rather damp body.  “That was... fucking amazing!  You’ve come a long way, lady.”  
  
    “Actually, it would be more accurate to say that about you,” Porrim replied, using her now freed hands to wipe herself up as best she could without a towel.  
  
    “Ha!  I think you’re right!”  Felida took in what she left behind:  much of the lower half of Porrim’s body was covered in water but her shoulders and above were a much greener tinge.  “I’d say sorry about your hair but maybe this is what you use to style it?”  
  
    Porrim used her right hand to check how bad it was as her left was already covered in what she wiped from her face; the result suggested there might have been more in her hair than anywhere else.  “I generally don’t use this for that purpose, no.  I have a feeling I might need a wash before we go much further.”  
  
    A slow smile spread across Felida’s face.  “Now that’s a grand idea!  Unlike ONE of us in this block, you didn’t get the benefit of an unplanned bath!”  
  
    “You had to know you were going for a swim as soon as Aurana arrived, Felida.”  
  
    “Pssh!  I fully expect to toss her in, not the other way around!  Like I said, it shouldn’t have counted; I had her right where I wanted her but she dragged me down with her!”  
  
    Porrim sat up and chuckled.  “Uh huh.  You just keep telling yourself that.”    
  
    “Don’t make me come over there,” Felida warned, still grinning.  
  
    “Um, you already did?  And as for your location, I can hear your sorry excuses from here just fine.”  
  
    “That’s it.”  Felida got to her feet and strode over to where Porrim was sitting.  Before her kismesis could react, she straddled Porrim’s legs and pressed her still-tingling seedflap up towards Maryam’s face, calling attention to the olive still abundant on the inside of her thighs.  “I think you missed a spot, Jadebutt!”  
  
    “You certainly didn’t...”  
  
    Felida growled, placed her mechanical right hand behind Porrim’s head and pushed it gently but firmly towards the space between her legs.  This time, Porrim’s hands were free and she latched onto Felida’s backside with her right one, pulling it slightly open while she used her left one to press fingers into the oliveblood’s nook and flap from behind.  Felida yelped at this but it paled in volume to the sounds she made as Porrim began to lick upwards along the inside of her thighs, washing the sticky emissions away with her tongue until it reached her nub, which was once again protruding, and then moving to the opposite thigh to repeat the process.  “OH FUCK YES...  LICK ME!  COME ON... RRRRRGHOHHHHH...”  
  
    Once most of the leftovers from Felida’s first orgasm were licked away, Porrim wrapped her lips around her ebon lover’s nub again and pushed her fingers deeper inside.  Felida’s hips moved in time with them; she rose on the balls of her feet and pressed the tips of those fingers into spaces that would accelerate her next orgasm.  Porrim found herself wishing she could mentally talk to Felida like she did with Aranea: _All the things I could “say” to you right now... I suppose I’ll have to let my fingers do the talking._    
  
    The message they carried was well received: barely a minute later, a howl escaped Felida’s throat and her legs quivered violently as she climaxed again, wetting Porrim’s hand as well as clenching her fingers tightly at both entries.  She stumbled forward but Porrim was able to pull her back into balance before she fell.  “Sorry I had to pull those fingers out so quick, but I needed to catch you.”  
  
    “Don’t worry,” Felida panted, “felt good!  Rrrow... that was... intense!”  
  
    “Seems like you had some darkness to let go of tonight.  Can you stand?”  
  
    “Think so.  Even my metal leg is no help in the middle of coming; the thinkpan that runs it is still a million worlds away.”  Porrim released her grip and Felida bent her knees slightly in case she did teeter over.  “Something kinda stings back there; did you leave some nail marks in my ass tonight?”  
  
    “Uncertain, but I did have to hold on pretty tight there.  If you turn around, I can have a look...”  
  
    Felida carefully stepped over Porrim’s legs and then turned to face away.  “So, tell me what you see,” she said, bending over to reach her ankles and giving Maryam an eyeful of the very places she had slipped fingers into a couple of minutes earlier.  
  
    “I see a rather engorged seedflap, a soft and relaxed nook, a fresh mess of olive on your legs after I so kindly just finished cleaning up the first one... and five small holes poked into your posterior that carry the distinct possibility of having been created by my fingernails.  I may have to investigate further.”  
  
    “You know, Porrim, if you just want to look at my ass some more, you could just say so.”  
  
    Porrim grinned.  “I could, but what fun would that be?  I’d rather just look.”  
  
    Felida straightened up and moved towards the giggling jadeblood, a mischievous smirk on her face.  Without warning, she grabbed Porrim with her left arm and easily tossed her over her shoulder, letting Porrim’s head dip a little further down.  “Okay, ass-looker, you wanna look at my ass?  There’s a great angle to look at it from!”  She marched towards the hygieneblock, Porrim laughing away, and turned on the water for the shower.    
  
    “Funny, if anyone’s got a great angle to view anyone’s ass, it’s you,” Porrim quipped.  
  
    A quick turn of her head to the left and Felida realized what Porrim was getting at.  “Well, maybe if we got rid of these...”  She used her free right hand to pull Maryam’s shorts down and flung them aside and then took another look.  “Nah, too close. Even my new eye can’t quite focus well enough.”  
  
    “Not like I can see much at this range either.  I can do this, though...”  
  
    Felida almost jumped when her “passenger” nipped her backside with her fangs.  “Hey back there!  I thought you were an ass-looker, not an ass-biter!”  
  
    “Not my fault that you just ass-umed.”  
  
    “Oh, Porrim... you are so gonna get it.”  Felida checked the temperature of the water and once it was finally warm enough, she stepped into the large shower and held Porrim’s posterior up to the running water.    
  
    “If this is the ‘it’ you’re speaking of, it’s nice but I’m quite capable of getting hot water to pour onto my bottom by myself.”  
  
    “You just wait.”  Felida turned to grab the soap bottle from the ledge and bopped Porrim’s horns against the shower wall.  “Oh, sorry... did I do that?”  
  
    The response was a low grumble from Porrim.  “Don’t make me bite you again.”  
  
    “You know who says that a lot?  Kayolo.”  Felida waited for the sigh from Porrim she knew would follow and was not left lacking for it; she knew it bothered her kismesis to hear about the physical side of her red romance with Porrim’s former Sister so she took every opportunity to make Porrim twitch by talking rather explicitly about it. “What, surprised you’re not the only one who puts bite marks on my ass?  Or maybe it’s just a jadeblood thing.”  
  
    Porrim replied by biting her again.  
  
    “Hee hee hee... I live for that.  Hmmmmm... Getting soap into my hand by only using one hand is a bit of a challenge.  Fuck it; let’s just put it where it belongs.”  Felida opened the bottle and then picked it up and liberally squirted its contents all over Porrim’s backside. Once she set the container back down, she used her right hand to make soapy swirls all over it, making the jadeblood sigh.    
  
    “You realize that this barely qualifies as kismesissitude,” Porrim teased.  “What’s next?  Putting me in a comfy chair with really soft cushions and reading me poetry while showering me with crystalanthemum petals?  That’ll get the bad blood flowing.”  
  
    “Maybe this will get something flowing,” Felida said, using those soapy fingers to slip them between Porrim’s thighs and into the soft folds of her sex.  The soft moans that came in reply suggested it might be having the desired effect.    
  
    _All the blood flowing to my head is making me dizzy but this feels so good... and there’s nowhere I can go. That metal arm of hers has me held fast._  “What are you waiting for... put them into me...”  
  
    “Oh, you DO want some of this?  What if I was just going to flip your flap around for a few minutes and then send you on your way?”  
  
    “I just got you there twice and you’d do that to me?  You’re more evil than I thought possible.  Don’t make me use these to persuade you...”  Porrim dragged her fangs over the area where her nails had broken the skin of Felida’s bottom for emphasis.  
  
    “Hey!  My butt is not a chew toy!  Yours, on the other hand, is about to be!”    
  
    Felida let her fingers slide into Porrim, both seedflap and nook now, moving in and out and slightly deeper with each pass.  In response, Porrim latched onto the oliveblood’s thighs and breathed as deeply as she could.   _Between the heat and the sensations and being upside down, I might pass out!_  “Unless you like hatesex with inanimate bodies, Felida, you might want to take this outside soon...”  
  
    “Getting lightheaded are we?  Hey, you might actually enjoy what I’m gonna do next even more because of it, you know.”  
  
    “Fine,” Porrim panted, “but let’s maybe get started.  Isn’t my ‘jade butt’ clean enough for you yet?”  
  
    “Hmmmmm, let’s see.”  Felida withdrew her fingers ever so slowly and then slapped her kismesis’s left cheek with a cupped palm.  She smirked as Porrim called out and said, “Yep, sounds like you’re nice and fresh.  It’s go time.”  
  
    “As long as that doesn’t mean ‘going to bop my horns against the door again’, I’m all for it!”  
  
    “As Mistress likes to say, Porrim, ‘I give you no promises’.”  Felida shut the water off and opened the shower door.  As she emerged in a cloud of mist, she wiggled to bring Porrim’s head close to the door again but not close enough to cause contact.    
  
    “Have I told you lately you’re just as much of a brat as she is?” Porrim groused.  
  
    “Says the woman who helped Poochie throw me in the drink!  Here’s where I collect on that.”  Without any warning, Felida dropped to her knees on the soft mat floor of the hygieneblock, lifted Porrim from her shoulder, set her on the wet floor, promptly flipped her over onto her stomach and stuck her face directly into the jadeblood’s nether regions.  
  
    “OH!”  Porrim instinctively grabbed at the floor, her nails digging in but not puncturing it.  “You... certainly weren’t kidding... about going for it!”  
  
    “Mmhmm!” was the response.  Felida used her hands to push on Porrim’s rear to suggest she raise up onto her knees and was pleased that Maryam did so.  A moment later, her tongue ran all the way from Porrim’s rapidly swelling nub, alongside her parting lips and into her now well-scrubbed nook.  This created another gasp and scrabbling of nails on the floor.  
  
    As much as her head was floating from the heat and the period of inversion, the sensation of a wet tongue on her nook was quite intense and cut through her haze.  “Ohhhhhh... someone’s feeling naughty tonight!”  
  
    Felida stopped only long enough to say, “It’s only naughty if you think it is, and I think you enjoy it.”  
  
    “Maybe...” Porrim whispered as she closed her eyes and let the indescribable feeling of a tongue on that part of her anatomy fill her thoughts.  “Not sure I can get all the way there with that alone, though... not even for blackrom.”  
  
    In reply, Felida braced herself with her natural arm and let the first two fingers of her mechanical one run parallel to Porrim’s flushed jade labia until they came to rest on either side of her swollen nub where they began to vibrate.  
  
    Porrim was quite comfortable with the cybernetic appendage being so close to her most sensitive places; many sweeps with Felida as a black lover fostered that trust and Porrim knew Felida could run it just as perfectly as if it were still made of flesh and bone.  She was also aware of the added bonus of what it was capable of in terms of special features and if there was any one in particular that she enjoyed most, it was this.  “Mmmmmm... that’ll help...” she said, her voice echoing the vibrations that now coursed through her body.  A moment later, Porrim felt the thumb of the same hand entering her seedflap and adding its voice to the chorus of pleasure that was singing out inside her mind.    
  
    Felida simply chortled and carried on with running her tongue from the edge of Maryam’s seedflap and across the short run that lead to her rapidly relaxing nook and back again before plunging her tongue in deeper yet.  It wasn’t just the noises that Porrim made that told her that her partner was getting closer to her release but the sensors in her thumb picked up on the involuntary contractions that preceded it; in response, Felida slightly increased the pressure on the front wall of Porrim’s flap and said, “Uh, uh, Jadebutt... not yet.  Gonna make you hold onto that for a little while!”  
  
    The only reply Porrim could make was completely nonverbal; she could feel the rapid onset of a hategasm exploding in her mind but her body was unable to release the fluid of consummation that it begged to.  Felida took this guttural moan to mean her kismesis was in equal parts enjoying the peculiar feeling and confused by it.  “There, there... don’t worry about the pressure.  I’ll let the next one happen and you can let it all go... maybe.”  
  
    Porrim bit her lip and hoped desperately that she could do so.  Her thoughts weren’t even complete at this point; all that mattered was the primal call from her seedflap to release its payload, bucket or no.  The next thing she felt was the pulses from Felida’s fingers increasing in speed and she clenched her muscles around them; she even felt as though she held the oliveblood’s tongue for a moment and the thought of it was enough to spark another attempt at release.    
  
    “Here you go again, eh?” Felida asked.  “Okay, then, let ‘er fly!”  She moved her tongue away from Porrim’s nook and set herself behind her ebon lover’s flap in anticipation.  As soon as she felt the unstoppable vibration within the jadeblood begin, Felida let her fingers fall away and took the full release of jade that came jetting out a second later.    
  
    The sounds that emanated from Porrim were a mixture of both incredible joy and relief at being able to fulfill her body’s demands.  She fell forward as the last spasms drove the final drops of liquid from her and she gasped for the air that her airsacs begged for before passing out onto the floor in unconscious bliss with a loud slap.  
“Oh shit!  Not what I was hoping for!”  Felida lifted Porrim’s limp but still breathing form from the floor of the hygieneblock and carried her over to the nearby bed.  Once she had her kismesis propped up on some pillows, she ran back to the hygieneblock and returned with a pair of cool wet towels, the larger of which she placed on Porrim’s body and the smaller one over her forehead.   _There, that should..._  
  
    “Felidaaaaaaaa...”  
  
    Oceleo jumped at the sound from the speakers.  Without thinking she immediately turned on the wall-mounted display and saw Aranea standing beside Aurana at the docks.  “Yes, Captain?”  
  
    Felida could recall each time she’d seen surprise on Mindfang’s face and knew that it was a rare occasion.  What baffled her initially was why that expression was present on her moirail’s face until she said, “Did I catch you at an inopportune moment, my sweet?  I know that you and your kismesis do have an unfortunate tendency towards being interrupted at less than ideal times.”  
  
    While Aranea was more than comfortable with displays of sexuality and the aftermath thereof, Aurana tended to keep such things more private and the awkward smile on her face spoke volumes.  “Um... got some green on you, Kittie...”  She touched a spot beside her mouth to indicate the usual place one might find that, but then also touched her forehead, her cheek, her chest, her horns...  
  
    Without looking down, Felida touched each of those places and found each one added more and more jade to her fingertips.  “Oh shit...” she whispered.  
  
    “When you told me you enjoyed wearing Porrim like a shirt, I didn’t think this is what you had in mind,” Aurana joked.    
  
    “I suspect not,” Mindfang added, “One doesn’t usually wear a shirt over one’s face and horns.  Worry not, Felida; I just wanted to let you know Aurana and I are taking Deep 8lue and departing for Capitol for a night or two on an intelligence gathering mission; we should be there in a few hours.  Literally pushing off the docks now; maintaining radio silence from here on in for obvious reasons.  You and Porrim will be in charge, of course.  Should we not be back by the third night, start snooping around.  I’ve added the discrete number for Aurana’s matesprit’s Handroid – I’m so glad she rid herself of that wretched antiquated Honeycomb finally – and you can use it in case of emergency.”  
  
    “Understood, Captain,” Felida answered.  At first, she felt something she hadn’t in many moons – mortification – but once she saw that hint of discomfort in Aurana’s eyes, she seized upon the opportunity to make the most of it.  “Oh, and Captain?  Make sure Poochie here brings you back in one piece...”  She dragged the nail of her right pointer finger down her cheek, collecting as much of the jade from her cheek as she could, and then placed it on her bottom lip before slowly sucking it clean.  “There should be plenty more of this for us to share upon your return.”  She looked to Aurana in hopes of seeing her twitch and wasn’t disappointed.    
  
    Mindfang simply chuckled.  “No one makes the most of a sticky situation better than you, Felida.  Save for me, of course.”  
  
    “I’ve learned from the very best, Captain.  See you soon.” Felida purred before turning her attention to the turquoiseblood.  “Get her home safe, bitch; I’m counting on you.”  
  
    Aurana opened her mouth to speak and came up empty so she opted to nod instead as the screen faded to black.    
  
    “Don’t tell me you’ve gone and made poor Aurana uncomfortable?  Should I start being jealous of you two now?”  
  
    Felida turned to see Porrim smirking away, eyelids fluttering as she came to.  “Fuck no!  I’ve seen what happens when you get jealous.  Besides, I think I proved who I’m black for just a few minutes ago, didn’t I?”    
  
    Porrim squinted a bit to try and focus but her eyes opened wide once she realized just to what degree her kismesis was covered in jade-tinged ejaculate.  “Oh my... that all came from me?”  
  
    “Every last drop!  And it’s all good...”  To emphasize this, Felida looked down to her where her shoulder met her chest and licked it.  “That being said, I’m going to need to hop in the shower again.”  
  
    “You shouldn’t hop in the shower.  It’s slippery and I don’t know if Horuss can build you a cybernetic neck if you fell.”  
  
    Felida just stared at Porrim and blinked.  “That’s it...”  
  
    “Oh no, not again,” Porrim said, rolling her eyes.  “I’m quite certain you’ve drained me dry.”  
  
    “Here, you can have some back!”  Felida jumped onto the bed and gave Maryam a very messy kiss, smearing as much of the jade onto her as she could.    
  
    “Bluh!  Get off of me!  I just fainted, remember?” Porrim giggled.  “I might suddenly fall back into unconsciousness in this delicate state!”  
  
    Felida snorted.  “Delicate state, my ass!”  She put her face between Porrim’s full breasts and blew as hard as she could, sending streaks of green flying all over the bedsheets.    
  
    Porrim was laughing so hard she actually thought she might pass out again.  “You’re lucky we have droids for that now.”  
  
    “I’m pretty damn sure Horuss has never built a droid that could ‘motorboat’ somebody.  And even if he did, you’d probably have to feed it an apple and brush its mane first!”  
  
    “I meant for washing these sheets, smartnook.  I didn’t say you could borrow my snark, you know.  Aranea tried that the other night, too.”  
  
    “Hello?  We’re Gamblignants?  We take what we want!  And if I wasn’t already sure your hold was empty, I’d take you again, too!”  She made to give the jadeblood another sloppy kiss.  
  
    Porrim gave Felida a playful shove in defense.  “Go wash off already!  And I don’t mean with your tongue, ‘Kittie’!”  
  
    “Hey, Aurana owns that nickname, Jadebutt.  And if I could lick my own horns, I’d never leave this respiteblock!” Felida hopped off of the bed and strutted back to the hygieneblock, wiggling her bottom as she went.  “If I can’t have another slice of you, can you at least fix me up a slice of loaf?  I’m SO hungry...”  
  
    “No doubt.  All right, will do.”  
  
    “Thanks, lady!”  Felida closed the hygieneblock door and took in the mess before looking in the now steam-free mirror.  “Damn!  Got more on me than on the floor!”  She started the shower again and washed herself clean while she hummed a jaunty tune.  Once finished, she grabbed another towel and was in the process of drying herself off when she heard the crash of a plate breaking and a horrific scream:  “FELIDA!!!!!!”  
  
    Felida threw her towel down and tore the door off of its mount with her bionic arm.  “WHAT?  WHAT’S THE MATTER?”  
  
    Porrim was sitting on the bed, shaking as she pointed to the viewscreen, which crackled as it displayed a grainy video message.  “Feli...  rim?... re you ther... hear me? ...longer we can hold ou...”  
  
    “Kayolo...”  Felida ran over to where Porrim was sitting, wrapped in a sheet from the bed, shaking.  “Can we get it any clearer?  Can she hear you?”  
  
    “I don’t know; it came directly here on your private channel.  I used the ‘boost signal’ command but...”  
  
    “Porrim?  I can he... ou hear me?” came the garbled voice from the speaker.  
  
    “Yes!  We can hear you, Kayolo!  What’s going on?” Felida shouted.  
  
    More static and then, “...der attac... ighbloods.  Don’t kn... at they’re after but... amming our transmis... ut if you can hear me, SEND HEL... EASE HURRY... so many of the...”  
  
    “WE’RE COMING!” Felida screamed at the screen, “HOLD ON, WE’RE COMING!”  A moment later, the signal deteriorated entirely.    
  
    Porrim was already activating the comm panel on her side of the bed.  “Horuss!  This is Porrim!  Emergency!”  
  
    There was only a short pause before Horuss appeared on the screen.  “Yes, Porrim?  What’s going on?  I don’t see any signs of an incoming attack at all...”  
  
    “It’s not us that’s under attack; it’s the Sisters at the Mother Grub caves that are!  We just got a broken transmission from them that they’re being besieged by highbloods!  Can we scramble the hovership and get some troops on board in ten minutes?”  
  
    His deft fingers entered a series of commands.  “I’m firing up the predeparture sequence now.  I’ll put out a call for volunteers to meet at the pad right away.  Any idea what you’ll be facing?”  
  
    “None at all, but please have some weapons available.  Preferably energy weapons versus swords this time.  I have a feeling we could be seriously outmatched... if we arrive in time.”  
  
    “It’s a five hour flight,” Horuss added.  “I’ll make certain you have what you need; just get to the pad as quickly as you can.”  
  
    “Thanks, Horuss.”  Porrim switched off the comm, her mouth suddenly painfully dry.  “Felida?”  She looked over to see her kismesis fully clothed and fingering the hilt of the sword at her hip.  
  
    “Already dressed,” she said tersely.  “Grab something with the buttons still attached and let’s go.”    
  
    Despite Porrim’s earlier fatigue, adrenaline had already erased it.  “Done.”  
  
    “Do you have any idea who would want to attack the Mother Grub caves?” Felida asked as Porrim hurriedly found a new shirt and shorts in her closet.  
  
    “Not a clue.  But if this doesn’t involve Syhale somehow, I’ll be shocked.”  She swallowed again to try and fight the tight lump forming in her throat.  “And I’ll be equally shocked if I’m not to blame...”  
  
    Felida was right beside the exit door after having moved the remnants of the hygieneblock door out of the way.  “What do you mean?”  
  
    Porrim shook her head as she buttoned up her blouse.  “It was only a matter of time, really.  Syhale wants to get at Mindfang but hasn’t been able to.  If he’s figured out that I’m her matesprit, he can harm me – and you – by harming the Sisters.”  
  
    “Finfaced fucker,” Felida spat.  “I swear if he’s hurt or killed any of them, I’ll saw his horns off and shove them up his nook before I do the same to his head!”  
  
    “We’ll get there, don’t worry.”  As soon as Porrim had her jade vest on and tied her red sash around her waist, Felida opened the door and they both dashed down the hall to the lift that would take them above ground to the waiting hovership.   _I haven’t felt this kind of terror in over fifty sweeps... or this kind of dread.  I pray we’re not too late..._

 


	43. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindfang and Aurana prepare to infiltrate the Grand Justiceblock with the assistance of Zashyl's matesprit, Kaerah Krysli. Once inside, they discover that the Grand Highblood has been in possession of something Spinneret never thought she'd see again... and she comes up with a way to put it to good use.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first of the more action filled chapters for a while. There are some echoes of Mindfang and Rufioh's trip to Capitol in "Nobody Lives Forever" here but no direct parallels; just the same kind of "infiltration" tale in another part of the city. While I wish I'd spent a little more time showing Alternian society under the Condesce here, Mindfang and Aurana spend most of their time avoiding the populated areas but I do take some moments to show the hemohierarchy here and there. Hope you enjoy the ride!

**42.**  
  
    “I hate this place.  Have I mentioned that?”  
  
    “Not in the last eight minutes or so,” Aurana said with a chuckle.  
  
    Mindfang snorted.  “Porrim?  Is that you?”  
  
    “Sorry to disappoint you on that front, Captain.”  Aurana tried her best not to sniff the air; the olfactory cacophony that the streets of Capitol provided nearly overwhelmed her at times, even though she’d spent much of her last fifty sweeps there.  “If it makes you feel better, I live here and I hate it, too.  And I’m usually the one who has to step in a help break up the constant conflicts.  And as you can imagine, the majority of people here aren’t exactly happy to see a blueblood coming.”  
  
    “I suppose not.  So, where’s the nearest tubeway station?”  
  
    Aurana looked her former employer over and, for what she felt was the hundredth time that night, stifled a laugh.  “Two blocks that way.  I still can’t get used to you wearing that eyepatch...”  
  
    “Well, if it makes you feel better, I still can’t get used to wearing the thing!  It’s so painfully cliché.”  
  
    “Not everyone knows you’re a Gamblignant, Captain.”  
  
    “They will if you keep calling me that, Aurana...”  
  
    The turquoiseblood laughed.  “All right, all right.  No names from here on in.  The hairstyle really doesn’t suit you well in my opinion, though.”  
  
    “Just another means of confusing the face-recognition software I’m certain these cameras have access to.  Admittedly, it’s taking everything I have not to push it out of my face.”  As if to accentuate this, she raised her right hand to flip it out of the way and caught herself before she could.  “We spent long enough styling it to cover that side; no sense blowing it already.  Not sure I’m a fan of this huge bun we made of the rest of my hair, either.”  
  
    “I’m just glad that indigo uniform fits you so well.  Where did you get it again?”  
  
    “We have a new recruit of sorts,” Mindfang said, tugging down on the hem of the Navy tunic.  “She’s a touch shorter in the torso than I am, but we’re close enough that I can wear it without having to modify much.  Only thing Porrim and I changed was the rank insignia; it used to belong to the Chief Naval Enforcer, one Alyssm Waleti.”  
  
    “Ohhh...  Kaerah mentioned that an Enforcer Chief went rogue recently.  There’s a rather large price on her head, I hear.”  
  
    “That’s why we changed the badging; last thing I need is to lose my head for someone else’s crimes.  I like Alyssm and all but I like breathing even more.”  
  
    “No doubt!  Well, with both of us in Enforcer gear, we should be able to roam around in the Grand Justicehive without risk of being gutted.  Unless of course the Grand Highblood throws a tantrum of some kind, which I’m told can happen now and then.  Usually he’s just in need of a colour for his Mirthful Masterpiece.”  
  
    Mindfang raised an eyebrow.  “His what now?”  
  
    “You’ve seen him on Condyvision giving a speech from his throne, right?” Aurana asked.  
  
    “I try to avoid that whenever possible but yes, I have.”  
  
    “That wall behind him is painted all kinds of colours.  Let’s just say his medium of choice is plentiful but unpleasant to obtain.”  
  
    Mindfang bit her lip at the thought.  “Spilling blood is an occasional necessity but painting with the stuff is more than a bit grotesque.”  
  
    Aurana nodded.  “You’re not kidding.  Poor Kaerah has to look at it every single night she’s at work.  She says even after a hundred sweeps, it still bothers the hell out of her.”  
  
    “That’s a good sign.  It’s easy enough to turn a blind eye to extreme behaviour when exposed to it constantly.  I fear that’s the main problem with society these days.”  Aranea opened her mind to the sea of trolls around her:  while many had thoughts about their nights’ activities or their various quadmates, there was one emotion that pervaded the overall feeling that she could sense from them and that was fear that they wouldn’t survive their ride home that night thanks to some inexplicable highblood savagery.   _It was always bad but it’s gotten worse over the sweeps.  Without Meenah around, the violetbloods and purplebloods seek to assert themselves and they do so with increasing regularity.  Meenah generally understood that terrorizing the populace, particularly the citizens of Capitol, was counterproductive; she needed people to make her stuff, but the Subjuggalators couldn’t seem to care less and murder the lowbloods wantonly._    
  
    Aranea looked around cautiously as they descended the cement stairs into the tubeway station, cursing the blindness wearing the eyepatch caused her.   _It’s bad enough that I can’t sense them in the first place, but if there were purplebloods about, I couldn’t see one sneaking up on me either.  That being said, I haven’t even seen a single one since we arrived and as we approach the Grand Justicehive, there should have been a few.  Interestiiiiiiiing..._  “Seen any purplebloods, perchance?”  
  
    “You noticed that, too?” Aurana asked.  “Maybe Kaerah gave them all something to do?”  
  
    “You would know better than I what her plan was, but if you don’t, we can always ask her – and thank her – later.”    
  
    Aurana smiled briefly and followed her Captain into the middle car of the string of cylindrical silver tubes that arrived at the station in a puff of compressed air a few moments prior.  There were a few other bluebloods present, mostly of a teal shade; the cars were segregated, descending the hemospectrum the farther one got from the center.  Mindfang knew the first and last cars were always crowded with maroonbloods as it was generally lowblooded trolls who used the sprawling high-speed transit system that wended its way underneath Capitol; there was no need for a purpleblooded car as no one above indigos would deign to use a public transit system. As it was, the blueblood tube was quite ornate and well stocked with beverages and warm loaf.   _And the maroon- and orangeblood tubes don’t even have seats.  It’s more than just the smell of this place that makes me sick.  The lowbloods get the first and last tubes because if there’s an accident, those are the ones most likely to be damaged or destroyed.  Just because there are more of them doesn’t make them any less people than we are.  Your boy was right all along, Porrim; this has to change.  And what we do tonight will be the next step towards making it happen..._  
  
    As soon as the doors closed, the telltale hiss of pressurization happened and the connected tubes slipped forward on a cushion of air.  Aranea looked up at Aurana, who replied with a knowing smile.   _I hope this works.  The last thing the people of this city need is more bloodshed.  Especially when the guy running it – well, the land based part of it, anyway, - is using that blood to smear on his walls like some rebellious grub._  Mindfang knew full well the tubeway went nowhere near the underwater portion of Capitol; the violetbloods would never accept the risk of such a thing should the lowbloods ever get it in their heads to fight back.   _So we bring it to the purplebloods instead.  It’s their turn for an asskicking, anyway._  
  
    After a few minutes and a couple of stops, Aurana rose to indicate the next stop would be the one they needed to exit at.  The tealbloods in the corner didn’t even lift their heads as Mindfang and her bodyguard walked past.   _Welcome to Capitol; mind your own business if you know what’s good for you.  This mindset may very well work to our advantage._  They took to the stairs and found themselves outdoors in a long corridor lit by pale lavender lampposts.  “You lead on here,” Mindfang said, “and I’ll try to make it look like I know where I’m going.”  
  
    “Don’t worry about a thing; it’d be normal for you to follow me here.  I am your bodyguard, after all.”  
  
    “Works for me.  Let’s go!”  
  
    The Grand Justicehive loomed ahead, a dark edifice that seemed to carry on in every direction without reason, dark save for the pinpricks of light created by windows here and there.   What struck Mindfang as odd was the brilliantly lit object that filled the courtyard in front of them, incongruent in its bright colours.  “What the actual fuck is that?” Mindfang whispered.  
  
    Aurana smiled tightly.  “That is the ‘Motherfucking Faygo Fountain’, a little something the Grand Highblood had commissioned a few decasweeps ago as a not-so-gentle reminder of where someone who didn’t care for the brand of justice being handed out here would end up.  He had poor Kaerah build this thing on a whim; I didn’t see her for four nights straight.  He’s had some modifications made, too; that statue in the middle of it is likely going to blow your mind.”  
  
    Mindfang squinted to try and get a better look at the cement figure that rose from the center of the fountain, lit from underneath by twelve spotlights, each a different colour.   _Stupid fucking eyepatch!  Who the hell would willingly wear one of these things?_  “You’ve piqued my curiousity.  What could I possibly find so interesting about... a statue...”  
  
    “I thought you’d get a kick out of this.”  Aurana joined Mindfang in staring up at the life sized sculpture of a woman on a pedestal, the lights focused on her body and the noxious fluid pouring from spouts built into the platform she stood upon into the pool below.  The female figure was draped in robes, holding a scale and a blindfold upon her eyes but despite the covering that hid her eyes from view, Mindfang knew exactly whose face she was looking at.  
  
    “Latulaaaaaaaa.  Now I truly have seen everything.”  
  
    “One Neophyte Redglare.  Isn’t it something?”    
  
    “Looks just like her, right down to that idiot grin.  What could possibly have inspired the Grand Highblood to put a tribute to her in the middle of this ridiculous thing?”  
  
    “Let’s just say that your theory that she may have curried favour with a certain highblood might hold water.”  Aurana shook her head.  “The only reason I’m okay with not being the one to finish her off is that you got to through Kittie.”  
  
    “And that wouldn’t have happened had it not been for Porrim.”  Mindfang regarded the statue with a twinge of mixed emotions that surprised her.  “Figures that she’s the one who acted duplicitously and yet she’s the one who gets the statue.  Don’t get me wrong; I don’t think that Latula was a particularly evil person, but I don’t think she quite understood exactly who it was she was serving so willingly.”  
  
    Aurana pursed her lips before asking, “Would it be worse if she did know but simply didn’t care?  Red or black leanings can blind someone to the faults of another, especially with someone so young.”  
  
    Aranea snorted.  My friend, you have no idea how true that is.  I was the poster child for that ignorance.  “Truer words were never spoken.  All I know is that this thing offends me and I may have to do something about it.”  
  
    “With all due respect, can it wait until we’ve done what we came her to do first?”  
  
    “Fiiiiiiine.  Lead on, then.”  Mindfang fell in behind the turquoiseblood again as they approached the main gates.   _Still can’t believe we’re just walking right in the front door but if what Aurana and her matesprit have organized is as advertised, we shouldn’t have any problems._    
  
    Once they arrived at the security checkpoint, the tealblooded guards thrust a small commpad at them.  “State your names and ranks and press your thumb onto this.”  
“Commander Aurana Zashyl, Enforcer, 13th Precinct, Capitol Primary Security.”  
  
    _My, you’ve come a long way from being a doomed pup on a prison ship.  I’m proud of you.  Of course, making your criminal record disappear from their records didn’t hurt, either.  I still have my ways into their systems but I need to dig deeper now and that’s why we’re here._  The guard presented the tablet to Mindfang who, in a peculiar accent, said, “Captain Despri Tchibi, Enforcer, 1st Sector, Alinam City Defense Concern.”  
  
    The man gave Mindfang a strange look. “Alinam City?”  
  
    “They not teach geography in your eduhive, Lieutenant?” Aurana snapped.  “She’s visiting from the Eastern Prefectures.  Studying our procedures so that she can implement the best of them back home.  Your ignorance doesn’t exactly impress her.”  
  
    Mindfang said nothing but grinned at her friend’s withering commentary.  
  
    “Uh, no, Ma’am.  Sorry, no disrespect intended.  Proceed.”  
  
    “Thank you,” Zashyl said with as much icy disdain as she could muster.  The doors parted to grant them admission and they strode in like they’d been there a thousand times before.  
  
    “Nicely done,” Mindfang whispered.    
  
    “Thanks.  And ‘Despri Tchibi’?  Where the hell did you come up with that?”  
  
    “Anagrams are fun.  Especially if you ignore a double letter to make it work.  Speaking of making things work, Horuss was able to gain access to the personnel database and reworked the defunct file on Alyssm to now show my face – sporting this ridiculous haircut now, of course – and my thumbprint before reactivating it.”  
  
    Aurana knew Mindfang had assisted her by manipulating the same database many sweeps ago but was still amazed to hear she still had that kind of access.  “Do they not fix backdoors?”  
  
    ‘Tchibi’ shrugged.  “Hard to fix a door when you don’t even know it exists.  Now, where to?”    
  
    “One sec.”  Aurana retrieved her Handroid and entered a few commands.  “She says take the third lift on the left side and go up to the second floor.”  
  
    Aranea nodded and marched along with Aurana to the elevator in question.  They entered and found it empty save for themselves.   A button pushed and in moments the lift rose and then stopped.  The doors opened and they were joined by a purpleblooded woman who quickly pressed the Close Doors button.    
  
    “Kaerah!” Aurana shouted and hugged her matesprit as hard as she could.  
  
    “Ooof!  Hey there!  Glad to see you too!”  
  
    Mindfang smiled at this exchange.  She studied the woman with her eyes, completely unable to use her empathic abilities; what Aranea found most striking was that this Kaerah Krysli was one of the very few purplebloods that she’d encountered who wore none of the makeup usually associated with followers of the Mirthful Messiahs.   _The woman has some sense in her pan; I like that._  “Nice to finally meet you!”  
  
    Kaerah took a deep breath after Aurana finally let go.  “Likewise!  Heard so much about you.”  
  
    “I’m certain it was allllllll good.  All of it.  Are we safe to talk here?”  
  
    “Yes.  I have this camera showing a loop of a picture taken when it was unoccupied,” she said, pointing to the small black object mounted on the wall of the lift.  “I set that up for most of the external cameras and the ones in the lobby as well.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to orchestrate that for all of the cameras in the Grand Justiceblock itself but I scheduled them for maintenance instead.  The result is that there will be armed guards present but I made sure those assigned for duty there are the kind of people won’t be missed if something unfortunate should happen to them.”  
  
    “I do hope they’re Subjuggalators,” Mindfang said, her hand drifting to the sword at her hip.  
  
    “Surprisingly, no.  Normally I’d have loved nothing more than to leave a troupe of them for you to dispose of however you saw fit, but they’re all elsewhere on some kind of joint mission with the Navy, of all things.”  
  
    “Does that include the Grand Highblood himself?”  
  
    Kaerah shook her head.  “No, he’s still in the city but in the underwater section.  Apparently the Admiralty wants him close at hand should there be any difficulty in getting the Subjuggalators to do what they’re told.  Oh, that reminds me...”  She reached over and pressed the button marked “10” and the lift responded quickly.  “We’re a lot less likely to have anyone try to join us if we move up to the top floor to finish this conversation.”  
  
    “Makes sense,” Aurana said as the lift slid all but noiselessly to its destination.  “So, do we need to take this particular elevator out of here?”  
  
    “Nope.  Any will do.  Just leave like nothing happened.  Getting into the Grand Justiceblock itself won’t be a problem; the guards are expecting the technology director to be an indigoblood... one Despri Tchibi.”  
  
    “Perrrrrrrrfect.  I owe you, Kaerah Krysli.  Be assured I pay my debts.”  
  
    “Think nothing of it.  Anything I can do to assist in making Subjuggalator lives miserable, I will.  If you happen to need to eliminate those guards, I just ask that you clean up after yourselves; I’d rather not have to do it myself with a fang scraper after the fact.”  
  
    “Don’t worry about it, lady!  We know what we’re doing!” Aurana chimed in.    
  
    “Sometimes I like to pretend you don’t take part in such distasteful things,” Kaerah muttered.  “Please try to keep my belief in this intact as much as possible?”  
  
    Mindfang chuckled.  “Don’t worry; you can blame any bloodshed on me.  Everybody else seems to these nights.”  
  
    “So I hear.”  The lift doors parted and Kaerah pointed down the dimly lit hallway ahead.  “The Grand Justiceblock is the double doors at the end there.  I’m going back to my office on the Ninth Floor.  Good luck.”  
  
    “Don’t worry,” Aurana said, jerking a thumb in Mindfang’s direction, “she’s the luckiest woman on the planet.”  She gave Kaerah a quick kiss and then stepped out of the elevator, ‘Despri Tchibi’ in tow.  Mindfang made a jaunty salute and Kaerah responded in kind before the doors shut and the lift departed.  “Well, here we are.”  
  
    “Indeed.  Let’s announce our presence, shall we?”  
  
    “Oh yeah.”  Aurana led the way down the corridor and cracked her knuckles.    
  
    As they arrived in front of the doors, they were met by another pair of blueblooded guards.  One stepped forward to meet Aurana before she reached them.  “State your names and ranks and press your thumb ontoBLRAGAGHH”  
  
    The second guard barely had time to register the fact that the turquoiseblood’s curved sword was now in her companion’s throat before she too was silenced permanently by Mindfang’s own _Spider8ite_.   With barely a moment’s hesitation, Mindfang and Aurana threw open the doors and threw the bodies of the unfortunate guards in and onto the floor of the Grand Justiceblock.    
  
    “Hey!  What the...”  The two guards posted on the inside of the doors stepped forward to investigate and found themselves also impaled by blades a moment later.    
  
    “Not the most elegant solution, as Porrim would say, but it’s the result that matters,” Mindfang said, wiping her blade on the uniform of the unfortunate guard she had just dispatched.    
  
    “How is Porrim doing with her sword these nights?” Aurana asked almost casually as she did the same before dragging her victims towards one of the stone columns in corner of the block.  
  
    Mindfang laughed softly.  “You should ask Felida; they spend far more time practicing their swordplay than she and I do.”  
  
    “Sounds an awful lot like ‘blacktice’ to me.”  
  
    “And so it should!  In combat, however, Porrim has really come into her own.  She still prefers to save lives versus taking lives if at all able, but when pressed to it, she can handle a blade capably.  I have you to thank for starting her down that road.”  
  
    “Hey, you taught me; least I could do!  Speaking of ‘do’, what do we do now?”  Aurana looked around the massive Grand Justiceblock.  “I’ve never been in here without a whole pile of other people around.  Seems so much more cavernous but then this place was built with intimidation in mind.”  
  
    “So it would appear.  Good thing I’m hard to intimidate.”  Mindfang slipped her cobalt sword back into her waistband and set off towards the raised angular chair at the front of the block.  “Might as well get right at it.”  
  
    Aurana scouted the room, just in case someone was lurking somewhere in wait to ambush them or to call for reinforcements; neither her eyes nor her nose spoke of anyone lying in wait.  “The block is clear but I’ll keep an eye on the doors just in case.  You mind finally telling me what you’re up to?”  
  
    “Watch and seeeeeeee...”  Mindfang took the stairs and climbed up to the chair.  It was then that she understood she was looking at this ‘Mirthful Masterpiece’ that Aurana had mentioned earlier.  “Ugh.  This is rather hideous, isn’t it?”  
  
    “Yep.  I try really hard not to think about it when I’m in here.  Notice that it’s moved out from behind the throne there, too?”  
  
    Mindfang let her eyes follow the trail of blood spatters that covered the walls a fair distance beyond the vicinity of the chair itself.  “I see.  So it has.  This Makara has always struck me as a deranged individual.  It’s his shows on Condyvision I try to avoid at all costs.”  
  
    “No kidding.  It’s a ‘Carn-evil!’”  
  
    At this, Mindfang slowly looked over to her bodyguard.  “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you just made a pun.”  
  
    “Either that or I just missed my calling working in broadcasting!” Aurana replied cheerfully.  
  
    “Riiiiiiiight.  Anyway, since you’re curious – which is usually a cat thing, might I add – this is my plan.”  Aranea produced a thin transparent plastic panel from her tunic which waved ever so slightly in her hand.    
  
    “What do you have there?”  
  
    “The world’s thinnest computer, basically.  The good news is that it really doesn’t require much for processing power; all it really needs to do is transmit.”  Mindfang looked at the arm of the Grand Highblood’s throne:  the left armrest sported a screen with a virtual keypad which was currently dark.  She laid the clear panel on top of that keypad and affixed it so that it fit smoothly overtop.  “I need a deeper access to the Navy’s AlterNet.  Since Ampora’s access hasn’t worked for a long time, I haven’t had the ability to get at certain files.  What this amounts to is an advanced keylogger; everything the Grand Highblood types will be transmitted to me.  Once I have all of his access codes, I’ll have free reign in their systems again.  At least, as much as one can have and not be the Condesce herself.”  
  
    Aurana was puzzled.  “You said you guys captured Fleet Admiral Syhale’s flagship.  Why didn’t you just do this to his computer and give him back his ship?  Having his codes would get you pretty much everything, wouldn’t they?”  
  
    “Syhale does have greater access in general, yes, but I have my suspicions that he and the Condesce aren’t exactly seeing eye-to-eye these nights, mostly thanks to my kicking his violet-tinged ass all over the oceans of Alternia on a regular basis.  She and Makara get along far better and I suspect he’s not only got back door access to pretty much anything the violetbloods think they’re hiding from him, I know Condy confides in him far more than anyone in the Navy.  If I’m going to get the clearest picture of what the highbloods are up to, it’s going to be from him and not the Admiralty.  Make sense?”  
  
    “Sure does.  Gotta hand it to you, you think this stuff through.”  
  
    Mindfang grinned.  “I do indeed.  There, all set.  I just need to place another panel on the outside of the building and it will transmit the information from the chair panel onward to the underwater pod we’ll be leaving in Veruna Bay and then to our island hideaway where I can analyze it at will.”  
  
    Aurana looked at her captain’s handiwork.  “I would have no idea there was anything there at all.  I have to give Horuss some credit, too; that’s amazing gear!”  
  
    “It sure is.”  Mindfang rose from the throne and then turned around to face the wall behind it:  she could see virtually every colour and shade of blood she could possibly think of, save for royal fuchsia and the darker purple shades; it surprised her slightly to find violet streaks.  “This, on the other hand, is the opposite of amazing.”  
  
    “Awesome for all the wrong reasons,” Aurana agreed.  “We really need to do something about this.”  
  
    “And here I am without a fire hose.  Hey, what are you...”  Mindfang watched as the turquoiseblood extended one of her sharp yellow fingernails and drew a shape into the bloody mural.  
  
    “There!  I just made it much better.”  
  
    Mindfang was rarely at a loss for words but she had few at hand after watching her bodyguard deface a hideous work of art by scratching another one into it in the form of a giant bonebulge, complete with two misshapen shame globes underneath.  “That... that you did, yes.  The only answer to this profane thing is to add more profanity.”  She approached the wall and set to sketching something of her own:  a figure that was unquestionably the Grand Highblood himself, bent over in front of Aurana’s huge bonebulge, grabbing his ankles and smiling.  To this she added a comic balloon which inferred that the Grand Highblood was more than happy to receive Admiral Syhale’s bulge in his backside on a regular basis.  “If this doesn’t piss him right the hell off, I don’t know what will.”    
  
    “You have a better idea of what Syhale looks like than I do; you should add him to my bulge there.”  
  
    “Yessssssss...”  Mindfang did just that and then stepped back to admire her artistic endeavours.  “Much better.”  
  
    “I love how you made his fins look like they were bulges, too.”  
  
    “Glad you noticed!  Absolutely intentional.”  They stood for a moment to take in what they’d done.  “So... let’s leave no shred of this monstrosity free of graffiti.”  
  
    “Aye, Captain!”  Aurana moved to the right and began drawing what appeared to be the Condesce’s seedflap, sporting some rather jagged teeth, coming to bite off Syhale’s head.  “Rawr!” she shouted as she sketched in fins on either side of it.  
  
    _I can confirm it has no fins or teeth, but for what we’re doing, that works._  “Maybe you should add some scales to it, too?”  
  
    “Ooh!  Good idea!”    
  
    While Aurana did just that, Mindfang moved to the left and started writing inflammatory messages about how someday this wall would be spattered with highblood remains instead.  Her hand brushed up against a spot that was strangely raised and almost perfectly square in shape.   _Hm?  What’s this?_  Her hand pressed against it and it recessed back into the wall; at the same time, a part of the wall where Aurana was working pulled back as well before sliding to the side.   “Hey!  I was working on that...”  
  
    Mindfang’s pusher picked up speed.  “Tell me we just found where the Grand Highblood keeps his sweet, sweet loot stash!”  
  
    “Smells awful.  Probably just a bunch of gross skulls and whatnot.”  Aurana squinted into the small room to get a glimpse, equally curious and dreadful at what she might encounter.  
  
    “Lemme see!”  Mindfang dashed over, fearless and excited for the possibility of treasure.  She all but pushed Aurana aside and entered the unlit recess.  
  
    _Once a Gamblignant_ , Aurana thought to herself.  She heard a quiet gasp in the darkness and wondered what could actually startle her captain to that degree.  “What did you find?”  
  
    Mindfang made no verbal answer but turned around to face Zashyl, a blue sword in her hand that looked almost identical to the one at her hip.  “I don’t believe it.”  
  
    Aurana was equally stunned by this find.  “Wow... even still has a hint of a teal stain on the tip!”  
  
    “So it doessssssss.  Some other colourful stains on it as well, though.”   _He must have found Redglare’s body and kept this to give to Meenah when she returned._  She stepped out from the dark closet and manipulated the sword in her practiced hand.  “Ever so slightly heavier than its replacement.”  She drew her _Spider8ite_ and held them side by side.  “I have to hand it to Horuss, though; he matched it up quite well.”  
  
    “So what are going to do with it?  Give it to Porrim or Felida?”  
  
    Mindfang thought about this for a few moments and then that fangs-bared smile appeared which made the turquoiseblood laugh.  “As much as I would love to make a gift of this sword, I consider it lost.  No, I have a better idea for it.  I’d like the Grand Highblood to know who was here.  Don’t worry; neither you nor your matesprit will be implicated in any way by what I’m planning to do, especially if what Kaerah says is true about the cameras being out.”  
  
    “It better be or she’s the one in deep lusus shit!”    
  
    “No doubt.  Hold this for a sec, would you?  Let’s see what else is in here...”  Mindfang returned her current sword to whence it came and then took a few steps further in where she found a series of shelves.  “Not a lot of caegars in here but then, it’s not like he needs a lot of pocket change or anything.  Least he could do is keep a few massive gems in here or someth-ugh.”  
  
    “Ugh?” Aurana inquired.  “How ugh is ‘ugh’?”  
  
    Mindfang emerged from the small room with a pail in each hand.  “These don’t contain something a drone would pick up either.”  
  
    “You mean that’s... his ‘paint’.  Buckets of blood.  That’s what smelled so terrible.  Sick fucker.”  
  
    “Guess he needed somewhere to store it.  And based on my blade, I suspect he was using it to stir this stuff.”  Mindfang wasn’t averse to seeing blood but was rather uneasy at seeing so much of it collected in this manner for such a macabre purpose.  
  
    Aurana turned up her nose.  “It’s all rancid, too.  Yecch.”    
  
    “I safely assume you have no interest in drinking it.”  The blueblood carried the buckets back into the storage area and took a quick inventory.   _No jade, thankfully.  I certainly hope he doesn’t decide he needs more of that; Meenah is smart enough to leave the Sisters to their work at least.  And no violet blood, either.  If I wasn’t so revolted by what he uses this for, I’d consider sending him some._    
  
    “You assume correctly,” Aurana answered.  “So what should we do with it?”  
  
    “That’s a very good question.  If we dumped it all out on the floor, he might compliment us on our art skills.  I think we’re just better off to leave it be; if he runs out of pigment, he’ll just end another life that much sooner.”  
  
    “Probably.  Speaking of which, maybe we should put those bodies in there?  This way, if someone comes in here, they’ll just see the mess we made but they’d have no idea the guards were killed at first.  They’d probably even blame them for it!”  
  
    Mindfang nodded.  “I like the way you think.  Let’s do that.”  She watched Aurana set her original sword down beside the Grand Highblood’s throne and then joined her friend in carrying the bodies over to the secret storage behind it.  Once this was completed, she said, “I think we’re done here.  Nothing worth stealing other than information.”  
  
    “Can I pee on his chair?” Aurana asked.  
  
    “You and Felida are more similar than dissimilar; you realize this, yes?”  
  
    Zashyl grinned.  “So I’ve heard.”  
  
    “To answer your question, best not to.  I want him to sit in it so that he can start using that computer and I can start collecting data.”  
  
    Aurana made an exaggerated sigh.  “Okay.  You’re the Alpha!”  
  
    “Yes I am.”  A thought crossed her mind as she looked at her old cobalt sword.  “Can you think of a way to get one particular bucket of that blood out of here without too much difficulty?  The teal one?”  
  
    “I would ask why but you’ve obviously got something interesting planned.  Of the top of my horns, we might get some dirty looks if we say that it’s what usually found in a bucket.  That being said, this place is pretty empty tonight; if we just scowl at any guard who wants to give us grief, we might have a shot at it.  Especially if we walk hand in hand and they don’t look too closely at the colour.”  
  
    “That might just work.  We may have to choose a different exit, however; the guards at the front know who we are.”  Mindfang stooped to wipe her recovered blue sword off onto the uniform of one of the fallen guards and then inserted it into her belt on the opposite hip of her current one.  She then chose a pail from the shelf with a decidedly teal tinge to it then found the button she used to open the hidden room.  As the door slid shut, she looked to Aurana and in her peculiar accent said, “We go now?”  
  
    “Yes, Captain Tchibi,” Aurana chuckled.  
  
  
  
  
    “Hee hee...  from the smell of him, I think he might have really shit himself!”  Aurana tried to keep her laughter was quiet as she could, hoping she was out of earshot of the guards they had just passed.  “Did you actually draw blood on his throat?”  
  
    ‘Despri Tchibi’ looked down at the tip of her old weapon.  “Perhaps a little but then I suspect this sword has seen its share of blue blood lately, anyway.  The shade of blue on this uniform certainly helped to reinforce my intentions at least.”  
  
    “You should thank that woman when you get back; it’s certainly helped!”  
  
    “She has been a welcome ally.  You should see what she can do with a staff.”  
  
    “Felida sounded unimpressed but then if it’s not a sword, she’s not interested.”  
  
    Mindfang grinned.  “A trait I happen to share with her, but Alyssm’s work with it is certainly worth seeing.  Now, you say the cameras in the courtyard are out as well?”  
Aurana nodded.  “That’s what Kaerah told me but I suspect the two keeping watch at the front gate will notice what you’re doing.”  
  
    “Let’s do it first and then if they choose to get involved, it will be to their own detriment.  You have our emergency escape ready to go, yes?”  
  
    “Of course!  To be honest, I was hoping we would get a chance to get her involved!  And so was she.  I know she’ll be where she needs to be.”  
  
    “Gooooooood.  Pass me some of that putty explosive, would you?  Just the tiniest bit.”    
  
    Aurana reached a finger into the sleeve of her uniform and broke off a small piece of the ball of putty stuck on the inside of it.  “Here you go.”    
  
    “Thank you.  Get your sword out.  This is going to make a bit of a noise.”  The turquoiseblood did as she suggested and took up a position beside the burbling Faygo fountain in the center of the wide courtyard while Mindfang jumped up onto the side of it.  The noise that attracted attention, however, came long before the one Aranea intended to create.  “Shit!  This thing is alarmed?”  
  
    “I don’t think Kaerah planned for us to muck with it!  Here they come!  Better hurry!”  
  
    Mindfang didn’t reply but carefully found footholds on the slippery stone until she came to the life-sized statue bearing a face she’d never forget.  “Hello, Latulaaaaaaaa.  We meet again.  And I’m here to provide you with a similar fate as your flesh and blood predecessor.”  She manipulated the putty into a long, thin roll and squished it vertically into the space between the statue’s breasts.  Once secure, Mindfang breathed on it and then dropped down to a lower tier, taking care not to slip in the flowing Faygo she landed in.   _I’m so glad I’m not wearing my boots for once; I’d hate to see them ruined by this toxic sludge._  She crouched, pressed her hands over her sponge clots and counted down.  A few seconds later, the statue shook as a hole was blown through its chest and back; Mindfang slipped backwards onto her rear but was able to keep herself without falling off.   _Bluh!  Normally I’d enjoy effervescence on my ass but this stuff is just too foul for words.  Can’t believe anyone actually drinks this swill!_  “Aurana!  Pass me the bucket!”  
  
    Aurana gauged the distance the guards were from her.   _At least they stopped for a few seconds after the explosion, but I bet every other one on the outside of the Justicehive is on their way now!  This might not have been the smartest idea, Captain, but I should have time._  She reached down, grabbed onto the pail full of teal and then passed it up to Mindfang.  “Here you go!  Do what you’re gonna do because they’re coming for us!”  
  
    “Oh, I will.”  Aranea grasped the edge of the upper tier and pulled herself back up to the top.  The smell of black-singed stone filled her nose and she had to blink the loose dust from her exposed eye.   _At least that eyepatch is good for something._  Balancing herself as carefully as she could, Mindfang poured the teal blood into the hole the explosive created; much of it began to trickle down the statue’s front and back but this was her desired effect.  “It really was good seeing you again, Latula, but even in death, you serve no purpose save to send a message, and that message is Marquise Spinneret Mindfang is NOT to be fucked with!”  At that, she thrust the sword that pierced the pusher of the original Neophyte Redglare through the hole in the chest of this effigy, which sent a splatter of teal blood out of the back of it.    
  
    Aurana looked back over her shoulder as some of the spray hit her in the back of the head.  “Aw yeah!  Wicked!”  
  
    “Thanks!  Thought you’d appreciate that.  Now, shall we take our leave?”  
  
    “Sure!  Just let me take care of these two first.”  Aurana noted one of the guards had drawn a sidearm so she rushed him before he could use it and impaled him with her curved sword.  The other was so taken aback by the sudden rush that he didn’t have time to reach for his pistol before Aurana overpowered him as well.    
  
    Mindfang jumped down to the grey-blue grass below and drew _Spider8ite_ from her belt.  “Nicely done.  I suspect a fair bit more blood will be spilled before we get out of here.”  
  
    “I suspect you’re right,” Aurana said, pulling her blade from her victim’s chest.  “Look over there; they’re sealing the main gate!”  
  
    “Pass me more of the putty.  Looks like we’re not done with explosions tonight, either.”  
  
    Aurana smiled and dug out most of what she had.  “So long as we’re the ones making them, I have no problem with that at all!”  
  
    “Good.  Cover me while I go for the gate.”  No sooner had she taken the explosive from Aurana when purple beams began lancing out around them.  “Drat!  And here I’d hoped they’d come at us with something a bit more honourable.  Oh well... you know what to do.”  
  
    “Sure do!”  Aurana tapped the hard armour plates near the wrists of her Enforcer uniform and in seconds, two plasteel shields about half a meter long and half as wide covered her forearms.  She used them to reflect many of the blasts sent her way back towards their source.  The first wave of guards had either fallen or were flat on the ground trying to reconsider their strategy when Aurana turned her attention to Mindfang:  her captain had deployed similar shields and was advancing on the front gates, so she took the opportunity to start running towards her.  “Here I come!”  
  
    _At least these shields let me get close enough to swing my sword.  Need some advantage since I can’t make other bluebloods take a nap, after all._  Mindfang was in the process of dispatching the last guard in her way when she heard Aurana’s call.  There was no point in transmitting a mental acknowledgement since the turquoiseblood wouldn’t hear it anyway so she started rolling the putty explosive out across the seam of the gate.   _This ought to make a big bada-boom.  Hope I can get far enough away before it goes off._  No sooner had she breathed on it to add the necessary combination of heat and moisture to initiate the reaction when she heard a scream from behind her; she whipped around to see Aurana on the ground after a laser shot had scorched her ankle.  Zashyl was rolling around and trying to get to her feet but having difficulty as the guard was lying down and blasting away at where she was standing.   _Dammit!  I’m coming!_  
   
    Mindfang tore off her eyepatch, exposing her seven-pupiled eye which allowed her to anticipate the highest probability of what was coming next.  She didn’t like what she saw at all.   _C’mon, Aurana, get vertical; I need a few more seconds to get to you!_  She sprinted at full speed, watching as Zashyl tried to get established on her good foot and make up the distance between herself and her attacker while dodging the bolts being fired her way.   _Wait... this is easy!_  Two can play at this game...  “Aurana!  Just lay down facing them!”  
  
    Without hesitation, Aurana threw herself to the grass and placed her shields in front of her.  The blaster fire bounced off and back at the shooter who cried out as the beam took out her shoulder.  Moments later, Mindfang was with her and looking over her bodyguard’s fried boot and seared skin.  “I’ve had worse,” she grumbled as she got to her knees and then pushed herself into a standing position while trying to keep weight off of her damaged foot.  
  
    “Perhaps, but we still need to get out o-”  
  
    The massive explosion from behind them washed over in a wave of sound and heat; Mindfang caught Aurana from pitching forward to the ground again.  “I’m good,” Zashyl said, trying to regain her footing.  
  
    “No you’re not.  You’re missing some important parts down there; the heat from their weapons just cauterized the wound.  We need to get you out of here and fast.”  
  
    “Don’t worry; help is coming.  Let’s just get outside the courtyard if we can.”  
  
    Mindfang scooped her up and started running towards the smoking ruins of the entry gate.  The smoke obscured her vision but from what she could see, no one was running towards them at least.  “Any people outside who were lowbloods have scurried off; can’t blame them,” she said between breaths; while she was quite strong and able to carry her injured friend without difficulty, running at top speed with the woman in her arms was another matter altogether.  “Almost there now.  Can you reach your pistol?”  
  
    Aurana used her free left hand to reach across her body and withdraw the small laser pistol from its pocket inside of her tunic.  “Yeah, I got it!”  
  
    “Okay, if we encounter resistance, start firing.  Just be wary of anyone with shields like ours; I’ll try to let you know.”  
  
    “Sounds good!” Aurana winced as she tried to flex her foot and failed.  “Having fun yet, Captain?”  
  
    “All kinds.  Let’s rollllllll...”    
  
    As they approached the destroyed gate, Mindfang suddenly juked to the right.  “Hey, what-” Aurana began, but the laser light that lanced forth from the smoke cloud ahead answered the question more effectively than any words.  She didn’t wait for her captain’s encouragement; she just started shooting back in the direction it came from.  
  
    “Some of them are midbloods; I’ve already dispersed the lowblood troops,” Mindfang announced as she took cover behind the edge of the Grand Justicehive’s perimeter fence and the twisted metal that once formed the gate door.  “But there are still bluebloods in there and... there’s one now...”  
  
    A low growl came from the haze and the mangled body of a blueblooded military commander followed.  That same growl echoed in their sponge clots again, followed by shouts and screams and calls for help.    
  
    “I do believe our ride is here,” Mindfang said with a relieved smile.  
  
    “Wolfmom!” Aurana shouted, which she followed up with a strange noise.  
  
    Mindfang could only hear the first part of it but she knew that Aurana was making a high pitched sound that would help the huge white wolf lusus find her.   _They seem to have a low grade telepathic link as well but this is a more feral form of communication._  From behind the veil of smoke, more howls, barks and yells came.  What worried Mindfang was the occasional burst of pulse rifle fire.   _She’s awfully large; she may move fast but any of those could put a quick end to our escape if we’re unlucky._  
  
    A shadow leapt from the grey smoke and stopped in front of them; it bowed down and the massive white muzzle of a canine lusus greeted them with a quick nuzzle followed by a prod with her nose to encourage them to climb on.   Luckily, I’m lucky!  “Glad you could make it!  Mind if we get moving?”  
  
    “Oh, she’d love nothing more, believe me!”  Aurana took her place around the lusus’s neck while Mindfang settled in behind her.  The Marquise had barely gotten handfuls of the thick white hair when the wolf leapt to her feet and bounded out the broken gate and over the pile of dead soldiers that were unfortunate enough to have encountered her.    
  
    Mindfang watched as the Grand Justiceblock fell away behind them and then turned her attention to figuring out where they were heading.  “The Enforcers are going to start deploying cameracopters to track us; does she know where the sub is docked?”  
  
    “Yep!  We can’t go underground into the tubeway tunnels because of the cameras, but she can travel overland just about as fast.  There are places lusii go that no one else does and she knows them all.  Just hang on tight!”  
  
    The white wolf leapt over a three meter tall fence without a hint of effort.  “Have no fear of that...” Mindfang said, clutching onto the lusus’s pelt with as firm a grip as she could.  Hopefully this will have shaken the searchers; the raft that will let us reach the sub isn’t far now...  She was interrupted from this thought by the sound of rotors.   _Shit!_  “Aurana, we have company.”  
  
    “I hear them!  You want my pistol?”  
  
    “Yes, and I’ll take what’s left of your putty, too.”  
  
    Aurana tightened her legs around her lusus’s neck for stability and then passed the laser pistol and the small ball of putty explosive to Mindfang.  “Anything else?”  
  
    “If possible, can you get her to slow down just a little bit?  I want those copters to catch up a bit once we’re out in the open.  And could you also spare an arm to hold me around my waist?”  
  
    “All of the above!”    
  
    Their track took them into the alleyways and passages under the bridges and roads of Capitol, inhabited by lowbloods and rogue lusii alike, before bringing them back out into open fields of long grey grasses and short dark shrubs with teal leaves and red flowers.  The cameracopters kept pace and finally began to gain on them as the wolf slowed her pace.  “I see three of them.  Just need them a bit closer.”  
  
    Aurana tapped her lusus twice gently behind her right ear and the wolf eased off to a loping gait.  “How’s that?”  
  
    “Perrrrrrrrfect.  Hold onto me and watch this.”  Mindfang waited for Aurana to place a steadying arm around her midsection, and then rolled the putty into as spherical a shape as she could make before breathing on it and flicking it into the air.  The ensuing explosion startled the wolf lusus and she started to pick up speed again before remembering to keep her pace slower.  The drones immediately focused on the heat of the explosion and swarmed to that position.  Without a single missed shot, Mindfang used the pistol to methodically destroy each one, sending them crashing to the ground below.  
  
    “You know, for someone who likes swords so much, you’re a damn good shot, Captain!”  
  
    “Had to become one.  Much as I prefer a weapon with a proper heft and a sharp blade, bringing a knife to a gunfight remains as bad an idea as always.  Here you go,” Mindfang said as she passed the small weapon back to its owner.  “And please don’t tell me you named it.”  
  
    “I might now after that display!”  
  
    Mindfang shook her head; she welcomed the feeling of her hair coming loose from its styling gel and she ran her fingers through it to open it up even further.  “I swear if you do I’ll have Felida throw it overboard.”  
  
    “Then I’ll throw her overboard after it... not like I wasn’t planning to do so anyway.  Okay, Wolfmom, full speed ahead!  We’re almost there!”  
  
    A low chuff sound was the reply and they were hurtling towards the coastline.    
  
    “You’re coming back to the island with me, yes?” Mindfang asked.  
  
    “That’s the plan.  The cameras were out and pretty much anyone who saw me today is dead so it’s like I wasn’t there.  And it’s not out of the ordinary for me to be in that building visiting Kaerah so having been signed in wasn’t a big deal.”  
  
    “I hope this is the case.  You do stick your neck out for me and I appreciate it immensely.”  
  
    Aurana beamed.  “The only reason I have a neck left to stick out is because you saved it.  It might have been MY blood on that wall fifty sweeps ago if it wasn’t for your kindness.  You’re not the only one around here who pays her debts, you know.”  
  
    “You’ve paid it eight times over, Aurana.  Thank you.  And here we arrrrrrrre...”    
  
    The lupine lusus came to a stop beside a small metal pod resting on the edge of the water and crouched to let her passengers disembark.  Mindfang placed a hand on her muzzle and said, “And thank you.  You’ve done a fine thing tonight.  I wish my mom was even half as willing to assist as you are.”  The wolf replied with a lick of her turquoise tongue that almost knocked Serket off balance.  
  
    “She knows what you did for me, of course,” Aurana added, doing her best to balance on her undamaged foot while her lusus examined the damage the blaster had done to it.  “She’s more than happy to return the favour.”  
  
    “Fair enough.  Now say your ‘see you laters’ and let’s get back to the sub; the sun’s coming up and we’ve got a day-long trip to take.  Maybe we can even surprise Porrim and Felida and get back a bit early.”  
  
    “Probably interrupt them doing something kismesis-y.  Yuck.”  
  
    Mindfang chuckled as she opened the hatch of the two-seater boat.  “Probably?  Likely.  Then again, they might be tuckered out, too.  I’m sure they’ve had nothing else exciting to do since we’ve been away...” 

 


	44. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim and Felida prepare themselves and their volunteers to face a dangerous foe and the possibility that those they care deeply for may have been overwhelmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, ratcheting up the tension a bit this chapter. A bit of a shorter one but I felt the next sections fit together better this way. I'm going to be moving in about two weeks from now which is usually when I post so either I will throw up Ch. 44 before I disconnect the computer or there may be a few days delay. Either way, worry not, there will be more to come!

**43.**  
  
    “Porrim?” Horuss called from the left seat of the cockpit, “We’re approaching Byanbol.”  
  
    Porrim’s head snapped up as though roused from a sleep.  “Be right there,” she answered and started to get to her feet.  She stumbled with her first step but Alyssm Waleti reached up and grabbed her by the arm to help steady her.  “Thanks.”  
  
    “Not a problem.  Sorry I wasn’t better company for you.”  
  
    “It’s quite alright.  I was rather preoccupied anyway.  I appreciate it, though.”  
  
    Waleti nodded.  “Whatever awaits us there, know I will assist in any way possible.”  
  
    Porrim smiled in thanks and took a quick glance at the cargo hold:  aside from Waleti, there were eight other trolls seated on the benches that ran along the interior of the hovership, including Rufioh Nitram and the three remaining Reapers:  Kandun, Daalla and Squish.  The others were crew that Porrim knew to be capable warriors and she was glad for their presence.  Meulin had volunteered but Horuss had talked her out of coming, stating she was too important to risk right now and that she would effectively be in charge of the entire operation with everyone else gone.   _She argued vociferously but Horuss wouldn’t hear a word of it and started the hovership to drown out her complaints.  That’s what moirails do, I suppose: protect one another._  Porrim looked over to the right seat of the cockpit where Felida sat, studying the readouts on the console.   _No different than a matesprit would.  Felida must be just sick to her stomach right now... and yet she shows no sign of that save for a look of grim determination and readiness for combat.  If Kayolo’s blood has been spilled, then the one responsible will soon be exsanguinated in return, I suspect.  I just hope and pray we’re not too late..._  
  
    She was startled from her thoughts by Felida’s voice.  “Porrim?  You need to come here...”  
  
    The hint of a waver in those words chilled her; for a moment, Porrim worried her feet would give way again but she steeled herself and made the short walk to stand behind the two pilot’s chairs.  She didn’t even need to guess as to why:  the smoke rising from the town at the shore and the Navy battleship sitting nearby answered the question quite clearly.  “Confirm we’re still cloaked from their sight and sensors?” she asked as calmly as she could.  
  
    “Yes,” Zahhak replied, “we should be completely invisible to them.”  
  
    “I only wish this thing was toting missiles,” Felida grumbled, “I want to torpedo that tub so bad...”  
  
    Porrim placed a hand on her kismesis’s shoulder.  “I understand but remember we don’t know where anyone is.  Kayolo may be on board that ship.”  
  
    Felida gritted her teeth.  “Yeah, you’re right.”  She scanned the panel in front of her.  “The heat from the fires in the town are obscuring any life signs.  Although I don’t think there’s much we can do for them, to be honest.  Let’s set down in the flat spot by the Caves.”  
  
    “I think it would be prudent to check for enemy presence prior to doing so,” Horuss suggested as he adjusted his course to bring them closer to the surface.  
  
    “Yeah, sure, whatever.  Just get us down there as quick as you can,” Felida said tersely.    
  
    Porrim watched as the telltale beads of sweat appeared on Zahhak’s forehead.   _He’s not a fighter but he was the first to volunteer for this mission.  He knows that if we fail in securing the Caves he’s to head back to Base One and alert Aranea but will his deep-seated sense of honour cause him to rescue or avenge us?  I trust him to do what needs to be done; it’s up to us to make sure he doesn’t have to make that decision in the first place.  But do we really know what we’re getting ourselves into?_  
  
    The hovership rolled slightly as the turbulent winds that rolled down the mountainside buffeted it but Horuss was quite familiar with this from his frequent ferrying of Felida to visit her matesprit.  Porrim braced herself on the backs of the pilots’ chairs and looked out the window in hopes of finding some clue as to what they were up against.  What caught her eye first was the bright shades of red and orange and gold upon the rocks and grasses on the road that led from Byanbol towards the Mother Grub Caves.  “The townspeople must have made a stand there,” Porrim said, pointing out what she had seen.    
  
    “Looks like it.”  Felida used her cybernetic eye to get a better look.  “Whatever did this wasn’t exactly nice about it; pretty gruesome stuff.  But look towards the   
field!”  
  
    Porrim did so; the colour of the stains began to switch from the warm hues of lowblood remains to blue shades and a fair amount of a colour she wasn’t used to seeing spilled openly:  purple.  “These aren’t just Screamarines...”  
  
    “There’s fucking Subjuggalators here!” Felida finished.  She pounded the console with her right fist making Horuss flinch but also grateful she didn’t use her metallic left one.    
  
    At Oceleo’s exclamation, Porrim involuntarily threw a glance back over her shoulder at their crew; it didn’t take Mindfang’s empathic skills to tell that every one of them, save perhaps for Waleti, was that much more concerned about their probability of success:  they sat that much straighter or their hands gripped their pulse rifles that much tighter.   _Naval combat is one thing; most of them are quite experienced at boarding ships and dealing with Navy soldiers but Subjuggalators are not something they see a lot of, not to mention their reputation for savagery and cruelty is well known.  We’re going to need to change their perspective..._  “The good news is that there is a fair amount of purple blood about.  If the Sisters are engaging them, they’ve inflicted a considerable amount of damage.  Look...”  
  
    Felida turned her scans to the remains of the battle:  not only were there Screamarine bodies strewn about, but the painted faces and peculiar clothing belonging to Subjuggalators were evident on the broken bodies scattered across the ground.  “Holy shit... I’ve never seen that many Subjuggalators in one place but every one that I can see is either dead or not far from it!  The Sisters did this, you think?”  
  
    “I know,” Porrim said.  “We are combat trained far above and beyond what most would expect.  Defending the Mother Grub to the death is part of what we’re bred for.”  
  
    “They wouldn’t even consider harming her at all, would they?” Horuss asked.  “To do so would be suicide to our very race!”  
  
    “I don’t believe she’s their target but the Sisters themselves most likely were.”  Porrim continued to search the field for activity.  “Do either of you see anyone stirring?”  
  
    “Nope.  Kind of a shame; I really want to make someone pay for this,” Felida growled, rising from her seat and pushing past Porrim on her way to the back of the hovership.  “SADDLE UP, FUCKERS!  WE’RE GOING CLOWN HUNTING!”    
  
    Porrim noticed that Horuss, despite his mood, cracked a smile at the sound of the word “saddle” and found herself also motivated by Felida’s bravado.  She placed a hand on his muscular shoulder and said, “If you don’t hear from me in one hour or if I give the word, head for home as fast as you can.”  
  
    “I will.”  He laid his hand on top of hers as gently as he could and added, “Good luck.”  
  
    “That’s Aranea’s department normally but perhaps some of that has rubbed off on me.  Here’s hoping that’s the case.”  Porrim stepped back to grab her weapon and added, “Keep scanning; if you see anything or if we’re about to be ambushed from behind, break the silence.”  
  
    “I certainly shall.”  With the barest of thumps, Horuss set the hovership down and opened the hatch.  “Make haste; the cargo bay is visible with the door open!”  
  
    Porrim nodded and watched as her crew ran for the exit as quickly as they could.   _We have to be in time.  We have to be._  
  
  
  
  
    Felida wrinkled her nose as she ran yet another sweep of her eye over the field in search of foes.  “I’ve always hated that smell.”  
  
    “Which?” Porrim inquired.  “The ozone from the pulse rifles or the burning bodies?”  
  
    “Both together.  You know and I know that one usually comes with the other.  Put them together and my sniffnodes can barely stand it.  Why can’t people just fight with swords anymore?”  
  
    “Because you can’t do that with a sword,” Rufioh said, pointing to a smoking pile to their right.  “There’s more than just ozone and burnt remains in the air, isn’t there?”  
  
    “For sure,” Daalla replied.  “I’m getting all kinds of long hydrocarbons... butane and the like.”  
  
    Felida shot her a surprised look.  “I’d say you’re right, but that seems a bit precise?”  
  
    “I used to be a chemist once upon a time before everything went to shit in my life.  So what?”  
  
    “Doesn’t take a chemist to know setting people on fire is a pretty awful thing to do,” Kandun grumbled.    
  
    Rufioh examined the still-smoking remains.  “Are Subjuggalators usually known for carrying flamethrowers?”  
  
    “It’s not out of the question,” answered Alyssm.  “They do have a fondness for pyrotechnics.  Considering they knew what they’d be up against, it doesn’t surprise me that they’d be well armed.”  
  
    This made Porrim shudder.  “I’m still completely at a loss as to why they’d attack the Sisters.  Did Kayolo mention anything out of the ordinary going on here recently?”  
  
    “Not a damn thing.”  Felida shook her head.  “I’m as baffled as you are.  We should make for the cave entrance and see if we can find some answ-”  
  
    Felida didn’t get to finish that sentence as she was interrupted by the vark-vark-vark of multiple blasts from a pulse rifle; she and everyone around her hit the ground and began searching for the source.  It was a short lived search: the only one still standing was Daalla Emburi and her pulse rifle was smoking.  “WHAT THE FUCK?” Felida shouted.  
  
    “I found what was left of a Subjuggalator.  I just erased his grinning fucking face.”  
  
    “Was he alive?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “If he was, he isn’t anymore!”  
  
    Felida growled.  “There’s no point in shooting the dead ones, dumbnook!”  
  
    Daalla scowled.  “A Subjuggalator killed my lusus right in front of me for a laugh.  I’ve always wanted to wipe every last one of these purpleblooded motherfuckers off of the planet.”  
  
    “She’s right, Daalla,” Rufioh said as he got back to his feet, “don’t waste your time killing the dead ones.  Save it for one that’s still moving.”  
  
    “Fine...”  
  
    The fact that the rifle created a fair amount of noise set Porrim on edge; she scanned the ridges nervously but nothing moved.  “I want to make for the Cave entrance as soon as possible.  Alyssm, can you take half of the crew and set up a perimeter here?  Felida and I will take Rufioh and his group.  I’m not certain how effective radios will be once we’re inside so in case of attack, send someone in as fast as possible.”  
  
    “Understood.  We’ll cover you.  Your name is Sanesa, right?” Waleti asked the maroonblood beside her.  “You and Trebor should lay low to minimize your visibility...”  
  
    While the former Enforcer began to issue her orders, Porrim and Felida waved the others on.  “I really hope we’re not walking into a trap,” she said to Felida.  
  
    “You and me both.  There’s nothing saying there isn’t a whole clod of those Faygosuckers on the other side of the door, is there?”  
  
    Porrim swallowed before speaking.  “To be honest, I’m starting to think that this battle is already over.  The best case scenario is that the Sisters are barricaded inside and the Subjuggalators and Screamarines retreated after receiving crippling casualties.  I have to admit that while I’ve seen a fair amount of purple and blue blood in the grass, there’s been very little in the way of jade.”  
  
    Felida grimaced.  “You just had to say something, didn’t you?”  
  
    “Oh no...”  Porrim looked at Felida’s boot, which now bore a sticky mess of dark green on its sole.    
  
    “This wasn’t entirely a one-sided battle, was it?” Rufioh asked, already certain of the answer.  
  
    “I fear not.  Let’s hope that these weren’t mortal wounds.”  Porrim also wanted to mention the lack of jadeblood bodies but after her last comment lead to the discovery of what she least wanted to see, she chose to keep that thought within her thinkpan.    
  
  
  
  
    “Sir!  Energy signature detected!”  
  
    Fleet Admiral Syhale immediately turned to the Operations console on the bridge of the Harpoon’s Reach.  “What kind and where?”  
  
    “Appears consistent with a pulse rifle and in the vicinity of the entrance to the Caves, sir.”  
  
    “Interesting...  Are all remaining Screamarines and Subjuggalator troops back on board and accounted for?”  
  
    The Ops officer called up the data.  “According to this, they should be, sir.”  
  
    “I can confirm that my Screamarines are all back on board,” Rafemi Durgas said from beside Syhale.    
  
    “Both of them that are left alive, Domineer?” growled Spanet Rephar, the Subjuggalator Colonel.  “I’m glad you can at least count to two.”  
  
    “Something you’d be unable to do if you didn’t have two shame globes to refer to,” Durgas answered.  “And last time I checked, there are a lot less clowns in your little troupe than you started with.”  
  
    Rephar bared his pointed teeth.  “Are you going to let this incompetent piece of trash insult a superior officer like this, Admiral?”  
  
    Syhale huffed, making his fins flutter.  “Do I look like I have even the least interest in being an auspistice?  Captain Durgas is my aide and takes orders from me and only me on this ship.  If she wants to kill you, I’m not going to stop her.  And I won’t hesitate to let Makara know why, either.  However, if the two of you can stop your pitch posturing for a minute, I plan to find out what’s going on out there.  If it’s that last jadeblooded bitch peeking her head out to see if we’ve left, let’s remove that head of hers once and for all.  Launch a probe, Lieutenant!”  
  
    “Aye, sir.”  A few moments later, the main viewscreen lit up with an image of the ship it was just launched from.  “Probe away, sir.”  
  
    “Good.  Let’s see what we can see...”    
  
    While the crew of the Harpoon’s Reach watched the screen intently, Rephar leaned over to Durgas, put a hand on her backside and whispered, “When we’re done here, there’s either going to be blue on my bulge or blood on my clubs... heh heh.”  
  
    Without turning around, Syhale asked, “Did you just threaten to rape my aide on my own bridge, Colonel?”  
  
    “Simply a joke,” the Subjuggalator rumbled, “The Mirthful Messiahs approve and I only take orders from them.”  
  
    “He can’t hear you, sir,” answered Durgas, “he’s already dead.”  
  
    “What?” Rephar asked.  “I’m not dAARRGG-”  
  
    In the time it took him to say those words, Rafemi Durgas had drawn a pair of nunchuks from a holder on her back: the nunchuks bore the gradation of colour from orange to yellow that marked them as horns of a troll likely long deceased and both of those horns ended in a very sharp point.  Without twirling them or any fancy moves, Durgas simply grabbed them and pushed the pointed ends into Spanet Rephar’s eyes as hard as she could; gouts of purple sprayed all over her face and clothing.  His hands tried to reach up to extract them but never came close before the thinkpan that controlled them shut down permanently.  
  
    “Well that was unfortunate,” Syhale said, looking back over his shoulder.  
  
    “What part, sir?” Durgas asked as she waited for Rephar to stop twitching so she could extract her nunchuks from his head.  
  
    “The part where you got your uniform dirty.  I’ll need you to tidy up post haste.  I don’t suspect the remaining Subjuggalators will be likely to follow you with the blood of their commander on your collar.”  
  
    “Sir?”  
  
    “I’m giving you a field promotion to Acting Commodore and putting you in charge of the rest of the Subjuggalators as well as what’s left of your Screamarines.  Don’t let it go to your head.  Can’t have a blueblood running around as a permanent commodore but it will suffice for now.  If any of those slavering imbeciles utters so much as a single insubordinate word, you have my express permission to do exactly what you did to Rephar there to any or all of them.  I’ve had enough of dealing with Makara’s buffoons.”  
  
    A smile crept across Durgas’s face.  “Aye, sir.”  
  
    “But take note that your Screamarines didn’t fare any better against the jadebloods than they did.  The next batch you train better be far more skilled in melee combat than they were; I can’t have my troops cowering behind pulse rifles.”  
  
    “Understood, sir.”  
  
    “For your sake and theirs, I certainly hope so.  How six women were able to inflict that much damage is still beyond me.  At least we managed to take one alive.  What do you see, Lieutenant?”  
  
    The Ops officer brought the floating sphere closer to the source of the discharges.  “Resolving visual, sir.  Looks like about five people in a line forming a perimeter outside of the cave entrance, sir.”  
  
    “Five?  Where did they come from?”  
  
    “Unknown, sir.  Attempting visual recognition scan now.”  
  
    Both Syhale and Durgas watched intently as the faces appeared closer on the viewscreen.  No matches came up for the first three but the fourth was all too familiar to the Fleet Admiral.  “WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?” he roared.  
  
    “‘She’, sir?” Durgas asked.  
  
    At first Syhale didn’t respond; he felt his sharp nails biting into his palms again and forced himself to relax his fingers.  “That is your predecessor: one Alyssm Waleti.  That tells me somehow Mindfang and her crew know of our presence here and are mounting some kind of rescue operation!”  He spun to face her and bent down to put his face right up to Durgas’s.  “I don’t give a single fuck how they got here; protocol be damned, if you bring me Waleti’s head, I will make you the first and only indigoblooded Commodore the Imperial Navy has seen or will ever see!  Can you do that for me?”  
  
    Her earlier smile was nothing compared to the one she sported now.  “Aye, sir!”  
  
    “Good.  And just because I want to increase your odds of success... Lieutenant!  Drop that probe to the ground and detonate it to create an EMP.  I want their pulse rifles as useful as broken sticks!”  
  
    “Aye, sir.  Probe descending... and detonated.”  
  
    “Excellent.  Now get going, Domineer.  You might even catch them completely unarmed.   No prisoners necessary, however.  I suspect this ragtag bunch of Gamblignant filth will give you and yours far less resistance than some spirited jadebloods.”  
  
    “I suspect not, sir.”  
  
    “In the meantime, I need to go visit our new jadeblooded guest.  Perhaps she has something interesting to say about how to neutralize the Grand Maryarch most effectively.” 

 


	45. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim, Felida and Rufioh begin to investigate the full extent of the damage caused by the highblood assault on the Mother Grub caves. While it becomes evident that the greater loss of life was bone by the attackers, Porrim learns that both sides suffered casualties...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally back! Sorry for that extended delay. I have finally moved and I just got my internet back up and running today so I figured I better get on putting up an update! Still lots to do around here and the next chapter will be up in about a couple of weeks if all goes well; I'm also taking my time because I also haven't had any chance to write the last month or so, either! The good news is that it appears the worst is over in terms of transition difficulties so here's hoping I can start pressing on towards the finish line soon. We're still a ways from that yet but I'm starting to put the final parts together in my mind. THANK YOU for your patience during this serious disruption in my personal life (I suppose that's the most clinical way of putting it) and hopefully there won't be any more major interruptions! ::::)

**44.**  
  
    Both moons were obscured by either clouds or plumes of smoke and that was just fine with Porrim Maryam.   _Anything that covers our approach is our advantage.  Just because nothing was stirring on the field doesn’t mean they’re still not planning to flank us somehow._  Over the sweeps with Aranea, the paranoia she had developed while traveling with the Signless had evolved into a well honed caution, one that had served both her and her matesprit well on many occasions.   _And now here I am walking into my first home which may be the most dangerous kind of trap:  familiarity.  Felida and I have the advantage of knowing this place well but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a whole squadron of Screamarines – or worse, Subjuggalators – behind that door._  She gripped the handles of her pulse rifle that much tighter as the five of them approached the nondescript entrance to the Mother Grub Caves and hoped that they would be equal to whatever task awaited them inside, be it rescuing her kin from a cruel fate or caring for the injured or the dead.    
  
    It was Felida who noticed the whistling sound first.  “Porrim?  You hear that?”  
  
    “Hear what?”  
  
    “High pitched whine.  Mechanical, but like something falling out of th-”  
  
    The loud thud of the explosion hit at the same time as the shockwave.  Every one of them, both Porrim’s team and Alyssm’s, were thrown to the ground; many of the latter group were covered in offal from the earlier battle in the process.  Porrim’s first thought was that this was the result of a concussion grenade but it didn’t seem to carry the same force as the ones she’d encountered before.  She picked up her pulse rifle and got to her feet as quickly as possible; it was at the same time she realized that the green lights that normally indicated the power the rifle had left were out that she heard Felida muttering pained curses.  “Felida!”  
  
    “Fucking EMP!  God fucking DAMMIT!  Can’t move...”  
  
    “Or see with your roboeye, I bet.  Let me help you up.”    
  
    Porrim extended a hand but Oceleo waved it off.  “I’m good.  The impulses from my thinkpan power my limbs; just need a couple of minutes to recharge the amplifiers and then I’ll get you to help me up.  Just cover me, okay?”  
  
    “I will.”  Porrim looked to the others:  Rufioh was already back on his feet and the rest were following suit.  “Are you all right?”  
  
    “Uh... yeah, just a bit dusty.  My rifle is shot, though.”  
  
    “Heh heh,” chuckled Kandun.  “Funny guy.”  
  
    “Someone’s gotta be,” Daalla muttered as she dusted herself off.  “You’re about as funny as a hovership crash and Squish here wouldn’t say shit if his mouth was full of it.”  
  
    Porrim turned her attention to the diminutive redblooded fellow.  “Squish?  Are you all right?”  He nodded silently and gave her a thumbs-up.    
  
    “Speaking of hoverships,” Rufioh interjected, “what’s going on with ours?”  
  
    At this, Porrim glanced over to where Horuss had parked their ship; she could see energy crackling around it which most definitely revealed its position but yet the silvery metal body of it still wasn’t plainly visible.  “I’m uncertain.”  
  
    Felida did her best to turn her head in that direction.  “Mister Sweaty modified that crate to withstand an EMP and still function but I bet it’s messing with the cloaking.  Hopefully he’s able to discharge the energy and keep it mostly hidden.”  
  
    Porrim went to reach for the tiny radio pinned to her collar but realized that trying to use it would be completely pointless.  “Can anyone see Waleti and her crew stirring?”  
  
    “I see them,” Rufioh answered.  He waved his arm and she waved back.  “I think they’re fine but I bet they’ve realized their weapons are toast, too.”  
  
    “While I certainly prefer swordplay, there are times like these in which I prefer to be able to make a hole in something at a distance if need be.”  Porrim tossed her now useless pulse rifle to the ground and drew _Sufferer_ from her crimson sash.  “Whatever melee weapons you brought, this would be the time to deploy them.”  Each of Rufioh’s team produced swords and cutlasses which made Porrim smile.  At least they have some good sense in that department.  
  
    “Hey, Jadebutt; I could use that hand now.”  
  
    “Oh!  Sure thing.”  Porrim extended her arm and Felida grabbed on to it with her natural right one and hauled herself back to her feet.  The whirr of servos from the oliveblood’s cybernetic knee and elbow suggested they were functional but still powering back up.  “Almost ready?”  
  
    “Yeah... that buzzing in my skull was the weirdest thing, though.  I didn’t get any of that when we were rescuing this bunch and that EMP went off.”  
  
    “You were in a sub under a fair bit of water and it was likely short range like this one.”  
  
    Felida thought about this.  “First, you’re probably right.  Second, that means if someone wants to come at us with their own pulse rifles – say, from a ship in front of Byanbol – they’ll have functional ones.”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “We need to get inside.  Screamarines will use energy weapons but Subjuggalators tend towards clubs and more conventional weapons.  I don’t think flamethrowers would be affected by that pulse, either.”    
  
    “What about Waleti and the rest?” Rufioh asked.  
  
    “She knows their tactics better than any of us,” Porrim answered, “She’ll be prepared.  At least that’s my hope.”  She looked to Felida.  “Shall we?”  
  
    “Yeah.  Okay, gang, Porrim and I will open the door; stay close and aim your blades forward in case someone comes rushing out.”  There was a murmur of acknowledgement and then Porrim and Felida pressed against the stone door. To their surprise, it opened easily; there was no swarm of highbloods pouring out to attack them.  “Well, that was easy.”  
  
    “Too easy,” Porrim said, looking at the ground.  “I don’t mean that as I wish we had a fight, but it also means there was no barricade made by the Sisters, either.  This worries me.”  
  
    Felida pursed her lips as she considered this.  “Me too.  Something’s off here.  How do you want to do this?”  
  
    Porrim looked at the passageway:  the left sloped down towards the Sisters’ living quarters and the Mother Grub herself while the right hallway led slightly up and forward towards visitor’s quarters and supplies storage.  “Anyone could be anywhere.  When I was young, we were taught to barricade ourselves in with the Mother Grub in case of emergency so I suspect someone could be down there.  I have the means to access that room if need be so I’ll take that route and you can go the other way.  We should probably split our group as well.”  
  
    “Good idea.  I’ll take Kandun and Little Miss Triggerhappy here.  At least she can’t shoot holes in things now.”  
  
    “No, but I can still poke holes in them,” Daalla said with a smirk.  
  
    “I like you,” Felida said, “I really do.  But poke a hole in me and I’ll empty you out.  Your guts will hit the ground before I do.  Got me?”  
  
    Emburi had no question that the oliveblood meant it.  “I gotcha.  I’ll watch your back, don’t worry.”  
  
    “Good.  Let’s go.  If you see a jadeblood, alive or otherwise, point them out immediately.  If you see a highblood, don’t wait for me to tell you what to do:  kill them on sight.”  
  
    Kandun considered his weapon and then thought about seeing what the Grand Highblood was capable of on one of his Condyvision broadcasts.  “And me without a missile launcher.”  
  
    “Don’t need one,” Felida said as she drew her own blade.  “Prick a purpleblood and they bleed like anyone else would.”  She extended her right hand towards Porrim, who took it with her left, and gave it a quick squeeze.  “I don’t trust my left hand yet but...”  
  
    Porrim didn’t say anything at first; she squeezed back and offered a tight smile and a couple of quick nods.  “Find her.”  
  
    “I will.”  
  
    Once Felida and her escorts were on their way, Porrim looked to Rufioh and Squish.  “No need to be awestruck gawkers here.  I don’t suspect either of you will remember anything about this place, and most of what you see you likely weren’t ever in at any point as a grub.  Just follow my lead and keep your eyes and sponge clots open.  Felida’s approach is a good one: if it isn’t wearing jade, attack it before it can attack you.”  
  
    “I hear you,” Rufioh answered.  “C’mon, Squish; let’s rescue some jadebloods!”  
  
    Squish nodded enthusiastically and took up a position to Porrim’s right just behind her while Nitram followed behind in a sidestep, making sure nothing followed them down the gradual slope into the Sisters’ chambers.  
  
    The dim light of the glowglobes embedded in the walls provided a warm illumination but that light showed no visible sign that anything unusual had occurred in the main halls.  No sign of struggle at all.  I’m not certain if this is reassuring or concerning.  They approached the diningblock and she put her hand up to signal the others to stop for a moment.  Once they had taken up defensive positions against the smooth stone walls, Porrim peered into the long room in which she had introduced Aranea and Felida to the Grand Maryarch and her Sisters many sweeps ago.   _Nothing.  No nutrition plateaus, no drinking vessels, nothing.  Every chair is where it belongs.  What should be comforting is damn unsettling right now._  She looked under the table:  there was no highblood awaiting an opportunity to strike to be seen.   _Naught but shadows.  Relax, Porrim; this is a good thing._    
  
    Without speaking, she slipped out of the diningblock and motioned for her lowblood friends to join her.  They silently continued down into the curved caverns, past the rooms where Porrim would cook her Sisters’ meals or clean up the aftermath.   _Not a single door ajar.  I’m almost tempted to check the gaperblock._  Again, she signaled for them to wait and they took up a place on opposite sides of the gaperblock doorway.  Porrim crouched and opened the door as quietly as she could.  A soft creak broke the silence and she drew her sword up in anticipation of an attack that never came.  She blinked a few times and then entered the gaperblock, her back to the wall.  
   
    Porrim exhaled as she realized that nothing appeared amiss here either.  She approached the stalls as stealthily as she could and peeked under the doors.   _Nothing.  Good._  As she made her exit, she recalled the Sister who escorted her and Aranea there on her matesprit’s first visit, Baraka, and wondered how anyone, even highblood shock troops, could have possibly gotten past her.   _Those blades that sprang from her arms were unlike anything I’d ever seen.  And when Lamiea speaks highly of one’s combat abilities, that suggests exceptional prowess.  But sometimes sheer numbers can overwhelm anyone... or a crack shot with a pulse rifle..._  
  
    She chased these thoughts from her thinkpan as quickly as she could.   _Aranea would give me all kinds of rebukes for thinking this way and she’d be right.  Don’t show your crew how scared you are, no matter what, or all is lost.  Easy for you to say, Rae, but I’ll just have to do my best._  “Okay,” Porrim whispered, “the hallway continues around the curve with no other blocks until we reach the bottom, which is the access door to the Mother Grub Cave.  Stay tight to the wall; this is a blind curve.”  
  
    Rufioh and Squish nodded and took up their defensive positions around her as Porrim pressed forward.   _Strangely, I’ve never wished for my pulse rifle more than I’m wishing for it right now,_ she thought.   _Although, the lack of space to use it effectively means a melee weapon like a sword is probably the bes-_  
  
    Her thoughts were interrupted by Squish, who was now in a crouch, tugging at the hem of her shorts and pointing to the hewn rock that formed the floor of the hallway.  There were spatters of blue blood right in front of them as well as a few flecks of purple, but a glance forward showed that there was far more of it ahead of them.  Porrim nodded her acknowledgement and started to think about what this meant.  
  
    “Looks like whoever was bleeding was dragged,” Rufioh whispered behind her.    
  
    “I concur,” Porrim replied.  “By who or what is the question.”  
  
    “I don’t think they’d haul their own casualties around like that, hon.  The last thing I think about when I hear the word ‘Subjuggalator’ is ‘tidy’.”  
  
    Porrim considered this.  “You’re likely correct, but we still need to approach with extreme caution just in case this is a ruse of some sort.”  
  
    Rufioh chuckled quietly.  “You’ll get no argument from me or Squish on this.  How much further?”  
  
    “About another two hundred meters and then it opens up into a rectangular anteblock.  Ready?”  
  
    Both men nodded and resumed their protective postures; Porrim noted that Rufioh’s sideways walk was just as much about keeping his eyes on their rear flank as it was keeping his remarkably wide horns as inconspicuous as he possibly could.   _Not to mention to keep from dragging them against the wall._  She was shivering at the idea of how much that would sting when a soft fluttering noise and the sound of small rocks hitting the floor caught their attention and caused them to raise their swords.  “You heard that, yes?” she said as quietly as she could.  
  
    “Uh-huh,” Rufioh replied.  “Is that normal here?”  
  
    “No.”  
  
    “Shit.”  
  
    “Agreed.”  
  
    Squish said nothing but stepped gingerly around the smeared blue and purple blood as best he could to avoid getting his boots in it.  Doing so made him enter the anteblock first and he inhaled sharply at what he saw.  Porrim knew the sight of the giant metal door was often imposing enough to anyone who hadn’t seen it before but she didn’t believe that was the source of his gasp; as she rounded the final corner, she witnessed what was the more likely explanation was:  the bodies of a Screamarine and a Subjuggalator crumpled in front of it, both unquestionably deceased and looking peculiarly disheveled, their necks torn open.  “These two didn’t die here, that much is obvious,” she whispered to them, “but the question is who or what did this to them?”  
  
    “I was hoping you would have an answer to that one,” Rufioh said.  “I don’t suppose any of the jadeblood Rainbow Drinker stories are true?”  
  
    Porrim ran her bottom lip up against the tips of her long fangs without even realizing she was doing it.  “I didn’t stay here long enough to find out, I’m afraid.  I’ve personally never had any desire to drink blood but when you think about it, one of the most effective means of killing an opponent is to tear their neck open and let them bleed out rapidly.  Fangs are good for more than just puncturing, after all.”  
  
    Rufioh nodded.  “Yeah.  Good point.  Still kinda grim though.”  
  
    “One does what one must to survive.”  
  
    “Well, I’d like to survive a while longer, thanks, and I’d rather not have to deal with whatever did that, especially if it’s angry.”  
  
    Porrim crouched down to examine the bodies.   _Cause of death: exsanguination caused by violent excision of the carotid artery and jugular vein.  This makes what that Neophyte Legislacerator did to Aranea look like a minor scrape.  What’s puzzling to me is that aside from the smears on the ground, there is a striking lack of blood around these corpses when they should be all but swimming in it._    
  
    She almost jumped when Squish tapped her on the shoulder.  “What is it?”  He pointed towards a grate in the wall beside the main door that was just above her eye level.   _That’s the same grate Felida and Kayolo came out of the night they decided to become matesprits..._  Porrim did her best to shake these flashbacks from her thinkpan and focus; it became a lot easier to do so when she detected what Squish wanted her to see:  the jade coloured smear on the outside of the metal grating.  “Oh no...”  
  
    “What?  What’s the matter?” asked Nitram, looking around the anteblock in hopes of getting the jump on anything that might want to do him what it did to the two highbloods.  Squish pointed to what he wanted his Captain to see and Rufioh picked it up right away.  “Oh...  That’s not good, is it?”  
  
    “I know someone can hide in that duct; it’s large enough.”  Porrim approached it cautiously, _Sufferer_ at the ready.   _That jade blood is quite fresh.  Either someone stored a body in here or..._  Her pusher leapt.   _I’m taking a risk but..._  “Hello?” she called into the grate.  “It’s Porrim!  Is there anyone in there?”  
  
    There was a scrabbling of nails on metal which caused Porrim to take a swift step back.  She swore she saw a flash of yellow which quickly faded.  “Porrim?  It is you?”  
  
    “Yes!  It’s me, Your Elegance!”  Porrim forgot herself in her excitement and slipped back into calling the Grand Maryarch, Lamiea Maryam, by her title instead of her name.  “We’re here to help!  Are you all right?”  
  
    The grate shook and then opened, allowing the tall jadeblooded woman to unfold herself as she slipped effortlessly back to the ground.  She immediately embraced Porrim in a tight hug and Porrim returned it happily. “Not quite, but I’m certainly getting there.  Assuming there are no more of these misguided fools about, that is.”  
  
    “We didn’t encounter any and we did a full sweep of every block on the way down.”  
  
    “Even the gaperblock?” Lamiea asked.  
  
    Porrim laughed.  “Yes.  I checked it myself.”  
  
    “Smart girl.  Who are these fellows that accompanied you?”  
  
    “This is Rufioh Nitram, one of our newest recruits.  He was the leader of a Gamblignant group called the Reapers.”  
  
    Rufioh smiled his pusher-melting smile.  “Pleasure to meet you!  If you don’t mind my saying so, you’re incredibly beautiful!”  
  
    Lamiea rolled her eyes and smiled.  “Can’t stay from Gamblignants, can you?”  
  
    “Apparently not!  And this one is one of his crew, Squish Imdead.”  
  
    At the sound of his name, Lamiea’s eyebrows went up.  “Well!  We don’t get a lot of Imdeads, I can tell you that!  I don’t suppose he has his share of misadventures?”  
  
    Any residual tension Rufioh had left evaporated in a moment.  “Are you kidding?  He’s a shit magnet!  If he’s got a special ability, it’s that his bones knit quickly.”  
  
    Squish grinned as Lamiea tousled his mop of hair.  “You keep an eye on this one, Porrim.  He’s special.  Much like you.”  She then looked to Rufioh, “And you’re rather special yourself, aren’t you?”  
  
    “Uh... well, my lusus liked to tell me so...”  
  
    “I’m sure he did.  He sure loved to fly with his little wings... which is a skill I suspect he passed on to you?”  
  
    Rufioh’s mouth opened to say he had no idea what she meant but his denial died in his throat.  “Yeah.  Somehow I suspect there’s no point in lying about it to you, is there?”  
  
    Lamiea shook her head.  “None at all.  You’re a Beasttalker; your wings give you away.”  
  
    Porrim blinked.  “Wings?”  
  
    “He hasn’t shown you?”  
  
    “I... tend to keep them to myself.  Don’t want to call a whole lot of attention to them in this night and age.”   _And I’m really sure you don’t want to hear about how I took your matesprit for a spin with them right now._  “I keep them under wraps with this shirt and vest.  I promise I’ll show you later on if you can keep them a secret?”  
  
    “Not a problem,” Porrim said.  “But he’s right; we have much more pressing concerns.  Where are the other Sisters?”  
  
    The Grand Maryarch did something that Porrim had never seen her do before:  hang her head.  “Porrim, for all I know right now, you and I may be the only jadebloods left alive on this planet.”  
  
    Porrim put her hands to her mouth.  “No...”  
  
    “I can confirm that Kakaka, Yakaya and Papaya are dead.  Permanently dead thanks to flame.  The last I saw of Baraka, she was being dragged away by the intruders.  I have no idea how they were able to subdue her, but know that they suffered heavy casualties at her hand.”  
  
    The words “permanently dead” struck Porrim as strange but she didn’t query the Grand Maryarch any further on this as there was something far more important she needed to know.  “And Kayolo?”  
  
    A deep sigh.  “Kayolo and I separated at the entrance.  I went down to protect the Mother Grub and I ordered her to go up and draw off as many of the invaders as she could.  While I have the greatest respect for your lovely Sister, combat was never one of her favourite subjects.  I fear it may have been a death sentence.  Know that she went willingly and without question; although we don’t know what the attackers’ intentions were, she may have saved the lives of thousands of grubs by doing so.”  
  
    Porrim felt her protein chute lurch.  “Felida...”  
  
    “Her matesprit is here?  Where is yours?”  
  
    “She’s on a mission of her own; she had just departed barely even an hour before we received Kayolo’s message.”  
  
    Lamiea sighed with relief this time.  “She got through.  Thank the stars for that.”  
  
    “It’s how we knew you were in trouble; we came as quickly as we could.  I’m sorry it was too late.”  
  
    “Too late?  Hardly.  The grubs are safe.  If you hadn’t arrived, I’m certain they would have eventually tried to flush me out.  I don’t know if I might have been able to take down as many as Baraka did, especially with my injuries, but I certainly would have given them a fight.”  
  
    When Lamiea said this, the rest of them all looked at the two gruesomely executed highbloods on the ground and knew it wasn’t an empty boast.    
  
    “You mentioned your injuries; is there anything I can do to help?” Porrim asked.    
  
    Lamiea shook her head.  “I know you’ve become quite a skilled healthtender, Porrim, but I’m quite all right now.  Nature is doing what it needs to.  Now, I have no idea what’s going on in the guest quarters but you should go and give your kismesis some assistance... especially if she encounters what I fear she might.”  
  
    Porrim swallowed the lump in her throat.  “Understood.  We’ll return as soon as we have that area secured.”  
  
    “Please do.  I will take care of a... couple of things down here and then join you.”  
  
    “And so it shall be done, Your Elegance.”  
  
    “Tsk.  All these sweeps and such formality still.  Go!  And good luck!”  
  
    “Thank you!”  She didn’t need to tell Rufioh and Squish to get moving; they were already halfway to the ramp.  As they departed, Porrim looked back to see Lamiea send them off; what she found slightly off-putting was the smear of blue and purple that was visible on the back of the Grand Maryarch’s hand as she raised it to wave. 


	46. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felida and her crew discover Kayolo's fate...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all I'm gonna say about that. Hope it all made sense! So, finally all moved in and back at writing. It was kinda rusty initially with Ch. 48 but it's starting to flow again. Also planning on doing another HS music piece for those of you enjoy that sort of thing; there's a project looking for Beforus themes and I'm looking at doing a Meulin/Kurloz one...

**45.**  
  
    “Nothing in Storageblocks Three or Four,” Kandun reported.    
  
    “Good.  Daalla?” Felida called, “What about Five and Six?”  
  
    There was no response.  
  
    “Daalla?  Don’t fuck with me, Emburi.  Not tonight.”  
  
    Nothing.  
  
    “Last chance, shitbrick!  I am not in the mood for funny right now!”  
  
    Kandun was already on the move.  “She couldn’t stay silent that long if her life depended on it...”  
  
    “Dammit!”  Felida was on his heels as he kicked in the door to Storageblock Five.    Standing there waiting was a hulking Subjuggalator; his massive right hand with its sharp yellow fingernails was wrapped around Daalla’s mouth and his left one wielded what appeared to be a mace with a jester’s head on the end, the jester’s hat comprised of long metal spikes.    
  
    “You’re just in time; I was about to start my concert!  It’s a motherfucker of a tune; I call it ‘Bashing In Shitblood Skulls in B Flat’  I thought it might be a solo but now that you magnificent motherfuckers just showed up, I can make an entire three part suite!”  
  
    “I swear to fuck if you did anything to my matesprit, the only thing that’s going to be in three parts is you!” Felida shouted.    
  
    The purpleblood cackled, an awful high pitched sound.  “This waste of skin is your matesprit?  Oh, I haven’t done anything to her... yet.”  
  
    “She’s not my matesprit,” Felida said, striding towards the Subjuggalator, who was most definitely not expecting someone to approach him like this.  Daalla looked at her, wild eyed, also wondering if the Gamblignant captain was either suicidal or insane.  
  
    “What are you d-”  
  
    He never had a chance to finish the last question he would ask:  in a fluid motion, Felida swung her left leg back and then forward as quickly as she could, letting the kinetic accelerator carry her forward into the Subjuggalator’s jaw and severing most of his head from his neck in the process.  His hand had relaxed enough for Daalla to get free before the oliveblood landed in front of her, having completed the better part of a circular trajectory.  As Felida touched down, her metal leg started to give way; she would have fallen had Kandun not caught her and steadied her enough to regain her balance.    
  
    “Thanks!  Used up most of the energy I just stored up by doing that but I didn’t see another way to deal with that guy so quickly.”  
  
    “I have never seen anything like that in my life,” Kandun said.  “I’m not sure if I should clap or throw up.”  
  
    “If you choose to puke, then I’ll do the clapping!”  Daalla pushed the highblood’s twitching arm aside and took a deep breath.  “I owe you one.  A big one.”  
  
    Felida continued to brace herself by leaning against Kandun’s chest.  “It’s all good.  Just need to recharge.  But I do need to attend to something; can you carry me over to what’s left of that guy?”  
  
    “Sure.”  Drawback easily lifted Oceleo up and brought her closer to her victim.  Once he set her down, Felida reared back with her sword and brought it down on the Subjuggalator’s limp arm, severing the hand from it.    
  
    “Okay, now I’m definitely leaning towards tossing my loaf.  What the hell was that about?”  
  
    Daalla laughed.  “I know why.  She told him ‘three parts’ and she meant it.”  
  
    “Points to you, lady.  Now, I don’t suppose you were able to get to Storageblock Six?”  
  
    “No.  That guy got the drop on me the moment I stepped inside.  So there still might be...”  
  
    “Another assassin?” came a low female voice from behind them, followed by the whine of a pulse rifle powering up to a higher setting.  “Never send a clown to do a professional’s work.”  
  
    “Oh shit,” Felida muttered as she watched the Screamarine take aim at her head.    
  
    “I’ve already killed one greenblooded bitch today.  Two will match my personal best.  The rest of you shitbloods will be way easier to...”  
  
    Her speech and her aim was interrupted by Daalla throwing her sword in the blueblood’s direction; she reacted by lifting her pulse rifle and quickly stepping to the side as the blade clattered harmlessly to the floor.  “Seriously?  Did you just throw a sword at me?  That’s easily the most pathetic thing I’ve seen this week.  Maybe even this perigee.”  
  
    “Looked in a mirror tonight, lady?” Daalla asked.  “That should be the winner, hands down.”  
  
    The lanky Screamarine made a mocking guffaw.  “You’re funny.  That’s why I’ll kill you last.”  
  
    “Not if I kill you first.”  
  
    All eyes were on the woman who appeared behind the Screamarine, whose last word was simply, “How?” before her neck was so violently twisted that her spine broke in three places.    
  
    “KAYOLO!”  Felida shouted.  She made to run over to the jadeblood but her cybernetic leg gave out again, sending her to the floor.  Her matesprit was by her side in a flash, helping her to sit up.    
  
    “Are you all right?” Kayolo inquired.  
  
    Felida put a hand to her face.  “Fuck.  Nosebleed.  Gonna need Horuss to whip me up a new nose to go with the eye at this rate.”  She didn’t have time to say anything else before Kayolo had her lips on her mouth, kissing her hungrily.    
  
    Kandun and Daalla looked at each other.  “Um... how about we go secure the other Storageblocks?” Drawback suggested.  
  
    “No need to go into Six,” Kayolo said, breaking her attention away from her lover for a moment, “that’s where I came from.  I think those were the only two that followed me but if you want to go confirm that, please do!”  
  
    “Sure thing,” Daalla said, taking Kandun by the arm.  “Let’s go, big guy.”  
  
    They left without saying another word and Kayolo continued to kiss Felida.  “I’m... so glad... you made it...” she said between liplocks.    
  
    “I’m just glad... you’re alive!  And hey... sorry I’m bleeding all over the place.”  
  
    “Don’t worry about it,” Kayolo said cheerfully.  “Doesn’t bother me in the least.  I’m more than okay with it.”  
  
    “All right,” Felida replied and put her arms around her matesprit.  “I was so worried we weren’t going to make it in time!”  
  
    Kayolo was silent for a moment.  “‘In time’ is rather relative but I’m just glad you’re here.  Thank you for coming!”  
  
    “As if I wouldn’t!”  Felida noticed that Kayolo’s kisses had moved to her neck.  “That feels awfully good but are you sure we shouldn’t wait till we have this place locked down?”  
  
    “I’m sure she was the last one.  Trust me.”  
  
    “Okay, I wil-Ow!  Easy with the fangs, hon!  Between you and Porrim it’s a wonder I’m not a walking pile of scar tissue!  You trying to get into ebon territory or are you just that happy to see me?”  
  
    Kayolo answered first by sucking on her neck again.  “You have no idea, lover.  None at all.”  
  
    Felida winced as she sucked again.  “Urgh... pretty sure you broke skin, there.”  
  
    “Yeah, I know.  Happens sometimes.”  
  
    “True,” Felida sighed and closed her eyes.  Her neck started to tingle where Kayolo was kissing her and then the pain disappeared as quickly as it happened in the first place.   _I can barely even feel her lips there now... and it’s spreading.  Feels nice._  “Whatever you’re doing to kill the pain, it’s working.”  
  
    “Yeah?  Glad to hear it!”  
  
    Felida wondered to herself if this was another one of her matesprit’s latest lessons.  During their time spent together during Kayolo’s Sojourn, she was amazed at some of the skills the little jadeblood displayed.   _She can jump like no one I’ve ever seen... well, anyone without a cybernetic leg, anyway.  She moves so quietly; that Screamarine never stood a chance.  And fast..._  Felida felt her head slump forward a bit and almost opened her eyes when Kayolo nudged it back.  “Hey, what gives?”  
  
    “Just let me do what I’m doing, okay?  You keep on relaxing for another minute,” Kayolo responded.  
  
    “Sure.  Just feel a bit sleepy is all.”  
  
    A couple of smacking sounds and then, “I bet you’re just worn out from all the stress and worry.  Now shush; let me love you.”  
  
    “...okay...”  Felida expected to feel a hand start stroking up her thigh to tease what was inside her shorts as this Maryam was wont to do when she was feeling frisky but it wasn’t happening.  “If you’re trying to get me excited for later, it’s working but you seem like you’re holding back a bit.”  She tried to reach up with her right hand to lift her blouse out of the way.  “If you wanna feel me up, you better do it before my minions get back, and they could be back any minute.”  
  
    More slurping noises were made in response but no words followed.    
  
    _Okay, this is really weird, even for her._  ”Kayolo, this is all good but what about you?”  Felida put her metal left hand on Kayolo’s chest, meaning to gently push her away and then start sucking on the jadeblood’s neck for a while in return, but as she did so, she was shocked to see Kayolo’s mouth covered in olive and not for the usual reason.  “Um, Kayolo... you’ve... you’ve...”  Before Kayolo could reply, Felida’s gaze dropped down to her abdomen, a number of bags from one of the nearby supplyblocks were wrapped around it, stained a dark jade colour.  “Oh shit!  You’re hurt and I didn’t even see it!  Let me-”  
  
    “Felida, I’m okay, I just...”  
  
    “I can call Porrim!  She’s so good at this stuff and I’m... oh fuck you need to lay down!”  
  
    “N-no, no!  I just need a few minutes t-”   
  
    Before Kayolo could finish her sentence, Felida had moved to pick her up and place her gently down on the sacks of grubloaf mix in the supplyblock but as she tried to do so, Kayolo stepped back and Felida grabbed her makeshift bandage instead, causing it to slip to the floor.  If Felida was given pause by seeing her red lover’s face smeared with her blood, being able to see light shining through Kayolo’s stomach struck her all but completely speechless.  
  
    “Wha...”  
  
    Kayolo went to bite her lip while she thought of how best to explain the situation, but a few drops of Felida’s blood found their way into her mouth and she couldn’t help but start licking her lips hungrily, her yellow eyes taking on an otherworldly glow.  “Oh gods, that IS good,” she mumbled.  “I never believed Lamiea no matter how many times she said it would be.”  
  
    “Wh-what would be?”  For the first time in many moons, Felida Oceleo felt something creeping up inside of her that chilled her: terror.  Her left hand dropped to the cutlass in her belt without even thinking.   _So weary... and yet I’m not hurting at all.  What has she done to me?_  “And when did your eyes start doing that?”  
  
    “Doing what?”  Kayolo’s shining eyes lit upon Felida’s mechanical hand resting on the grip of her sword and they suddenly stopped.  “Oh!  OH!  Were my eyes like bright yellow there?”  
  
    “YES WHY WERE THEY BRIGHT YELLOW?”  
  
     “Shhhhhh... I don’t want the others to hear!  I’m sorry, this must seem really freaky to you.”  
  
    “You THINK?”  
  
    Kayolo slowly approached her matesprit, her attention alternating between Felida’s eyes and the hand on her weapon.  “Where do I even begin?  Do you recall our first time together in the Sunchamber, love?”  
  
    Felida was surprised to hear Kayolo’s voice take on an almost melodic quality; she found it strangely soothing.  “Of course.  You sang so sweetly; it made me relax.  You’re kinda even doing it now.”  
  
    “I know.  There’s a reason.  Did you notice the blade that was hanging underneath the altar?”  
  
    “Yeah... I just tried not to think about it.  I was too busy trying to kiss you again.”    
  
    “That’s sweet.  But did you ever think about what that place was for?”  
  
    “I’m not oblivious, Kay:  it’s for some kind of ritual sacrifice.  I just thought it was an ancient relic or for ceremonies for when you became a full fledged Sister or something like that.  At least, that’s what I hoped.  At worst it was where you... er...”  
  
    Kayolo smiled kindly.  “It’s okay, you can say it.”  
  
    “Where you... got rid of grubs who didn’t survive the trials.”  Felida swallowed at the thought but her mood shifted quickly when she saw her matesprit try to stifle a chuckle.  “Tell me you don’t think that’s funny.”  
  
    “Oh!  It’s not like that.  I just hate to tell you that you’re way off on that one.”  
  
    “Well, I’m kinda relieved, actually...”  
  
    Kayolo wanted to approach, to run to her and try to close the physical and emotional gulf she worried would form between them but even with her vocal attempts to soothe the agitated oliveblood, she was scared Felida would run unless she explained the situation fully.  “Of the six Sisters, there are always three leaders and three acolytes.  When one of the leaders passes on to what lies beyond, a new jadeblood grub is hatched and the eldest acolyte is called to the Sunchamber to take her place.  That’s what I always wanted to avoid, remember?”  
  
    “Yeah, I knew there was some reason you wanted to leave.  You said the night you needed to go to the Sunchamber was the night you were leaving that place for good. I was actually really surprised you went back after your Sojourn with me.  But you said they needed you and you would leave when it was time to.  What’s happened?”  
  
    “Let’s just say that I no longer have to worry about my biggest fear.  I won’t need to go to the Sunchamber anymore.”  
  
    Felida responded to that with a tight smile.  “Um... great?  So why do your eyes glow and it looks like you have a hole in your stomach I could put my arm through?”  She reached across with a shaking right hand and touched her neck where Kayolo was “kissing” her, but she was almost afraid of what she might see on her fingers.  Both her real and cybernetic eyes answered the same:  little else but a faint hint of olive coloured blood.    
  
    “You were expecting a lot more, weren’t you?  To be honest, I’m amazed it worked as well as Yakaya said it would.”  
  
    “I'd like to pretend that I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it’s true, isn’t it?  What I want to know is how MUCH is true?”  
  
    Kayolo wrung her hands together and stared at the floor for a moment while she chose how to answer.  “Probably most of it.  I’m still trying to figure it out myself.  I didn’t want to believe any of it; that’s why I wanted to flee this place!  But it was just so compelling and I wanted to help tend the grubs and do what I could but I never wanted to... to...”  
  
    Felida looked up at her matesprit and tears poured from her organic eye.  “You’re dead, aren’t you?”  
  
    “Y-yes.  I am.”  Kayolo began shaking uncontrollably.  “I w-watched that Screamarine... I watched her...  She shot me, Felida.  I felt the energy discharge burning through every nerve of my body and then it all went dark.  I heard her cackle and I felt my body hit the floor and then nothing.  Just cold.  Cold isn’t even a strong enough word.  And then there was bright light and sound and I could feel every molecule of air and ground that touched my body!  I could hear every breath of the woman who killed me as though she were standing beside me and she was already two blocks away!  I tried to take a breath of my own and all that came out was a wet sucking sound so I stopped... and when I thought my body was going to make me breathe again, it occurred to me that I no longer had to.”  
  
    “That’s...” was the only word Felida could manage.  
  
    “I got to my feet, looked down at my body and saw the gaping hole, just as you do.  I tried to put my hand through it but I... I just... couldn’t.”  Tears appeared on Kayolo’s cheeks now and she tried to pull herself together.  “They kill you in the Sunchamber, Felida.  That’s what the blade is for.  And when you wake up, bathed in sunlight, you’re a... a...”  
  
    “A rainbow drinker,” Felida finished.  
  
    Kayolo nodded slowly.  “Yeah.  Guess the stories were true, no matter how much I wished they weren’t.  I always like to say ‘you only live once,’ right?  Well, guess what?”  
  
    Felida tried to speak but a choked swallow came out first.  “So... am I going to turn into one now, too?  Am I going to die?  Will I come back to life?”  
  
    “What?  Oh!  No, no, don’t worry.  As far as I know, only jadebloods become Drinkers.  And when Lamiea said something about that if I loved bloodwine, I’d probably start craving blood someday, I thought she was joking!”  
  
    “So you’re not going to kill me and drink me dry, then?”  
  
    Kayolo couldn’t take it anymore; she closed the distance between them and embraced her trembling matesprit tightly.  “Never!  I’m still me... I think!  I was just SO hungry; you have no idea!  Take the hungriest you’ve ever been and multiply it by a hundred!  Your blood gave me strength!  In fact, take another look...”  She let go and stepped back a few paces.  “Is the hole getting any smaller?”  
  
    Felida trained her artificial eye on the wound; her sensors suggested that very little light was getting through it now.  “It is!  You can heal yourself?”  
  
    “I think it’s the energy from your blood that lets me do this.  I’m not really controlling it but I can feel it happening.  It’s kind of itchy!”  
  
    “That might be the coolest and the grossest thing I’ve ever seen.”  Kayolo laughed and Felida added, “Hey, if some parts of your airsacs are missing, how the hell can you talk?”    
  
    “I think either they fixed themselves first or I could still pass air through the hole somehow?  I can’t say; I’m still rather new to this ‘being undead’ business!”  She returned to Felida and hugged her again.  “You realize your moirail can read minds and you don’t even blink an eye at that, right?”  
  
    “Well, yeah, I suppose, but I mean there’s even a scientific explanation for that!  It involves electrical fields and pheromones and all sorts of latent things that most of us can’t even-”  
  
    Kayolo leaned forward and gently kissed her matesprit.  “Once a scientist...  And last time I checked, you were a geologist, anyway!”  
  
    “So Porrim shared some of her medical studies on Aranea with me, big deal.  Sure, it was mostly hemohormones and all that, but it’s still pretty damn cool!  Did you want her to-”  
  
    “NO!”  When Felida recoiled at Kayolo’s loud reaction to the suggestion, the jadeblood reached out and touched her lover’s arm gently.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.  It’s just that... I really don’t want Porrim to know about this, okay?  It’d be nice if she could spend the rest of her life not wondering if she was going to turn into some kind of undead bloodsucking monster.  I’ve had that spectre looming over my shoulder for the better part of seventy sweeps and now here I am.”  
  
    Felida studied Kayolo’s face, wrought with sadness and resignation.  She looked in particular at her fangs, which seemed slightly longer than she recalled but she suspected that was just her imagination; the green blood that still stained her chin certainly wasn’t but she looked past it as best she could.  “Here you are.  But even if you’re undead and, um, a bloodsucker, you’re only a monster if you choose to be one and you’re the last person on Alternia that would ever be considered one!  You’re the sweetest woman I know – save maybe for the other jadeblood in my life, except for when she’s hateflirting with me – and I don’t think that’s going to change, is it?  From what you’ve told me, this means that Lamiea is a Drinker, too, and she seems awfully nice.  Kakaka struck me as more than a bit of a bitch, but still, you know what I mean, right?”  
  
    “I do, and it means the world to me to hear you say so, but I’m really not sure about a lot of things:  how often do I have to feed; can I keep feeding off the same person without harming them; will bloodwine help?  And if something went wrong and I’m the last jadeblood alive, who can I ask?”  Kayolo caught Felida’s horrified expression and added, “I mean I assume Porrim is fine, of course, but she doesn’t know anything about this.  I’d like to keep it that way for now.  Do you understand why?”  
  
    “Yeah, I get it, don’t worry.  I’d ask you if... well... if you’re going to live a lot longer now, but I suspect you’re not sure about that either?”  
  
    “That’s one I can tell you for sure:  Lamiea is much older than she appears to be.  But how?  Is it solely from feeding on people like Eilliw or is there something else to it?  Who can I ask if the Grand Matriarch herself has passed on?”  
  
    Felida found herself wondering just how bad the situation was.  “Any idea what happened to her?  Or anyone else?”  
  
    “As far as I know, Her Elegance and I are the only two survivors.  They may have captured Baraka but I’ve heard stories that Screamarines don’t take prisoners. Subjuggalators, on the other hand, do but only for the sake of future entertainment.”  
  
    “If that’s what they have in mind for Baraka, they’re in for a helluva show: one that probably ends with a lot of clown guts splattered all over the place.”  This made Kayolo laugh and Felida was glad to see it.  “Not that you guys didn’t do a hell of a job of that yourselves; that was quite the mess we encountered on the way in!  How did you hold out for so long against that many highbloods?”  
  
    Kayolo shrugged.  “I hardly remember the battle, to be honest.  Combat was never my specialty, but there was something... primal, I suppose, that took over when we realized these Caves were being threatened.  They had flamethrowers and pulse rifles and outnumbered us something like ten to one, but here I am.  And to be honest, knowing what I know now, if it wasn’t for the flamethrowers, we’d probably all still be here.”    
  
    “I see.  Fire bad, huh?”  
  
    “The worst.  Can’t heal if we can’t drink, I suppose?  And it’s awfully tough to bite anyone when you’re a pile of ashes.”  
  
    “Makes sense.”  
  
    They looked at each other in silence for a few moments, each studying the other’s face and waiting for the other to say something else.  It was Kayolo who found her voice first:  “So... can you handle having a rainbow drinker for a matesprit?  I’m sorry I didn’t ask first before doing what I did there...”  
  
    Felida let her smile light up her face.  “It’s okay.  Now that I’m reasonably certain my short stint as a snack bar isn’t going to be too detrimental to my health, I’m cool with it.  Honestly, it didn’t even hurt!  We should find out who’s still standing jadebloodwise though so we can get an instruction manual on ‘How to Rainbow Drinker’ or something for us to read.  I’m sure there must have been one kicking around somewhere.”  
  
    Kayolo snorted.  “Oh sure.  They keep them under the altar in the Sunchamber to hand out after the Grand Maryarch impales you.  I’ll just ask her for one.”  
  
    “Ask me for what, Sister?”  
  
    “Your Elegance!  You live!”  Kayolo looked to the entrance to the supplyblock to see the tall silhouette of Lamiea Maryam standing there, a kind smile on her face.    
  
    “I do.  And I see you have learned that you can, in fact, live more than once?”  
  
    Both Kayolo and Felida laughed at this.  “So it would seem, Your Elegance,” Kayolo replied.  She saw Felida suddenly pop the collar of her jacket to hide the bite marks and added, “But could you please keep this...”  
  
    “ _Sub rosa?_ ” Lamiea said with a knowing grin.  
  
    “Exactly.”  
  
    “Done.  Porrim is just conversing with your comrades now.  I’ll let her know only what she needs to for the time being.  I do have news, however:  I have spoken with the Mother Grub.  She is thankfully unharmed, but she has laid three new jadeblood eggs.”  
  
    Kayolo’s eyebrows went up.  “Three?  So that means Baraka still lives?”  
  
    “So it would appear.  I don’t suspect the plan involves Porrim’s return to the caves, nor would I ask that of her.”  Lamiea approached Kayolo and examined her abdomen: aside from a small jade coloured dent in the middle of it, all that remained to speak of her injury was a nearly circular hole in her robes.  “I suspect you have many questions for me, Sister.  I’m sad that I couldn’t be there to help guide your transition to your new state of being.”  
  
    “That’s all right, Your Elegance.  You must know it wasn’t something I was really looking forward to.”  
  
    Lamiea nodded.  “I suspected this for a very long time.  To be honest, I really didn’t think you were going to return from your Sojourn.  Your matesprit here must be a very selfless person if she encouraged you to continue in your service.”  
  
    “She certainly is that.”  Kayolo looked to Felida and smiled warmly.    
  
    “Hey, if you need to stick around here for a few more sweeps to make sure your next clutch of Sisters gets their grublegs under them, I’ll totally understand.  I mean, as long as we still get a few sweeps in together before I get to old to do this Gamblignant gig and we can retire to a certain island and live out the rest of them away from the Condesce’s schemes, I’m happy.  I just hope it’s sooner than later; nobody lives forever, you know.”  
  
    “Quite true,” Lamiea said, “but judging by the marks on your neck, you may live a lot longer than you planned to.”  
  
    Felida was about to ask what she meant but she let it drop when Porrim appeared in the doorway, flanked by Rufioh and his crew.  “Oh thank goodness you’re all right!” Porrim rushed in and embraced Kayolo.   
  
    “Yeah, it’ll take a lot more than some bluebloods with big guns to get rid of me,” Kayolo answered.  “Looks like you’re stuck with me for a few more sweeps yet, little sister!  And sorry in advance for what I did to your kismesis’s neck.  I’m not trying to horn in on your ebon territory, I swear.”  
  
    Porrim looked over at Felida, jacket collar in a very peculiar configuration, who smirked and waved.  “I’m sure I can let it slide.  We’ve got enough to wor-”  
  
    She was interrupted by a low chime; the jadebloods in the room grew silent and concerned while everyone else looked around in confusion.  “Uh, what’s that about?” Rufioh asked.  
  
    “Proximity alarm,” Porrim answered.  “Someone’s coming.”  
  
    “Again,” Lamiea added.  “That ship parked at Byanbol must have sent more invaders to see if we’re finished.”  
  
    “Horuss!” Felida shouted.  “The hovership might or might not be cloaked anymore.”  
  
    “At least Alyssm and the others are out there to defend it,” Porrim said evenly.    
  
    Felida rolled her eyes.  “She has a stick for a weapon, Jadebutt!  A STICK.  Didn’t do her a hell of a lot of good against me, did it?”  
  
    “Still on about that, are you?”  Porrim walked over to a nearby console and called up the security panel.  “She does have a point, Lamiea; the exterior cameras are inoperative and we have no idea what’s out there.”  
  
    “Based on what we saw, I suspect that was likely the bulk of their forces we encountered in the first wave,” the Grand Maryarch said.  “This is likely a smaller ‘clean-up’ crew.  The hard part is deciding what to do next.”  
  
    “What do you mean?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “The Sisterhood’s mandate is to defend the Mother Grub at all costs; this you know.  We have been dealt a serious blow and any further losses would result in potentially societal-altering problems should we fall.  I fear this may smack of cowardice to your friends but we Solemn Sisters are the last line of defence.  I am forever in your debt for your aid in our time of greatest need but now I must ask to increase that debt:  will you stand and protect us?”  
  
    Kandun could see a questioning remark forming on Daalla’s lips and so he clamped a hand over her mouth and said, “We will.”  
  
    “After seeing what we saw on the hills outside, no one questions your fighting skills,” Rufioh added.  “Anyone weaker would have been overrun.  The sacrifice your Sisters made will not be forgotten.  We’d be happy to protect you to honour them.”  
  
    “Well, let’s stop blabbing on about it and get our asses out there before that stick-waving dingbat gets hers handed to her by some painted-up highblood!”  Felida drew her cutlass and pointed to the doorway that led to the main entrance.  “Let’s roll!”    
  
    Without any hesitation, every one of them turned to make for the exit, steeling themselves for a potentially dangerous fight.  Felida grabbed Kayolo by the waist on her way past and planted a long kiss on her lips.  “We got this; you two wait here and we’ll take care of the trash, okay?”  
  
    “All right.  Just make sure you don’t get a hole put through your chest, please?  You can’t fix yourself.”  
  
    Porrim shot Kayolo a questioning look and Felida injected with, “Of course I can’t; that’s what Horuss is for!  He’s already replaced a good chunk of me with shiny bits; I’d rather he not have to add to that!”  
  
    “No kidding,” Kayolo replied, “A metal chest would just look weird, especially with those blouses you wear.  Now get going!”  
  
    Porrim just shook her head until Felida gave her a hard swat on the rear.  “Let’s go, Jadebutt!  These two can hold the fort while we drive those interlopers back into the sea.  Sound like a plan?”  
  
    “I suppose.  You seem awfully energetic for some reason.”  
  
    “You know me, Porrim; I love the smell of highblood guts in the morning!”  
  
    “But it’s not morning...”  
  
    “Damned literalists.  Don’t make me drag you out there!”  
  
    As Lamiea watched them go, Kayolo glided up beside her.  “Their bravery knows no bounds.”  
  
    “For all our sakes, their ability will need to outstrip it.  Now come, Sister,” Lamiea said as she took Kayolo by the arm and led her back down towards the inner recesses, “there is much I need to teach you and in a very short time.  I trust that your matesprit and our former Sister will ensure that it is more than long enough, though.” 

 


	47. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyssm Waleti realizes it will take more than her wits to escape the Subjuggalators and the Domineer and survive. Porrim discovers that both her new friend Squish and her former Sister, Kayolo, are much more than they appear to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, more excitement and combat this time. I put a lot of work into writing this chapter, particularly the fight between Waleti and Durgas. I've written numerous fight scenes but never one involving a bo staff and nunchuks. It was a challenge and I hope you find the result works from both a technical POV but also as a smooth, exciting read. I've been on a writing tear lately and am working on a big Chapter 50 as I type this so my updates should be much more regular the next few months. Thanks for sticking with me!

**46.**  
  
    Alyssm Waleti was grateful in a way for the sweeps of training that allowed her to keep her emotions in check as the last of the Gamblignants in her team had his neck snapped by a Subjuggalator while the rest of the purpleblooded shock troopers watched and the pair of Screamarines kept their pulse rifles aimed squarely at her head.   _They’re keeping me alive for something.  Or more likely someone.  But who?  Or need I ask?_  
  
    Despite their lack of energy weapons, the Gamblignants with her fought tenaciously, killing a blueblood and a purpleblood before succumbing.  She was kept from the fray almost before it began as four of this next wave of invaders focused on subduing her but taking pains to ensure that she remain among the living for the time being. She didn’t even have a chance to draw her bo staff before a Subjuggalator took her to the ground and put a foot on her back while the Screamarines trained their fully functional weapons on her.  Waleti resisted the urge to hurl insults at them, knowing full well that it wouldn’t have any positive effect on her situation; instead she observed as much as she could, hoping to find some information she could use to her advantage.    
  
    “Commodore,” one of the Subjuggalators spat, “we have this traitorous motherfucker.”    
  
    _That was a less than respectful tone,_ Alyssm thought, _I wonder why..._  She received her answer a few moments later when a blueblooded woman in a tight black coat appeared on the path that led her up from the smouldering remains of Byanbol.   _A commodore?  With her blood colour?  There was no way I could rise above a captain’s rank and she’s slightly lower on the hemospectrum than I.  No wonder they’re agitated; something is definitely abnormal here._    
  
    A minute later, the woman in question was standing beside her, looking down at her prostrate form with unabashed contempt.  “You?  You were Syhale’s aide?  You didn’t even put up a fight at all, did you?”  
  
    _Primary theory confirmed,_ Waleti thought to herself.  She chose to remain mute, even when the woman kicked dirt in her face, leaving Alyssm spitting grit.   
  
    “Don’t tell me one of these pan damaged clowns ripped your tongue out before I arrived?  If he did, just say ‘blargeyparble’ and I’ll do the same to him.”  When Waleti continued to keep silent, the woman ignored the low growls from the Subjuggalators and added, “No, you’d have your pretty indigo blood pouring out of your mouth if they did.  You’re just choosing to be dumb in both senses of the word.  Well, hard as it is to believe right now, tonight’s your lucky night.  The only reason you’re not dead yet is because I have orders to kill you myself.  You see, Fleet Admiral Syhale is most displeased with your betrayal, but as in most situations, someone’s loss is someone else’s gain: he chose me to succeed you.  And, as a bonus, if I bring back your head, I get to be a full fledged commodore.  Me, a blueblooded commodore!  Doesn’t that sound incredible?”  She waited for another series of menacing sounds to emanate from the purplebloods but none came.  The unlikely commodore crouched down to look at her captive’s face.  “Do you know who I am?”  
  
    Alyssm decided now would be the time to try and get this woman off-balance.  “Sorry, no.  If you’re suffering from a sudden case of amnesia, you’d have a better chance of ascertaining your identity from anyone else present than from asking me.”  
  
    Another volley of kicked rocks pelted Waleti’s face.  “It’s a wonder you’ve stayed alive as long as you have with that smart mouth on you.  Syhale would have gutted you like a fish if you tried that with him.  You’ll show your betters some respect.”  
  
    “You do realize you have the lowest blood colour of anyone here, right?” Waleti asked between coughs.  “I suspect these Subjuggalators would suggest you did the same.”    
  
    The chuckles that came from the purplebloods had the effect on the Screamarine commander that Alyssm hoped for.  “Let this impudent nookstain up.  Make sure one of you painted bozos plucks a sword from one of her dead companions so that I can separate her head from her shoulders when I’m done breaking every bone in her body.”  
  
    “As you wish, Domineer.”  The Subjuggalator that was pinning Waleti to the ground removed his foot from her back and hauled her roughly to her feet.   _Domineer?  I’ve heard some stories about this one, mostly her combat exploits.  I’ll need to stay focused._  She watched as the remaining Subjuggalators and Screamarines created a rough perimeter around her and wondered if they would interfere – and if so, in whose favour.  
  
    “I see you’ve got some kind of weapon on your back there.  Ironwood staff, looks like.  Oh, by all means, bring it out.”  Rafemi Durgas, the blueblood who would be commodore, reached over her left shoulder and withdrew her long, pointed nunchuks.  “It won’t help you.”  
  
    Alyssm looked over her shoulder to see if the Subjuggalator standing behind her would attack her while she grabbed her weapon and was pleased that he didn’t interfere with her at all.   _If I survive, I’ll have to thank Mindfang for this,_ she thought as her hands took their familiar positions, palms down, on the long, smooth shaft of the bo.   _I don’t know where she found it and I probably don’t want to know, either, but it's far better than a broomstick, at least._  She didn’t need to even think about her breathing; her inner calm was spreading through her body and she saw nothing and no one but the adversary in front of her.   _I will outthink you, outwit you, defeat you.  There are only your actions and my counteractions.  I will match any move you make until only I remain._    
  
    Durgas twirled her weapons around her body rapidly in an effort to intimidate the former Enforcer.  “See what these are made of?  Shame your horns weren’t so funny looking or I’d consider doing you the honour of making another pair of nunchuks out of them.”  
  
    The taunts fell on deaf sponge clots; if anything, Waleti was busy being thankful for the freedom of movement her simple black and blue shirt and vest combination afforded her, a practical combination Porrim helped her select.  All of her recent training with this staff had been done wearing workout clothing and this was the first time she’d faced combat in something other than an Enforcer’s uniform in a long time.  Instead of giving away any of her capabilities or intended attack or defense manoeuvres, Alyssm simply waited for this Domineer to approach her first.    
  
    And approach she did: Waleti barely had time to block high and low before this lithe woman was on her.  The horn-based nunchuks clacked loudly against the staff, sending vibrations down it that forced her to grip onto it just that much more tightly.  The next feint sent one sharp horn whizzing just past her ear; Waleti ducked and used the moment to swing her bo into Durgas’s midsection, which sent her to the ground.  She had no illusions that this would be enough to keep her opponent down; Durgas tucked her shoulder and rolled with the blow, ending up back on her feet.  
  
    “You got lucky, you realize that, right?” Durgas snarled, “Won’t happen again.”    
  
    Alyssm said nothing but resumed her initial defensive pose and waited for another onslaught.  This time Durgas let the horn shoot forward on its chain towards Alyssm’s ribs; Waleti blocked it with a spin of the staff but her attacker used that moment to close the distance between them again and she took both horns in her hands and used them to feint and stab at the indigoblood who could only block each attack so quickly.  A second later, Alyssm was on her back, a victim of a leg sweep.  Durgas surged forward, looking to impale her but she was able to roll to the side in time to avoid being punctured by the sharp weapons.  She kept rolling as she anticipated Durgas wouldn’t be slowed by a miss; by the time she was back on her feet, the blueblood was already on her again, the nunchuks missing her face by the narrowest of margins.    
  
    _She isn’t actually trying to wrap them around my bo, is she?  That’s ridiculous._  She sidestepped the next attempt by Durgas to do so and then used the opportunity to make a feint of her own at her assailant’s knee.  Waleti felt the bo connect and heard Durgas’s howl of pain as it did; she took a chance and followed through with a strike down and cursed as Durgas rolled away, leaving her to hit the hard ground instead.  Damn!  She straightened up as quickly as she could but felt a searing pain in her calf as the point of one of the horns tore a gash into it.    
  
    “Didn’t see that coming, did you, you smug bitch?”   
  
    _She’s right; that’s twice now she’s got me low._  Waleti dropped to one knee but kept the end of her bo upright to make stabs towards Durgas, who was twirling her weapons and occasionally letting them fly towards the indigoblood’s head again.  She used a brief break in these attacks to use her staff to leverage herself back into a standing position but felt a sickening vibration roll through her body as a nunchuk collided with one of her own horns, making her cry out.  
  
    Rafemi Durgas laughed at this.  “Oh, I liked the sound of that!  Hurt right away, didn’t it?  Got lots more where that came from.  Put that ridiculous toy away and take what’s coming to you!”  She charged forward and ran into the butt end of that “toy” being thrust towards her, which knocked the wind out of her.    
  
    “Overconfidence... is foolish,” Alyssm mumbled as she tried to get her bearings; she was just happy she chose the right Domineer to feint at.  She assessed the damage to her leg and while the sting suggested the laceration would need attention, that pain helped her to refocus.   _Use the distance to your advantage as much as you can but this needs to end soon.  Those weapons might as well be knives on a chain._  Once she had regained her bearings, Waleti noticed that Durgas was now engaged in a shoving match with one of her “own” troops.   _He must have tried to catch her... then again..._  
  
    “Get your greasy hands off of me before I cut them off!  If I wanted your help, I’d have told you to give it to me!”  
  
    “You tell me nothing, blueblood.  Entertain me,” he snarled back.  
  
    Durgas bared her sharp teeth.  “I’ve already killed one of your foul ilk tonight.  I’d kill you too but I’m afraid of making purplebloods an endangered species.”  
  
    “Kill me?  A skinny girl with a stick is kicking your motherfucking ass.  You earn the right to lead.  Get in there!”  The Subjuggalator shoved her back towards Waleti, who immediately engaged her with an upward swing of her staff that just missed her chin.  “Maybe we should chain the two of you together so that you actually fight properly?”  
  
    “Maybe we should chain your ass to the back of the ship and make you swim home?  How’d that be for entertainment?” asked one of the Screamarines, his pulse rifle aimed at the Subjuggalator who dared to insult his commander so.    
  
    The purpleblood produced a colourful ball that everyone present knew to be an explosive of a significant potency and started to toss it in his left hand.  “I die, you die, we all die, bye bye!”  
  
    “Put the damn rifle down, Muanag!  You can wiggle your bulge at these clowns all you like later!” Durgas spat.  “For now, let me teach this one a lesson!”  She approached Waleti in a sidestep, making herself as small a target as she could until she got within the range of her staff before unleashing her nunchuks again.  She faked a low strike and got the indigoblood to defend there which opened her up for a kick that Waleti barely dodged.  Durgas used this moment to snap the nunchuks out with her left hand which caught her opponent on the side of the head, sending her to the ground in a dazed heap.  “Ha!  There we go!  No one said kicks weren’t allowed!”    
  
    Alyssm tried as hard as she could to focus her eyes; she found her right one was having difficulty opening.   _Right on the temple.  Another one of those would do permanent damage.  I may need to take the lead... if I still can._  She planted the staff in the dirt and pushed herself up then quickly re-established her grip on it in case Durgas was finished gloating and inbound for another assault.  Waleti did her best to ignore the pounding of her own pusher in her head, desperately trying to use it as a rhythm to focus on.    
  
    “Regretting your decision to start something you couldn’t finish yet?  You had no hope from the start, you know.”  Durgas grabbed one of the horns in each hand and pulled the chain taut.  “Maybe I won’t even need one of your fallen comrade’s swords after all.  I bet I can saw through your neck with thes-” She was interrupted by a rock hitting her on the head from above.  “Where the hell did that come from?  Which one of you fucking clowns threw that?”  
  
    “I ain’t no clown!  And I ain’t no purpleblood either!”  
  
    Rafemi Durgas looked up to see something she’d never seen before:  a flying troll.  “What... the actual fuck... are you supposed to be?”  
  
    “Maybe I’m your conscience, telling you to stop being such a bitch all your life!”  He threw another rock at her for emphasis.  
  
    “ENOUGH!  GET HIM!”    
  
    Alyssm wondered if the blow to her head had in fact damaged her thinkpan.   _Rufioh?  But he’s flying?  This is most irregular, but who am I to complain for this distraction?_  She watched as the highbloods who formed the edge of their makeshift arena took off after the airborne Rufioh Nitram, who appeared to her to be sporting fully functional flutterby wings sprouting from his back, in the direction of the Mother Grub Cave entrance.   _They live.  Excellent.  Now I plan to do the same!_  She took a few quick steps towards Durgas and swung the staff at her head.  The blueblood caught the movement at the edge of her peripheral vision and was able to raise a hand to deflect part of the blow’s energy, but it was still enough to send her sprawling.  
   
    Before Waleti could swing again, Durgas was back on her feet, coughing but functional.  “Bitch, you had your shot and you blew it.  When I get finished with you, the only thing left that will be recognizable will be your head and only because I need it for something!”  
  
    “No,” Waleti replied, turning her staff in her hands without even thinking about how she was doing it, “you never had a chance of surviving this encounter.  Your ego simply wouldn’t permit you to realize this.  This ends now.”  
  
    Durgas opened her mouth to reply but found herself without a threat that she felt would stand up against the cool conviction behind her opponent’s words.  Instead, she twirled her nunchuks over her head and attacked...  
  
  
  
  
    “Did it work?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “Oh yeah!  Here they come!”  Felida let her mechanical eye return to close-range focus after ensuring the highbloods took Rufioh’s bait.  “I hope he can dodge pulse rifle fire, though!”  
  
    “He’s dodged his share of that,” Kandun said, “but usually not when he’s in the air like this!  He’s as lucky as they come, it seems.”  
  
    Felida chuckled.  “Sure sounds like someone else we both know and fuck, eh, Porrim?”  
  
    The jadeblood sighed.  “Crude as it sounds, I’m hard pressed to disagree.”  
  
    Felida stepped to the cave entrance.  “I see three Subjuggalators and two Screamarines.  As much as I can’t believe I’m saying this, target the Screamarines first as those pulse rifles make them more dangerous than the Subjuggalators right now.  Beyond that, if you can get your hands on their energy weapons, use them.   I’m gonna try and get in close quarters with one of those assclowns; the rest of you just punch holes in any highblood you can.  Do your best to keep your blood on the inside of your bodies, okay?  There’s too damn much of it out there right now.”  
  
    The others nodded, knowing full well the remains of some of the people they flew in with comprised part of that horror on the fields ahead.    
  
    “I just want to say you’re completely out of your mind trying to engage one of them like that,” Porrim whispered.    
  
    “You forget what I’m packing up my sleeve, Jadebutt.  Or, what I’m packing up my pantleg to be precise.”   
  
    Porrim gave her a strange look in response.  “The only quadrant you’re undeclared in is ashen and while I would remark about how that’s usually a non-sexual one like most normal moirallegiances, that’s not something that would stop you.  However, while I admire your confidence, I don’t suspect you’re going to be able to convince one Subjuggalator to investigate what’s up your pantleg in the middle of a battle, much less two of them.”  
  
    Felida blinked a couple of times.  “Gods, I hate you.”  She kissed Porrim hard, slapped her backside and strode out onto the field.  “LET’S ROLL!”    
  
    As the rest of them moved out, Daalla muttered to Kandun, “Is it just me or is she really weird?”  
  
    “It’s not just you,” he replied, “you’re both definitely really weird.”  
  
    “Yeah.  Thanks for that.”  
  
  
  
  
    “Felida, are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “What part?” Felida asked, pressing herself against the back of a rock outcropping for cover.  “The purplebloods galloping in from the right or the Screamarines trying to shoot Rufioh down?”  
  
    “Look past them, slightly to the right.”  
  
    Oceleo looked past the stone and let her left eye zoom in on the two figures moving in fluid combat.  “Well, there’s Alyssm and some blueblood woman I’ve never seen before with a pair of nunchuks that look like they were made out of horns?  That’s pretty fucked up, right there.”  
  
    “Do you see what Alyssm is using?”  
  
    “Yeah, yeah, I know; it’s her staff.  And...”  Both of them watched as Waleti stepped back from the Screamarine’s attack, held her bo vertically to block two strikes, then brought the bottom end of it up to hit her attacker’s arm, followed by a right handed blow to the woman’s head which staggered her.  Without a second of pause, Waleti dropped to sweep the legs out from under her, rose and spun once, the staff now positioned vertical over the Screamarine’s head.  Felida watched as, with no hint of hesitation, Waleti drove the butt end of the staff straight down into the head of her target.  Blue blood flew; a short scream was heard but it ended abruptly.  “Holy shit...”  
  
    “It would appear that our friend just killed someone.  With a stick,” Porrim said evenly.  
  
    “Okay, I’ll give her that one.  Damn.  That being said, we’re gonna need more than sticks to take these guys down.  Hold your position until that Screamarine is almost on top of you and then cut him down and get that pulse rifle!  Normally, I’d say your sword would be the better choice, but we need something with way more range for putting holes in things.  I’m going after the lead clown there.  You might wanna cover your sponge clots.  Just sayin’.”  
  
    Before Porrim could ask what her kismesis meant, Felida took off running as fast as she could across the blood stained terrain.  Those Screamarines better keep shooting at Rufioh or I’m in big trouble.  She allowed herself a glance upwards; the pulse rifle fire continued in the direction of the winged man and so she took aim and ran directly at her target.  As she approached him, the Subjuggalator gave her a curious glance and produced a pair of bludgeoning clubs from behind his back.   _Nice; beats the hell out of running into a loaf liquefier._  When Felida got close enough, he took a swipe at her head but was surprised when she dropped to a crouch right in front of him; two seconds later, she bolted upright and swung her metal leg at full speed at his body...  
  
    Porrim had all but forgotten about the kinetic accelerator in Felida’s leg; this answered her question about what it was her ebon lover was talking about when it came to her pantleg.  To her eye, the Subjuggalator was there one moment and the next he’d vanished, followed by a thundering bang that caused everyone in the vicinity to either stop to cover their sponge clots or hit the ground in fear of a missile impact of some sort.  A few moments later, all was completely silent, the stillness broken by a single voice shouting, “AW YEAH HAVE FUN ON THE FUCKING MOON YOU GRUB!!!!!”  Porrim could do little but sigh.   _She actually created a sonic boom.  I think she enjoys that toy a little too much for her own good... oh!  I should make my move!_  
  
    Making virtually no noise at all, Porrim slipped out from behind the rock and ran as quickly as she could towards the prone form of the Screamarine, who began to scramble to his feet as soon as he saw her approach.  She drew her sword and watched as her target decided whether to try and make for his pulse rifle or if he ought to engage her without: the sight of her blade was enough to make him try for the gun but his moment of indecision cost him and Porrim dispatched him before he could reach it.   _Excellent!  That’s one down; now to try and get the other._  She bent down to retrieve the pulse rifle and made to search for the second Screamarine but didn’t have to look for long: she was standing a few feet away, the weapon in question trained on Porrim’s head.    
  
    “I would say ‘don’t move’ but I really do want you to.  Actually, it doesn’t matter if you do or not; I owe you for Muanag.”  She went to line up her shot but stopped when a blade appeared between her breasts.  “Where... did that...” she wheezed before falling to the ground.    
  
    _That was WAY too close!  But who..._  When the Screamarine slumped over, Porrim saw the face of her rescuer.  “Squish!  Thank you!” She grabbed him in a tight hug and tousled his messy hair.  How did he get over there?  Last I checked he was way behind me.  “That was great timing, but how did you...”  
  
    The smiling Squish Imdead opened his mouth to explain but was interrupted by another loud crack, this one followed by smoke and flame.  “Never send a Screamarine to do a Subjuggalator’s job.  Time to make a jadeblood go away this time!”    
  
    Porrim could see that the purpleblooded warrior was still a fair distance away but his range with his bombs made him a threat to them.  “We need to get to cover again and see if we can’t use these pulse rifles against these last two.  Take this one,” she said, handing the weapon she obtained first to Squish, “and I’ll gather hers up.  Run back to that rock and see if you can get a clear shot.”  He nodded and made to leave.  By the time Porrim had the second pulse rifle in hand, the redblood was nowhere to be seen.   _He’s all kinds of stealthy, that one._  She could see the Subjuggalator winding up to toss another explosive her way when his attention was turned elsewhere.  
  
    “Hey, freakshow!  Over here!” shouted Daalla from one side of the field.  
  
    “No, over here!”  Kandun stood up from the tall grass and flipped both of his middle fingers up at the highblood.    
  
    _They’re giving me a distraction!  Well done!_  Porrim didn’t think twice; she ran back to where she started.  She looked over her shoulder as she did so and noticed the Subjuggalator didn’t seem concerned at all and opted to hurl brightly painted bombs in both directions.   _Oh no!  Run, you two!_  The bombs impacted too close to Daalla and Kandun’s locations for Porrim’s liking but she couldn’t do anything about that until she reached her cover point.  Once there, she met up with Squish.  “Let’s put these to use!”  He said nothing but rose with her and they both unleashed a volley of fire that caught the purpleblood square in the chest and shoulders; one of the beams hit a leather pouch strapped to him and the thud from the ensuing explosion dwarfed that of the sonic boom of earlier.    
  
    Porrim picked herself up off of the ground and shook her head in hopes the high pitched whine in her sponge clots would abate that much quicker.   _We’re all going to be deaf if this keeps up!_  She looked around through the clouds of dirt that the Subjuggalator’s detonation threw into the air and tried to get her bearings.   _Squish is here but where is everyone else?_  “Felida?  Rufioh?  Anyone?”    
  
    “Do I count, wicked Sister?”   
  
    Even with a hint of tinnitus still affecting her, Porrim could hear the Subjuggalator’s growl quite clearly from a few meters away.  She brushed the film of dust from her eyes and saw that in one hand he held a long black cane with a pointed metal tip; the other was wrapped around the neck of a semiconscious Felida Oceleo.  “No...” she whispered, steeling herself for the idea that she’d need to fight this purpleblood by herself before he did something unpleasant to her kismesis.  
  
    “Oh.  Well, motherfuck.  Guess I’ll just have to take my new toy robo-kitty home with me then.”  His face broke into a toothy, leering grin.  “Unless you want her back?  Maybe we can share her!  I’ll even let you call it – heads or tails?”  He started to squeeze her neck that much harder; Porrim could see the olive flush in Felida’s cheeks as her eyelids started to close.  “I’m good with either; I can put my motherfucking bulge into some hole in either one.  I’ll let you choose; what do you say?”    
  
    Her fingers began to tighten around the hilt of _Sufferer_ and she began to calculate whether she could sever his sinewy arm before Felida endured any permanent damage.   _He’s tall and that weapon of his is longer than mine; he’d run me through if I attacked him directly. The best I can hope is that someone distracts him long enough for me to-_  
  
    Before she could even finish the thought, a green blur tore through Porrim’s field of vision.  She blinked once and when her eyes refocused, Felida was on the ground gasping loudly for air, a violently detached arm oozing a deep purple shade of blood lay across her body.  She turned her attention in the direction of the screams coming from a short distance away, which stopped as abruptly as they began.   _What... no, who.  I know who.  But how?_  A cool breeze made her shiver as she cautiously approached the forms of a savagely dispatched Subjuggalator, a Solemn Sister... and a wide eyed Alyssm Waleti drawing near, brandishing her staff.  The blood-drenched Sister, sensing Waleti’s approach, let go with a fierce hiss that was unmistakable in the message it conveyed.  
  
    “NO, KAYOLO!  THAT’S WALETI!” Porrim shouted.  “She’s with us!”  Kayolo’s head whipped around to face Porrim and she shivered again, not from the wind this time but from the fierce glow of her Sister’s yellow eyes and the torrent of purple horror that covered her mouth and her robes.   _Oh my..._  
  
    A moment later, the glow faded and Kayolo blinked a few times.  “Porrim?  Is Felida okay?”  
  
    This was enough to shake Porrim from her stunned state.  Without replying to Kayolo’s query, she dashed over to where Felida was laying and knelt down beside her.  “Are you all right?  Speak to me!”    
  
    Felida’s answer came not in words but in coughs.  “Yeah... think so.  What... happened?”  
  
    Porrim placed her fingers gently on Felida’s neck and felt for damage.   _Nothing serious but there’s going to be some significant bruises; way worse than anything I‘ve ever put on her._  “Well, as far as I can tell, you were taken by surprise after the explosion.  As for who rescued you, Alyssm was on her way to assist but your matesprit... appeared and took care of things.  You can thank her once you get your breath back.”  
  
    “Oh I will.  And thank you... and Stick Girl there... too,” Felida sputtered between coughing fits.  “I’ll... just thank you and Kayolo... in a slightly different way than Waleti.”  
  
    “Your libido knows no bounds, does it?  No wonder Aranea keeps you around.”  
  
    “You know it.  Where’s...”  Felida coughed violently and nearly vomited.  “...ugh.  Where’s everybody else?”  
  
    Porrim looked around.  She could see Squish still waiting where she’d left him, evidently dumbfounded by what he’d witnessed.   _I feel the same, Squish, believe me._  Another scan revealed Rufioh approaching on foot and both Daalla and Kandun slowly rising from where they lay after the explosion.  “They’re coming to.  We all survived.”  The words didn’t really strike Porrim until after she’d spoken them.   _Against those highbloods, that’s no small feat.  But then,_ she thought, looking at the purple and blue stained field around her and then to the freshly soiled robes of Kayolo, _I think I now understand how six Sisters were able to make a stand against many more than we did._  
  
    Waleti came to join them, making certain to give Kayolo a wide berth even after the jadeblood had seemed to calm down.  “I trust you’re all right?  I tried to assist but someone in far better condition to help arrived before I could.”  
  
    This comment spurred Porrim to give Alyssm a quick inspection: she immediately detected a large lump on the side of Waleti’s head, a deep scratch in one of her horns and a calf laceration that was still leaking indigo blood into her black boot.  “I’m going to need to stitch that leg up as we get back on the hovership.  Where is it, anyway?  Was Horuss able to keep it cloaked or did he retreat?”  
  
    “I can’t say for certain,” Alyssm answered.  “I saw the ship flicker when the EMP hit but after that I was too busy trying to survive.”  
  
    “Understandable.  Either way, you need to get off of that leg; come and sit down with Felida.  I need to talk to someone.”  
  
    Alyssm nodded but before she did so, she quietly asked Porrim, “I’ve always tried to work within the bounds of logical explanations.  I’ve seen some rather peculiar things in my sweeps, but I’m still not entirely certain what I just witnessed there.  Can you shed some light on this?”  
  
    Porrim sighed.  “Not entirely.  All I know is that when someone we jadebloods care for is threatened, we defend them, no questions asked.  Beyond that, I know nothing more.  Sorry.  Maybe after my next conversation I might.”  
  
    “Fair enough.”  Waleti dropped to one knee to ease herself into a sitting position; Porrim offered her a hand but she declined it and half fell onto her backside.  “I’m okay.  Carry on.”  As Porrim set off, Alyssm turned her attention to her oliveblooded companion.  “You seem to be all right.  Sorry I couldn’t get to your assistance any faster.”  
  
    “Pssh.  Don’t worry about it!  I’m just glad you were willing to try.  Even if all you had on you to fight was a stick.”  Waleti opened her mouth to counter Felida’s verbal jab but Oceleo continued, “I’m just bugging you; I saw you dispatch that crazy blueblood and her nasty nunchuks.  I won’t be making fun of your staff again anytime soon.”  
  
    “Oh!  Um...  thanks?”  
  
    “Don’t mention it.”  
  
    Waleti thought carefully about whether or not to ask Felida the same question she had just asked of Porrim and decided to go through with it.  “Considering you were right there when it happened, do you have any idea what just happened there?  With who rescued you, that is?”  
  
    Felida chuckled as she watched her kismesis approach her matesprit, likely with a similar line of questioning in mind.  “I could tell you but this might be one of those cases where the less you know, the easier you’ll sleep at day.  Tell you what:  it’s probably not what you want to hear, but when Porrim knows, I’ll let you know.  Will that work for you?”  
  
    “It will have to, I suppose.”  
  
    “All right.  So I gather you didn’t see where the hovership ended up, then?”  
  
    “No.  I do hope Horuss is all right.  He is our ride home, after all.  I don’t think he’d leave withou-”  
  
    Both women turned their heads in the direction the echoing explosions came from.  “Tell me we’re not about to get blown off the map,” Felida sighed.  
  
    “I wish I could,” Waleti replied, “but for what it’s worth, it sounds like that came from Byanbol.  What’s odd is that when we arrived, it appeared there was nothing left standing there.”  
  
    “I’d say we should try standing and go have a look for ourselves but my healthtender would kick both my ass and yours if you stood up again right now.  Let’s just hope it’s good news for once.”  
  
    Waleti snorted.  “Have you ever known explosions to be associated with good news?”  
  
    Felida frowned as she thought about this.  “Hm.  Good point.” 


	48. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Admiral Syhale discovers that sometimes surprises can be found both outside and in. Porrim has some concerns over Felida's recent injuries. The Grand Highblood returns to the Grand Justicehive to find more than a few changes have been made to his decor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter ties up a few loose ends. Some of it could have been appended to the last one, but I had trouble figuring out where to put the Chapter Break. A little darkness, a little levity; this one is quite a mix. The only thing missing is (if that's what you're here for) a bit of troll lovin' but that's next chapter...

**47.**  
  
    “They’re ALL dead?”  
  
    “Yes, Makara, that’s what I said.  If you gave yourself a proper haircut, maybe your sponge clots wouldn’t be so badly obscured and you could hear me properly,” Fleet Admiral Syhale spat at the monitor that displayed the face of the Grand Highblood from his temporary officeblock in Capitol.  “Every last one of them.  Dead.”  
  
    “I would say ‘I told you so’ but I did motherfucking tell you so.”  
  
    “I even lost Durgas.  And what’s killing me is that I know that somehow Mindfang’s crew got here to interfere.  Well, Mother Grub caves be damned, since none of our troops are left alive, I’m going to drop enough ordinance on them to make this entire place a smoking crater full of smoking craters!”  
  
    Makara shrugged.  “At least your pan isn’t addled enough to consider atomics.  If it’s Mindfang’s crew you want to return back to the dust of motherfucking miracles, be my guest.  Just leave the Caves where we all came from out of your revenge fantasy.”  
  
    “As if I need your permission,” Syhale snarled back.  “Go home.  Your ‘work’ here is done.  And next time, send some Subjuggalators with proper weapons?  Not exploding toys but actual pulse rifles?”  He suspected Makara was about to counter with the fact that the Screamarines were equipped with them and didn’t fare to well either but Syhale didn’t give him the chance and signalled the Comm officer to end the transmission.  “Tactical: arm the batteries and missile launchers.  Target the field in front of the cave opening and prepare to fire on my mark.”  
  
    “Acknowledged, sir,” came the reply.  “We’ll need to move ahead a kilometer or two for optimum targeting, sir.”  
  
    “Do it!”  
  
    As the battleship drifted forward, Syhale contemplated the scene the probe’s cameras provided him.   _Waleti lives while Durgas does not.  I may have underestimated you, Alyssm.  Be assured it won’t happen again.  You won’t survive this but it’s really for the better._  “Are we in range yet?”  
  
    “Just about, sir.”  
  
    “Good.  I want to turn this place inside out.  Leave no stone unburned.”  
  
    The Weapons officer was smiling at the Admiral’s wordplay when the first explosion shook the vessel.  “What was that?”  
  
    Syhale’s fingernails bit into his palms.  “I was about to ask you that!”  
  
    “I don’t know but we’ve lost the first forward battery!”  
  
    Alarm klaxons wailed and before Syhale could call up any further information on his command chair’s screens, a junior officer scrambled through the bridge door.  “Sir!  There’s a hovership over the bow firing missiles at our deck guns and missile batteries!”  
  
    “WHAT?  Where did it come from?”  
  
    Another thunderclap drowned out the lieutenant’s response.    
  
    “BLOW IT OUT OF THE SKY!” Syhale bellowed as he lunged from his seat.    
  
    “I can’t, sir!  All three forward gun batteries are destroyed!”  The floor beneath them shook so violently, everyone on the bridge was staggered and reeling as they attempted to maintain their balance.    
  
    Before Syhale could issue commands for the rear batteries to target the attacker, the silvery hovership raced past the bridge windows towards the stern of the battleship.   _We can’t fire on him at close range and he knows it._  “Get someone out there on the deck with a pulse rifle and put some holes in that damn thing!”  
  
    Another explosion rattled the ship; sparks showered the deck as power cables tore free from their mounts.  “Trying, sir,” the Comm officer replied, “but communications are sporadic.  Energy fluctuations are preventing me from getting through!”  
  
    “Helm, do we still at least have control of the ship?”  
  
    “Yes, sir!”  
  
    “Then back us off from the shoreline, flank speed.  We’re about to lose any ability we had to shell them.”  As Syhale plopped back down into his command chair, the ship shook again with the detonation of the last of his battleship’s five main batteries.   _More fool me for not bothering to bring any support ships but this wasn’t supposed to happen._  “Does ANYONE know where he came from?”  
  
    “No, sir,” replied the Weapons officer, “It’s like he just appeared out of thin air!”  
  
    “How is that even possible?” the Admiral grumbled.  “If there’s anyone left alive on the deck, would one of you kindly tell them to pick up some kind of rifles and bring that thing down?  Even if you have to open the fucking door and yell it at them?  No, I’m not joking.”  
  
    The bridge officers looked at each other, wondering if any of them was actually going to do it when the Comm officer finally stood.  “I suppose that would be my job...”  She stepped over the sparking cables and opened the bridge door:  the tang of ozone and fire filled her sniffnodes but what shocked her most was that the hovership that had been raining destruction down on them at close range a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.  “Sir,” she called back over her shoulder, “it’s... gone.”  
  
    Syhale’s fingers flicked over his control pad: there was no sign whatsoever on his displays that there was a hovership anywhere nearby, never mind one that had just obliterated his vessel’s offensive capabilities.  “There’s nothing more we can do here.  Set course for Capitol Base for repairs, maximum available speed.  Comm, sit back down and try to raise Damage Control; tell them to get our missiles on lockdown lest we have any unfortunate accidents on the voyage back.  I don’t care if you have to use bloody semaphore; this ship will NOT be sinking, no matter what one lousy hovership with what seems to be a cloaking device does to it!”  The violetblood steepled his fingers, his yellow nails adorned with the dried colour of the blood they drew from his palms, and smirked.  “Despite this less than pleasant ending, we accomplished what we set out to do.  Jadebloods are dead and Mindfang’s pet is likely beside herself right now.  This should force the Marquise to do something reckless in retaliation and then I’ll have her right where I want her.  I don’t care if she has a ship full of Waletis, it won’t matter; either I’ll neutralize her completely or she’ll have an unfortunate accident.”  He reclined in his chair and crossed his legs.  “Don’t think of this as a retreat; this was just the beginning of the end of Marquise Spinneret Mindfang and a few broken guns are a small price to pay in exchange for that!”  He rose again and headed towards the elevator that lead down into the belly of the ship.   _Maybe she can give me some answers... although ‘she’ might be too strong a word for that thing._  
  
    A few minutes later, Admiral Syhale entered the brig which, aside from the junior officers who all snapped to attention upon his arrival, contained precisely one prisoner:  a mildly sedated hairless woman in tattered green and black robes strapped to a table and bound by two thick metal shackles that kept her arms pinned to her body and her legs locked together.  He grimaced at the sight of her.   _Stuff of nightmares this one.  Ugh.  Almost enough to make one believe some of the Rainbow Drinker tales.  And yet, there’s something about her that seems vaguely familiar._  He marched directly up to her and said, “So I gather you’re the one responsible for dispatching the vast majority of the troops I sent to do the lot of you in.  I wonder how many of them died of pusher failure at the sight of you.”  
  
    In reply, Baraka Maryam grinned her impossible grin, full of sharp teeth and unabashed joy at the havoc she’d wreaked upon the highblood invaders.    
  
    Syhale repressed a shiver as best he could before continuing.  “Anything that strikes fear into the hearts of Screamarines and Subjuggalators must be a frightening thing indeed.  That being said, those were among the fiercest fighters this world has to offer and you laid them to waste.  How did you do it?”    
  
    Her answer came not in words, but in the peculiar sound of metal scraping against bone and rending flesh as two nearly meter-long blades appeared from her wrists and touched the deck below.  Rivulets of her own blood trickled down the length of them and pooled where the points met the floor. She turned to look directly at Syhale and her eyes glowed yellow and her body shook as she strained against the restraints placed upon her.    
 _Ye gods!  What IS this?_  To his credit, Syhale maintained his composure while many of the officers in the brigblock had either left swiftly or had retreated to the relative safety of the room’s perimeter.  “Struggle all you like.  Those are duranium.  You’re not going to break them.  Even I couldn’t.  Granted, you have a face that could break a chronometer, but there’s no way you’re getting out of those restraints unless I let you out, which I most certainly have no plans to do any time soon.  What I need from you, Sister, are some answers.  First of all, when did you and yours develop cloaking technology and what on Alternia would you need it for?”  
  
    “HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS”  
  
    By the end of Baraka’s reply, the brigblock had emptied out save for the captured Sister and the Admiral.    
  
    “You should know I’ve been on the receiving end of outbursts far nastier than that one.  Have you ever had to deal with Her Imperious Condescension when she’s in one of her moods?  I suspect not.”  To his surprise, his captive’s eyes widened at the name and he wondered if she may have encountered the Empress at some point.   _Can’t discern this one’s age by looking at her and the less I look at her, the better._  “Let’s take a peek at these pointy toys of yours; I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like them.  I suppose I should be thankful that one of those clowns opted to employ a strong sedative gas as a weapon or else I’d never have had the pleasure of seeing these up close.”  Syhale cautiously knelt down beside her and examined the long metal blades; it took everything he had not to jump when she twitched as hard as she could in an attempt to move her arm to try and slice him with them.  The result of her movements created a fresh gout of blood that slid down the metal to the floor; Syhale was about to rise when he noticed something odd about the shade of it.   _I’ve never seen jade blood before but there’s something very strange about how that looks..._  He quickly flicked his finger out and wiped some of her blood onto it.    
  
    Syhale moved under a light and studied what was on his finger, blood that wasn’t his own for a change.   _This blood isn’t entirely homogenous.  If I didn’t know better, I’d say there were streaks of purple in it.  Can’t be; must be a trick of the lighting._  “Computer, increase lights to maximum.”  The brigblock brightened and he examined the strange fluid again.   _No, it’s slightly brighter than purple, or even violet. That has to be... no... couldn’t be..._    
  
    He looked at her face; she smiled her terrible smile again and this time Syhale couldn’t stop the shudder if he wanted to.  The familiarity of it almost turned his protein chute.  “How?”    
  
    Baraka shrugged as best she could but the smile never waned for a moment.    
  
    Once Syhale regained his ability to speak, he said, “One of you cowards get me Commander Qyburn from sickbay.  I need to find out if what our dear guest here is telling me is actually true.  If so, the balance of power on this planet may have just shifted considerably...”  
  
  
  
  
    “...and as our hopes remain high that Sister Baraka will return to her service once more, we bid the spirits of our fallen, not only our beloved Sisters Kakaka, Yakaya and Papaya, but the citizens of Byanbol and the valiant warriors who laid down their lives to protect ours, swift journeys to the End.  May they find their places to rest in the Endless Land beside the Endless Sea underneath the Endless Night Sky.”  
  
    “And so it shall be done,” answered Porrim and Kayolo to Lamiea’s eulogy.  The red rays of the sun rose behind them and the gathered remainder of their crew, including Horuss, and the few survivors from Byanbol that they were able to find once the battleship had departed.  The field behind them still bore the marks and stains of the battles that had taken place mere hours before and would remain until the rains came and washed it clean once more.  Porrim hoped it would be sooner than later.  
  
    “You are all welcome to stay in the Caves today,” Lamiea offered.  “Tomorrow night we will begin the arduous task of rebuilding the port; it is essential that we continue to receive supplies from outside for the drones will not help us in the least.”  
  
    “I’m certain we can share some of what we have on our island,” Porrim said.  “We have plenty to share.”  
  
    “And we can always ‘obtain’ some for you, tmmmmph!” Felida added until Porrim clamped a hand over her mouth.    
  
    Lamiea chuckled softly.  “We do appreciate your offer.  I’d just rather not know where exactly the supplies come from if at all possible.”    
  
    A murmur of laughter passed through the small group and Porrim was thankful for it.  Considering the degree of our losses, a little levity is a welcome thing.   _I wish we could stay longer than one more night but someone has to gather supplies for them._    
  
    The Grand Maryarch gestured to the open door to the Mother Grub Caves.  “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you all to our guest quarters.”  
  
    Rufioh quietly remarked to his crew that he was pretty sure they could find their way considering it was them who made sure those quarters were free of highbloods earlier; Daalla openly hoped to get a different block than the one she ran afoul of the Subjuggalator in.  
  
    “Don’t worry, doll; I’m pretty sure they won’t make you sleep in the supplyblock.”  
  
    “You never know...”  
  
    Porrim knew there were going to be four empty recupracoons in the lower levels that day and even if Lamiea offered, there was no way she could possibly bring herself to use one of them.  I’ll just curl up in one in a guest block with Rufioh and his friends or maybe Horuss if he wants company.   _I’m sure Felida will want to be close to Kayolo today after all of this and..._  
  
    “Hey!” Felida said as she slipped her hand into Porrim’s.  “Can I, uh...”  
  
    “Hm?  No, my name’s Porrim, remember?  But that is a lovely name.  Shame we already have names picked out for the new jadebloods or I would have suggested it.  Maybe I’ll write it down in the book for later use.  How do you spell it?”  
  
    The sound of Felida’s exasperated sigh made Porrim smile in spite of her mood.  “You really can’t help yourself, can you?”  
  
    “On the contrary, I’m quite capable of helping myself, thank you.  You were going to ask me something, I believe?”  
  
    “Well, I was going to offer for you to join Kayolo and me tonight in her respiteblock but I’m not sure there’d be enough room for you AND your pet snark.”  
  
    Porrim squeezed Felida’s hand lightly.  “Sorry.  Considering the circumstances, I probably shouldn’t be overdoing that right now.”  
  
    “Don’t worry about it.  Helps break the gloom up a bit.  It’s me who should be a bit more supportive; you knew these women a lot longer than I did.  I mean, they pretty much helped raise you!  That’s really unusual; I couldn’t picture having what amounts to more than one lusus.”  
  
    “It was different than that,” Porrim said, guiding the oliveblood down the ramp towards the Sisters’ quarters.  “The idea of a Sisterhood where we were part of each other’s lives is an uncommon one but really I think it worked quite well.  While I may not have always gotten along with everyone all of the time, I knew that each of those women would have fought for me just as hard as I would have for them.  You must understand that leaving them was far harder for me than maybe I’ve ever let on.”  
  
    Felida nodded.  “When you put it like that, yeah.  You did what you felt... no, what you knew was right.  Some ideals go beyond what others may think of as right and wrong.  I mean, look at what we do.  We’re trying to improve the quality of life on this planet by stealing things and blowing other things up.  Seems kinda messed up on the surface but if you really think about it, we know we’re doing the right thing... right?”  
  
    Porrim chuckled.  “I certainly hope so.  You really don’t mind if I stay with you two tonight?  I’m not going to interrupt anything?”  
  
    “Not even I’m in the mood tonight, Jadebutt, have no fear.  I am sore as fuck and the mood around this place is pretty sombre.”  They arrived at the door to Kayolo’s quarters and Felida entered the code.  Once inside, Felida grabbed a piece of loaf from a plate on a small wooden table and bolted it down.  “How about Horuss, eh?  Talk about some spectacular timing.”  
  
    “He’s still a little bit upset with himself, though.  He’s quite concerned he may have killed someone on the deck of that ship when he disabled their weapons.”  
  
    “How the hell do we have someone working with us who has a personal code of nonviolence?  The very nature of rebellion requires some bloodshed!”  
  
    Porrim gave her a strange look.  “Far from it.  Some of the most effective means of making one’s feelings about our leadership known don’t involve violence.”  
  
    Felida snorted between chews.  “Hmph!  Only from necessity and the fact that being so blatant about it would get one’s head blown off!  Porrim, Condy isn’t going to listen to reason.  I don’t entirely know what Aranea thinks she’s going to say to her to get her to even consider a different form of governing, but to be honest I think she’s out of her pan!  Don’t tell her I said that, though.  Want some?”  She offered a chunk of the nearly stale grubloaf to her kismesis.  
  
    “No thanks.  Anyway, I’m sure she already knows how you feel about it.  It’s not like she can’t read your feelings like a book.  That being said, I have absolutely no idea what her plan is either... and that really bothers me.  Don’t you think she should be confiding in us a lot more where her endgame is concerned?”  
  
    “There’s probably a reason.  Knowing her, it’s usually better that we DON’T know what it is.”  
  
    Porrim thought about this but also balanced it against how Felida tended to be rather submissive to Aranea in all facets of life at times.  “I don’t know... not about this.  Do you think she’s hiding something from us?”  
  
    “Um, hello?  Remember who we’re dealing with here?  For all I know, she may have told me what she’s planning but now I’ve conveniently forgotten, if you catch my drift.  Again, I just have to trust that it’s not for me to know right now.  You should try that approach, too; you’ll sleep a lot better at day.”  
  
    “I don’t think I’ll have any trouble sleeping this day away.”  Porrim began to undress and noticed Oceleo already had her blouse off and was undoing her shorts.  “Those are quite the marks on your neck.”  
  
    Felida’s hand shot up to cover the ones she was most self-conscious about.  “Yeah, no kidding!  That ugly bastard had a pretty good grip on my throat.  The way Kayolo reacted really hits home when I hear how you talk about how your Sisters would always have your back, y’know?”  
  
    “I was talking about those two in particular that you just covered up.  Almost look like puncture wounds...”  
  
    There was a moment of hesitation before Felida moved her hand.  “Oh?  Must have been his nails.  Maybe you should hit me with some antibiotics when we get back to the island?”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “Maybe.  I’ll check you for infection there; no point in using them if you don’t need them.”  
  
    “True.”  Felida quickly stepped out of her shorts and slid them with her metal foot over to the bed she and Kayolo would share, giving the recupracoon to Porrim.  “I can spend some time in the ‘coon tomorrow.  Hopefully everything heals up for you today at least, right?”  
  
    “Indeed.”  Porrim undid her red sash and then her shorts as well.  She was about to ask if Felida thought the rest of the crew might need something when Kayolo entered.  
“Oh!  I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”  
  
    Both Porrim and Felida, despite being completely nude, raised their hands and shook their heads.  “Nope!  Nothing like that tonight!” Felida answered.   
  
    “Funny thing was I was wondering the same about you two,” said Porrim, “but all things considered, I think the need to sleep wins out, yes?”  
  
    “For sure.  Go ahead and use my ‘coon, Porrim.  I’ll curl up with Miss Lucky To Be Alive here.”  
  
    “Hey!  I... sure am.  C’mere...”  Felida strutted over and gave Kayolo a kiss as Porrim let herself sink into the warm green sopor slime.    
  
    _This has been a night of great loss but also one of great victory, thought Porrim.  We are still alive and still able to keep moving ahead with our plans.  Sometimes survival itself is the greatest victory of them all._  She wanted to consider Felida’s thoughts on Aranea’s secrecy a little more but was asleep the moment her eyes shut.  
  
  
  
  
    _This was a motherfucker of a night_ , Kurloz Makara thought as he turned his tiny hovercar onto the exit ramp that lead to the Grand Justicehive.  The streets were emptying as most denizens of Capitol had made their way back to their hives to have their meals before the sun rose in a couple of hours and he found he had no need to deploy the assortment of peculiar weapons his vehicle possessed, not even for the fun of it.  His ridiculously cramped hovercar, a late model Darude Sandstorm, was loaded with all kinds of gadgets and weapons that he would often use on other vehicles both in front and behind him to create all kinds of random chaos, especially during the busiest times of the nightly commutes.  The Darude Sandstorm was the most popular vehicle among Subjuggalators; it provided the least possible interior space and the most uncomfortable seats, maximizing the misery of the driver and its passengers, and its onboard music player was always on and only capable of playing one song in a continuous loop at one volume: way too loud.  What usually gave Kurloz joy was that song was piped out of the hovercar’s external speakers as well, allowing him to share it with the rest of Capitol as he drove, but even that wasn’t enough to rid him of this particularly dark mood.    
  
    _What a waste of a good bunch of Mirthful Motherfucking Brothers and Sisters.  Fucking Syhale is going to hear about this one from the Condesce herself, I bet... and I want to watch him squirm like a motherfucker when she chews his fins off.  He’s gone way too far this..._  
  
    The Grand Highblood’s train of thought was derailed by the sight of smoke coming from the building that was his destination.   _Funny, I don’t remember sentencing anyone to burn at the stake this week.  And I don’t suspect those Brothers and Sisters needed any practice at it.  No, this isn’t good at all._  He hammered down the accelerator and the hovercar flew forward, thumping beat and synth chords blaring away as it did.    
  
    When he arrived at the gate, he was surprised to see that the gate itself was strewn   
about the courtyard.  A few uniformed Enforcers were milling about, some investigating the wreckage, some moving bodies around.  Makara paid them no mind, driving through the destroyed gate as fast as he could, causing all in his way to scatter.  He pulled up to the front doors of the Grand Justicehive and jumped out, leaving the vehicle running and the music playing.  “What the actual FUCK is going on here?”  
  
    One of the Enforcers tried to answer him but his words were lost in the cheerful music blaring from the hovercar.  By this time, it no longer mattered:  Makara had looked in the direction of his gift to Capitol, his Faygo Fountain, and noticed the damage done to it.  Without saying a word, he approached it:  while the colourful fluids poured down unabated, it was the statue that formed the centerpiece, a tribute to a woman he once knew, that had been violated by having a particular blue sword pieced through its center, teal blood somehow dripping from stone as though this monument had been killed in the same manner as the person it represented.    
  
    Two minutes later, not a single person other than the Grand Highblood was left alive outside the Grand Justicehive.    
  
    By the time he stormed into the Grand Justiceblock itself, Makara had left a trail of dead in his wake; even a couple of purplebloods were dispatched without warning or mercy.  The blue sword in his left hand dripped a rainbow of gore behind him as he stalked into the cavernous hall.  He immediately went to the storage space behind his throne to see if there were any clues as to who obtained Marquise Spinneret Mindfang’s cobalt sword but he was greeted by numerous crude pictures drawn into the blood spatters that comprised his Mirthful Masterpiece.  He dropped the sword and his hands flew to his face as he scratched himself with his fingernails, cackling as his own purple blood dripped down his chin and spattered at his feet.    
  
    Quivering with rage, Makara threw himself into his throne and entered a series of keystrokes that displayed the various cameras around the Grand Justicehive.  As he ran them backwards, he noted that many of them were out of service, displaying only black screens.   _Krysli, where the fuck were you on this?_  Another series of commands showed that Overseer Krysli was in fact working while this was going on but was involved with meetings on the Ninth Floor.   _I wonder..._  
   
    This time he called up the records of people who had signed in and out that night.  So your matesprit was around.   _Filthy flearidden bitch.  But who did she have with her?  Despri Tchibi?  What the fuck was someone from the motherfucking Eastern Prefectures doing here?  Very strange.  She’s here during scheduled maintenance on the cameras?  This seems far too convenient._  His attempts to call up imagery from the cameras at the front entrance proved fruitless.   _Especially when many cameras were out prior to her arrival, based on the time they thumbstamped the pad... wait a minute._  
Makara recalled the small cameras he had installed in the front of the commpads.   _Let’s see what I can see..._  A moment later, the screen filled with the face of Enforcer Commander Aurana Zashyl and then a woman with a strange haircut that covered much of her face and an eyepatch.  He paused the playback and studied her face as best he could.   _Too many shadows; so hard to tell who you... are..._     
  
    As Tchibi leaned in to press her thumb to the commpad, her horns became visible; one of them bore more than a passing resemblance to the hilt of the blue sword now lying on the floor beside the Grand Highblood’s throne.   _Her.  In my own motherfucking throneblock.  You’ve got some globes, Gamblignant filth, but now I understand why Syhale wants you fucking dead.  His approach was sloppy but it had merit; I’ll show you how it’s done properly, finface._    
  
    Makara keyed the comm button on his computer.   _I’ve waited an awfully long time to do this, but I’m going to enjoy every single minute of it._  “Overseer Krysli, I need to see you in the Grand Justiceblock immediately.  We need to talk about this motherfucking breach of security.  Don’t worry; I promise not to kill you.  You’re far too valuable to me for that...”

 


	49. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea and Felida catch up on their respective adventures and with each other, only to have another adventure thrust upon them due to the consequences of the previous ones. Aranea comes to grips with the fact that she's withheld a secret from her matesprit (and her moirail) for far too long...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you waiting for me to get back to the more sexual side of the story, wait no longer! However, this is also a very emotionally charged chapter (the first of a few in a row) as our main trio need to deal with the consequences of what has happened before and the unfortunate repercussions of Aranea's decision not to reveal everything about her past matesprit to Porrim. The seeds for the Endgame are sown here!

**48.**  
  
    “You knoooooooow,” Aranea cooed, “if you keep this up, I might just keep you.”  
  
    Felida pulled her lips away from the blueblood’s engorged nub for a moment but maintained the slow, steady rhythm she was creating by sliding the vibrating toys in and out of Aranea’s seedflap and nook without missing a beat.  “With all due respect, Mistress, that sounds like something your matesprit would say.”  
  
    Aranea sighed softly and pushed her hips further down the large bed in their respiteblock to let her sub know that she could slide the smooth, colourful toys just that much deeper inside of her.  “That’s going to earn you a spank, Felida.  You know this, right?”  
  
    “Whatever my Mistress decides is a worthy punishment, I willingly accept.”    
  
    “That’s the spirit.  Now put that saucy mouth of yours back to better use.  I love what you’re doing with those pleasuresticks; keep it up...”  
  
    Felida thought for a moment.  “If I can make you come with these, would you call it ‘ec-stick-cy’?”  
  
    “Felida?”  
  
    “Yes, Mistress?”  
  
    “Shut up and lick me.”  
  
    “Yes, Mistress.”  
  
    Despite her admonishment, Aranea was trying her hardest not to laugh at the oliveblood’s terrible joke and she sent her a wave of emotion letting her moirail know it was better received than she let on verbally; the response was renewed fervour where the sucking of her nub was concerned.  Aranea closed her eyes and let the slow rise of pleasure overtake her, doing her best to prevent the events of the last few nights, both those she was directly involved in and those related to her by Felida and Porrim, interfere with her well-earned play time.   _Too much going on lately; need to just take some time and relaaaaaaaax..._  
  
    Even as she made an effort to let her body go slack, her thinkpan continued to race.   _Condynet’s been surprisingly quiet about what Aurana and I pulled at the Grand Justicehive.  I wouldn’t expect there to any mention permitted about the Navy’s activity at the Mother Grub caves but..._  
  
    “Mistress?”  
  
    “Uh huh?” Aranea panted.  
  
    “I’m no empath but I can tell you’re thinking too much.  Is there anything else I can do to help?”  
  
    “I’m sorry, Felida.  You’re doing fine.  As much as I probably shouldn’t do this, I’m going to.”  Aranea reached over to the daystand beside the bed and grabbed the open bottle of rum that was sitting on it.  She raised her head slightly and took a long draught from it before wiping her mouth with the back of her other hand and returning it from whence it came.  “I suspect that may assist.  Carry on, my sweet!”  
  
    She could sense Felida’s mood improve markedly.  “Certainly, Mistress!”    
  
    The sweet, familiar burn of the alcohol warmed Aranea’s cool body from the inside.   _I remember nights on the sea without such comforts as heat and only a slug of rum to stoke my fires.  I’ve come a long way and luck has certainly been on my side.  I’ve got a loving matesprit, a moirail as red as one could ask for and a fleet full of dedicated allies.  We’re on the threshold of finally making real change.  So why can’t I stop worrying about what’s next?_  Aranea squeezed down harder on the bulgelike pleasuresticks, hoping it would intensify the sensations to the point where she would have no choice but to listen to the song they were playing inside of her but it wasn’t quite having the effect she desired.  “Felida?”  
  
    A wet smacking sound was followed by “Yes, Mistress?”  
  
    “While I love what you’re doing, I think we might need to change it up a bit.  Go ahead and leave one of those in my nook – with a little extra wetness if you please – and come on up here.  I want you to suck on my neck and finger the moonlights out of me like you used to when we first started doing this.”  
  
    A smile crept across the oliveblood’s face.  “With pleasure, Mistress!”  Felida slid off the bed, her mechanized green tail swishing excitedly, and opened the drawer in the daystand to grab the bottle of lubricant.  A minute later she was crawling over the prone form of her Mistress until her head was parallel with Aranea’s neck; she lay down on her moirail’s right side so that her natural fingers had access to her blue-tinged seedflap.  Felida nuzzled her face into Aranea’s long neck and began lightly kissing and sucking just under her chin.  “I still love doing this, Mistress.”  
  
    “I know.”  Aranea repositioned her legs to give Felida’s fingers unfettered access and inhaled happily when they began to stroke her soft skin.  “Gods, I know.  Go ahead and start sliding them in; I’m more than warmed up.  I want to feel your intensity, your hunger for me.  Show your Mistress how you feel about her.  Leave no doubt in my mind!”  
  
    Felida was a little surprised by Aranea’s remarks but she felt herself getting considerably more aroused by them.  She tipped her chin up, put her lips on Aranea’s earlobe and whispered, “As you wish, Mistress...”  A moment later, she let her fingers curl into the blueblood’s seedflap and began pulling them in and almost all the way out with steadily increasing speed and pressure on the slight swelling inside of her.   When Aranea began to moan, Felida began to suck and lightly nip at her neck and shoulder, knowing just where to place those bites to pleasure her moirail the most.    
  
    She didn’t have to wait for long; only a few minutes of rapid fingering and whispered encouragements were needed and she was rewarded with the loud wail and the torrent of blue that accompanied Aranea’s orgasms.  She slid her left arm gently around Aranea as she shook in her release and brought her now-dripping right hand up towards her mouth to partake of the sweetness she was given.  “Was that what you were after, Mistress?”  
  
    “Mmhmmmmmmmm... absolutely.  Somehow you’ve always known what I need and maybe I don’t thank you enough for that.  I imagine you could probably use some... relaxation yourself after your unexpected mission?  I gather you and Kayolo had no chance to partake in some alone time in the aftermath.”  
  
    “I’m afraid not, Mistress.  There was far too much for her to do and Porrim was just as busy.  Our darling Jadebutt should be back before sunup, though.”  
  
    Aranea inhaled and slowly let her breath escape through her nose.  “Excellent.  I suspect she might be rather exhausted so she’ll probably just want to crawl into a ‘coon when she gets here instead of, say, fooling around with one or both of us.  No sense in making you wait that long, is there?  Especially when you’re already here...”  
  
    Felida all but purred as Aranea ran her fingers through the oliveblood’s hair, taking a moment to let one gently draw circles around the cones of her horns.  “What do have in mind for me, Mistress?”  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm... let’s see...”  Aranea reached over with her other hand and rummaged through a box she kept in her daystand.  “You need to close your eyes and I’ll prepare you accordingly.”  
  
    Oceleo smiled and did as she was told.  She felt her moirail stand up from the bed and listened to the sounds of Aranea’s searching, trying to divine what was in store for her.  A few moments later, she felt the familiar sensation of hemp rope from a ship being wrapped around her ankles.  “This feels like a good start, Mistress.”  
  
    “I thought you’d like it.  I need you to stay lying sideways on the bed but also to reach forward and grab your ankles as well.”  
  
    Felida complied, grasping her ankles just above the ropes entwined around them now.  “Like so, Mistress?”  
  
    “Just so.  Next, I’m going to tie your wrists to them.”    
  
    “I trust you, Mistress!”  
  
    “Gooooooood.  That’s what this is about, after all.”  Aranea’s expert fingers fastened a knot that would bind Felida’s hands to her legs, leaving her on her side in a nearly triangular position on the firm mattress.  “Go ahead and open your eyes now, my sweet.”  She did so and noted first the ropework that bound her fast and then as she turned her head, Felida discovered Aranea standing beside her brandishing a short whip with multiple soft leather tendrils.  “Good thing I asked you to leave your tail off tonight.”  
  
    “My Mistress is wise,” Felida answered.  “I am completely at your mercy.”  
  
    “So you are.”  Aranea slowly took a few short paces back and forth beside bed, the tendrils of the “Cat ‘o’ Nine Tails” making a soft slap in her palm for emphasis as she did so.  “I did tell you that you’d be receiving a spank, yes?”  
  
    Felida squirmed on the bed in eager anticipation.  “Indeed, Mistress!”   
  
    Aranea grinned her wide grin.  “Then wait no longer!”  With a flick of her wrist, the whip slapped against the oliveblood’s bare bottom, the tendrils leaving light green marks across the smooth grey skin.  She enjoyed both the ecstatic moan and the ensuing emotional wave of pleasure that emanated from her pale lover and prepared for another blow.  “I don’t think one is going to be adequate.  Not by a longshot.”  
  
    “I couldn’t agree more, Mistress.”  
  
    “Good girl.”  This earned Felida a few more slaps on the rear and this time the results were visible to Aranea’s eyes not only in the green lines left by the whip but also in a trickle of olive arousal appearing from between Felida’s thighs.   _Oh this won’t take too long at allllllll..._  “Something tells me this punishment is getting through to you?”  
  
    Felida did her best to wiggle closer to the edge of the bed.  “It is, Mistress, but I think I’d benefit from further correction.”  
  
    Aranea thought for a moment.  “Ask and you shall receive!”  She reached over to the bottle of lubricant, poured some into her hand and then wet the polished black wooden handle of the whip with it before lifting one side of Felida’s rump and sliding the handle back and forth between the lips of the oliveblood’s seedflap with deliberate slowness.  “Many forget that a whip has more than one side to be used.”    
  
    “Mmmmm... my Mistress is so smart, too.  Was this what you had in mind for it?”  
  
    “Not exactly.”  Aranea dropped to her knees beside the bed and guided the handle into the opening of Felida’s flap.  She withdrew it slowly at first but then began to increase the pace of the insertions and near-removals, causing Felida to sing out in her usual loud manner.  Before long, it was covered in a thick sheen of green wetness.  “That being said, I think your next punishment should be a tongue lashing versus a whip one.  I have somewhere else in mind to put this.”  
  
    “Do tell, Mistress!” Felida panted.  
  
    “I’d rather show you.”  This time, Aranea lifted Felida’s cheek to better expose both of her openings.  She planted a wet kiss directly onto the soft folds of Felida’s nook and then gently pressed the slick handle against it.  With loud exhalation, Oceleo relaxed herself to accept this inside of her and clamped down on it.  Aranea took a moment to admire her handiwork; “I think this makes a lovely tail substitute.  I don’t suppose you could wag it for me?”  
  
    Felida laughed.  “Not without some difficulty, Mistress, but I’ll try!”  She shook her bottom a bit, which was a difficult enough task lying tied up on the bed but was able to make the tendrils jiggle a bit by flexing her nook.  “Have I earned my tongue lashing yet, Mistress?”  
  
    “You certainly have!  Come reap your reward!”  Aranea switched her left hand onto Felida’s backside and brought her face up to Felida’s damp seedflap.  She made long licks with her tongue along her full lips, drawing quick circles around the swollen olive nub, which elicited yowls of delight from her palemate.  Her now free right hand began to lightly tug on the strands of leather that hung from the whip’s handle in an effort to stimulate her further; the results were decidedly audible.   _Yessssssss... come for me.  Show your Mistress how good you feel!_  Aranea slipped her tongue inside of Felida and waited for the inevitable release.  
  
    Though bound, Felida’s body shook violently as her orgasm overwhelmed her; she screamed as she released her sweet coital fluid – only to be interrupted by a different scream altogether coming from the doorway to the respiteblock...  
  
    “CAPTAIN!!!!!!!  I NEED YO-OH GODS I’M SORRY I’M SORRY”  
  
    Aranea bolted to her feet, Felida’s emissions still covering her face.  What struck her was not the volume of the yell but the emotional surge that came from the person at the door – especially considering she normally could barely hear this woman empathically as a general rule.  “It’s all right, Aurana!  What do y-”  
  
    “FOR FUCK’S SAKE, POOCHIE!  SERIOUSLY!!!!!”  
  
    _Felida, relax!  Now!  This must incredibly important for her to even consider opening our hive door with her override code._  “Never mind her.  Can you give me a minute to clean up, Aurana?”  
  
    Aurana Zashyl nodded rapidly but said not a word, opting only to back up a few paces and let the door slide closed.    
  
    Aranea was certain there were tears in her friend’s eyes, something she couldn’t recall seeing before.   _First things first..._  She turned to Felida with the intention of undoing her bonds but her moirail had already used her cybernetic strength to snap them.   _She must be upset; she’d normally never consider doing something like that.  Then again, there also seems to be a current of understanding there as well._  “This is obviously an emergency, my sweet...”  
  
    “I get it, don’t worry.  I just went through this myself a few nights ago, remember?  It sucks getting interrupted but I’m sure this is important.”  
  
    “That’s my girl.”  Aranea pulled her in for a deep kiss, making sure to indulge Felida a taste of their lovemaking that lingered on her lips.  “I’m going to wipe my face and throw on my robe; you do the same.”  
  
    “Right away , Mistress!  I mean, uh...”  
  
    “I know what you meant, it’s okay.  Let’s hurry!”  
  
    Felida nodded and bolted for the hygieneblock while Aranea picked up a blue towel she kept beside the bed for cleanup.  Despite enjoying the tang of her friend on her tongue, Aranea needed to get herself presentable for what would likely be something rather unpleasant.   _This reeks of retribution, I fear..._  She walked to her closet and selected a satin blue robe; as she took it off of the hanger, she noticed another garment behind it, blue and black with silver accents, that induced a strong pang of emotion.   _I haven’t worn that in an awffffffffully long time.  I really ought to remedy that._    
  
    Once she’d finished tying the waistband, she looked to the hygieneblock door where Felida emerged in a long white shirt, still wiping the water from her face.  “All clear?”  
  
    Aranea nodded.  “You’re good.  Let’s find out what’s up.”    
  
    She approached the door and opened it; there was no time for invitation as Aurana ran into the block and turned on the viewscreen that was mounted on the wall across from the bed.  “Computer, back up the last Condyvision transmission to the beginning!” Zashyl shouted, her voice wavering ever so slightly as she dropped onto the front edge of the bed.  The screen displayed the Condesce’s symbol as all significant transmissions on Condyvision did, but this was followed by the crest associated with the Grand Highblood.  
   
    “Oh, goody.  A State of the Empire Address?  Just what I never wanted,” Felida grumbled as she and Aranea joined Aurana on the disheveled bed to watch.    
  
    “Shhhhhhhh...” Aranea admonished.  She marvelled again at being able to feel the cacophony of emotion pouring out of the turquoiseblood beside her.   _It’s just unfortunate it’s full of tension and terror.  She’s actually shaking. This is so unlike her._  She steeled herself for what was to come.  
  
    The scene switched to a face that was all too familiar to them.  “Good evening to all my wicked brothers and sisters and the rest of you scumsucking motherfuckers!”  Kurloz Makara took a moment to leer into the camera, his unsettling grin framed by the garish white makeup favoured by him and his followers.  Aranea noted that this was not the Grand Justiceblock, but the large underground theater that he used for his weekly displays of his brand of justice on Condyvision.   _Something tells me we won’t be seeing the inside of the Grand Justiceblock itself on Condyvision for a while.  And while I reveled in that fact at the time, I may have cause to regret it now..._  
  
    “Special treat tonight, grubs: while this show is meant for every last one of you lovely motherfucking nooksniffers, it’s going out to a couple of nasty motherfuckers in particular.  You’ll know who you are as soon as you see what’s inside The Box!”  
  
    Both Aranea and Felida took a breath; they knew that the Grand Highblood was a big fan of torturing his victims on Condyvision on a regular basis and that The Box, which was sitting on a large platform and covered with a colourful sheet, often contained unusually awful instruments of doing so.  To Aranea’s shock, Aurana was outright crying now.   _This is bad... very bad..._  
  
    “So, what’s in the motherfucking box?  Let’s not keep you twisted sisters waiting any longer!”  With a flourish, Makara removed the sheet and tossed it behind him, revealing a small rectangular steel cage that contained one person inside of it, not a stitch of clothing on, with barely enough room to move but definitely not enough to stand up.  As the camera panned in, Aranea recognized the face as exactly who she feared it would be.  “The citizens of Capitol may recognize the face of their Overseer, Kaerah Krysli.  Well, boys and girls, Overseer Krysli here decided to let a couple of motherfucking disease-ridden squeakbeasts into the Grand Justicehive and that’s not very becoming of an overseer now, is it?  Now, I want that camera to come in nice and close for a look...”  
  
    Aranea swallowed hard.   _What have I done?_    
  
    The cameradroid swooped in as told and revealed something that no one watching had expected to see – which made it that much more frightening.  “Take a real good look, shitrats,” the Grand Highblood growled, “She’s completely unharmed.  No one here has touched a single hair on her motherfucking traitorous head.  She’s got all her teeth, all her nails and no one has sawed off her fucking horns with a chainsaw... YET.”    
  
    Aurana was shaking so violently that both Aranea and Felida put an arm around her in an attempt to comfort her.    
  
    “So,” Makara continued, “consider yourselves lucky.  Speaking of luck, this one goes out to a lady by the name of Despri Tchibi: your former kismesis said in his notes that you liked to play with dice.  Keeping that in mind, let’s let the dice tell us how many nights you have to turn yourself and this mirthless cow’s matesprit over to me before I disassemble her!”  A large ten-sided dice appeared in the Grand Highblood’s hand and he tossed it high into the air.    
  
    _There’s no question who he wants now.  He must have gone through Syhale to get Ampora’s files, but unlike Syhale he’s not naming me outright.  I’m so sorry, Kaerah.  You weren’t supposed to be hurt by this.  No wonder Aurana is just sick right now._  
  
    As the decahedron landed, a red light glinted off of it and the number was visible to the camera.  “Eight?” the Grand Highblood said with a hint of surprise as he picked it up, “All right, you have eight nights to surrender yourself and that flearidden bitch that followed you here.  If you don’t show up, unarmed and unattended, then I’ll tear this motherfucking backstabber here into EIGHT MOTHERFUCKING PIECES AND USE THEM TO BEAT EIGHT MORE OF YOUR FUCKING FRIENDS TO DEATH!   DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?”  Makara punctuated this sentence by slamming a fist down on the cage that contained Krysli who, despite her best attempts, flinched at the violent outburst.   
  
    Aurana tried not to yelp at the sound but did anyway.  Aranea did her best to transmit calming sensations but wasn’t sure how effective they would be.    
  
“Now, since you all tuned in expecting a show, I’d be a pretty sorry motherfucker if I didn’t deliver.  So, my Subjuggalators and I will put on a show for the next...”  Makara showed the dice to the camera again and bared his sharp teeth in a grotesque smile, “eight hours!  And I’m pretty sure we can find eight victi... I mean, defendants per hour to pass our righteous judgement upon!  And our guest of honour, with the best seat in the house – that seat being on her own bare ass in a metal cage – will be none other than the former overseer of Capitol herself, Kaerah Krysli!”  He leered in at the woman in the cage and said, “I do hope you appreciate my brand of justice, my wicked Sister.  If your motherfucking buddies don’t show up with chains on eight nights from now, you’ll get to star in your very own courtblock drama.  You know full well what happens to those unrighteous motherfuckers I declare to be ‘innocent’; wait till you see what happens to the ones I find ‘GUILTY.’”  He roared with laughter, slammed the top of the cage again and then strode to the center of the block, which was echoed by the hundreds of cheering trolls in their seats around him, many of them trained highblood warriors thrilled to see the horrific spectacle sure to follow.  “Bring out our first defendant!  This orangeblooded motherfucker hails from Alinam Ci-”  
  
    “Computer, screen off!” Aranea snapped.  “We don’t need to see that right now.”  She stood up and gently ran her fingers through Aurana’s messy hair; the turquoiseblood was openly sobbing.  “Aurana, I’m so sorry.  I don’t normally say this, but this is my fault.”  
  
    “No, it’s not!  I was right in there like you were, drawing bulges on the walls and everything.”    
  
    Felida, who had heard the story from Aranea, had to stifle a chuckle when she thought of it.  
  
    “I’m the one who went too far,” Aranea responded.  “I didn’t need to destroy his statue, but I wanted to send a message he wouldn’t forget.  Now he’s sending us one in return.  The good news is that your matesprit lives.  We just need to figure out a way to get her back without losing our lives in the process.”  
  
    This seemed to register with Zashyl and she raised her head to look at her captain.  “You think we can?”  
  
    “I know we can.”  Aranea smiled the brightest smile she could manage.  “We will rescue her.  I swear it.  Now, what did I say was the best way to disrupt somebody’s big plans?”  
  
    Aurana snuffled and set her jaw.  “Make bigger plans!”  
  
    “Exactly!  And that’s just what we’ll do.  I have no intentions of being dictated to by that creepy fuckface or anyone else for that matter!  They’ll work on MY timetable, not theirs!”  
  
    “Can I kill him?” Felida asked.  
  
    Aranea raised an eyebrow.  “Kill who? The Grand Highblood?”  
  
    “Yeah...”  She rubbed her hands together eagerly.  
  
    “No way!” Aurana interjected.  “He’s got my matesprit!  I want to tear his throat out!”  
  
    “And his troops damn near killed mine!” Felida retorted.  “I owe him.”  
  
    “Ladies, please.  I’m sure someone will get a chance to repay him for his crimes against our race.”  
  
    Felida grinned.  “So what’s the plan?  We slip back into the Grand Justiceblock and blow it to little pieces?”  
  
    Aranea shook her head.  “Nope.  We’re going to bring him to us.  Not here, specifically, but if all goes well, he’ll come to you two.”  
  
    “I like the sound of that, but where will you be?” Aurana asked.  
  
    “Let’s just say I have bigger fish to fry.”  When Aurana made a puzzled face, Aranea added, “I understand your situation right now.  A little over fifty sweeps ago, someone threatened the woman that would be my matesprit.  I can’t explain how or why, but I found what I needed when I needed it and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.  I swear to you that we will rescue her.  I’ve been working on plans for the last few perigees and this just... accelerated the process a bit.”  
  
    “I know you’ve been plotting something but you’ve been awfully tight lipped about it.”  
  
    “There’s a reason.  It’s been too big but now it needs to come together and fast.  Are you going to be all right, Aurana?  I ask this not because I don’t think you will be but because I need to hear it from your lips... and so do you.”  
  
    Zashyl took a deep breath and let it out as she rose to her feet.  “Yeah.  I’ll be okay.  I’ll need to be okay so that this all comes together.  I can’t promise you that I won’t try to gut that highblooded piece of filth if I see him, though.”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.  “Are you kidding?  I fully expect you to!”  
  
    “Hey, what about me?” Felida piped up.  
  
    “Guess you’ll have to find a way to get to him first.  Good luck with that,” Aurana said.  
   
    “That’s more like it,” Aranea laughed.  “Now, here’s what I need you to do: convene the captains and first officers for a meeting in two hours.  It’ll help take your mind off of this, I hope.”  
  
    Aurana sighed.  “I do too, Captain.  What do you have in mind?”  
  
    “That’s for me to know and you to find out in two hours.  Don’t feel bad; even Felida here doesn’t know yet.”  
  
    “She’s right,” Felida said, giving Aranea a mock scowl.    
  
    Aurana thought about trying to make a wisecrack at the oliveblood’s expense but found she didn’t have it in her.  “Okay, two hours.  Anything else, Captain?”  
  
    “Yes, now that you mention it,” Aranea added, “Tell Nitram and his crew I need to see them in my commandblock half an hour before the main meeting.  It’s of utmost importance.”  
  
    Both Felida and Aurana seemed surprised to hear this but Aurana nodded her understanding.  “Wilco.  And Captain?”  
  
    “Yes, Aurana?”  When her bodyguard found she couldn’t speak, Aranea simply said, “We will get her back.  You will get her back.  I know you’ll use any means necessary to do so and I will make certain you have whatever you need at your disposal.”  
  
    Aurana could do naught but nod and she left as quickly as she had arrived.    
  
    “Wow, you two really pissed in somebody’s Loaf Krispies, didn’t you?”  
  
    Aranea chuckled at Felida’s jest.  “You could say that.”  She turned away from the door and sat back down on the disheveled bed.  “I can count the regrets I’ve had in my life on the fingers of one hand but I wonder if I should add that last mission to that number.”    
  
    “Well, if this finally gives you the boot in the butt you need to help bring about the changes you’ve been talking about for – oh, I don’t know – the last few decasweeps, then maybe it’s a good thing?”  
  
    “But what if it’s too damn soon?”  
  
    “How the hell should I know?” Felida asked indignantly.  “You won’t tell me what your damn plan is and I’m your moirail!”  She sat down beside Aranea and put her silvery hand on her palemate’s lap.  “So, do I get to know before anyone else?”  
  
    A pause.  “Yes.  In fact, by the time we’re done in this respiteblock, you’re going to be the only one who knows allllllll of it.”  
  
    “What about Porrim?”  
  
    “She’ll come to know it in time, but you’re going to need to help me out.”  
  
    Felida nodded.  “Of course.  It’s what I do!”  
  
    Aranea placed her slim hand on top of the metallic one.  “And no one does it better.  I’m going to need you to command the entire fleet in my absence.  As much as I trust Porrim’s abilities to run a ship, you’ve been doing it for me far longer.”  
  
    “But I don’t have your abilities!  How am I supposed to communicate with the entire fleet at once?  And never mind that; where are you going to be?”  
  
    “Talk to Horuss later tonight; I’ve got him working on something to ease your communication concerns.  It’s this incredibly advanced piece of technology called a ‘radio’.  Get this: you push a button and every ship that’s tuned into that particular frequency can hear your voice at the same time!  It’s rather brilliant, actually.”  
  
    Felida gave Aranea a strange look and then proceeded to tug her moirail’s robe open enough to expose one of her blue nipples.  She then licked her thumb and lightly rubbed it against the edge of Aranea’s areola for a couple of seconds before examining the area she rubbed closely.    
  
    “And dare I ask what inspired that?” Aranea asked.  
  
    “I was just wondering if you’ve been masquerading as a ceruleanblood all these sweeps.  That degree of smartnookery is hard to pull off without some jade blood in you.  I’m really starting to think you spend way too much time around one, you know.”  
  
    “Says the woman who’s wearing tokens from not one but TWO of them!  Tell me there’s another troll alive right now who can say that.”  
  
    Felida grinned.  “Okay, you got me there.  But seriously, what do you need of me?  Particularly where Porrim is concerned?  And what’s the big deal with Rufioh and his bunch?  They were fantastic for me at the Caves and I trust them, but somehow I suspect, as usual, that you know something I don’t.”  
  
    “You suspect correctly, my sweet.  And if our friend the Summoner is willing to do what I ask of he and them, then I will reveal it to the captains.  If not, then I will have to get... creative.  However, I’m certain they’ll agree, even without my brand of persuasion.  As for your other question where our dear Porrim is concerned, that’s a much deeper question indeed.”  Aranea steeled herself for what she knew she was about to have to do.  “Everyone is going to know The Plan before Porrim does.  She won’t be happy about that; I may be able to hide that from her but that’s not what I’m concerned about.”  
  
    “And what is?”  
  
    “I’m going to have to tell her who my former matesprit is.”  
  
    This earned Aranea a befuddled look from the oliveblood.  “I would ask why the hell I can’t remember who it is but then I’m pretty sure I know why I don’t.”  
  
    Aranea answered with a knowing smirk.  
  
    “So that means you’re going to have to tell me, too.”  
  
    “No, Felida, I’ve already told you once.  What that means is I’m going to have to let you remember.  And once I do, you’ll understand why I wanted you to forget it.”  
  
    “I’ve been with you long enough to know you mean that, but how bad could it really be?  I mean, it’s not like it was the Con-”  She went to place her organic hand over the one of Aranea’s in her lap but before it got there, it ended up flying to her mouth along with the metal one as a mental block fell away inside of her mind.  “OH SHIT.”  
  
    “I couldn’t have put it better.”  Aranea reached over with her now freed hand and grabbed the rum bottle again; the remainder of its contents were soon warming her insides.    
  
    “Well, as your moirail, I would have told you to tell her about this SWEEPS ago!”  
  
    “So why didn’t you?”   
  
    Felida went to reply and instead opted to give Aranea a rather pained look.  “Hello?” she said, knocking on her head with her natural hand, “someone gave me the gift of selective amnesia, remember?  ‘The Gift That Keeps On What The Fuck Was I Just Talking About Now?’”  
  
    “I know, I know.  But can you blame me?”  
  
    “Honestly?  No, not really.  But I understand it was long ago, way before you met me.  And being with Condy probably made you part of who you are today.”  
  
    Aranea snorted.  “Truer words were never spoken.  My first exposure to the Dominant/submissive roleplaying you so enjoy was with her.  I made it my own over the sweeps, of course, playing Master and Servant games with all kinds of people, but I’ve never known anyone who took to it like you have.  It’s only with you that I’ve truly enjoyed it because I’ve never had to...” She stopped and rolled the word around on her tongue before continuing, “manipulate you to do it.  I don’t entirely know if Meenah can do what I can do, but she had both subtle and coarse means of getting people to do what she wanted them to.”  
  
    “Meenah?  Is that her name?”  
  
    “That’s right.  Once upon a time, she was just Meenah Peixes, Heiress to the Throne.  Sometimes I forget that most have never heard it.  ‘Her Imperious Condescension’ was a title she cooked up to separate herself from her predecessors.  The previous Empress, Veruna Peixes, was a cruel and domineering overlord but Meenah destroyed her so utterly, she ensured that even Veruna’s remains were turned to dust and she used that to show her lusus, Gl’bgolyb, what would happen to any other hapless future Heiress who would dare to challenge her.  The idea that someone could be so condescending to a bloody Horrorterror inspired the name she now chooses to be known by.”  
  
    It was Felida’s turn to try and wrap her mouth around a word.  “Glubglub?”  
  
    “Close enough.  And the less you say it the better, especially considering what she did to you.”  
  
    “Did to me?  You mean I’ve actually seen this Glubglub thing?”  
  
    Aranea put a hand to her face in frustration.  “Okay, while it’s not like saying the thing’s name three times will make it appear like the legendary boogeytroll Beetel Djoose, I’m pretty sure that’s not a memory I want to unlock for you.  Ever.”  
  
    Felida’s eyes widened.  “You mean...”  
  
    “That’s the sea critter that decided to help herself to your limbs, yes.  My sword couldn’t even put a dent in its tentacles.  What it could put a dent in was your arm and leg.”  
  
    Oceleo cast a quick glance to her cybernetics.  “And my eye, right?”  
  
    Aranea nodded once.  “An accident.  Part of me can’t believe I’m saying this twice in ten minutes but I’m sorry.  I never meant to blind you.”  
  
    “It’s okay.  I know you’d never intend to.  I survived just fine for all these sweeps with one eye and I know you hurried me to Horuss to find new limbs for me.”  She stopped for a moment then added, “Hey, what are moirails for?  If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now to do this.”  Felida leaned in and kissed Aranea passionately; Aranea didn’t resist and let her do so.  “I love you, Aranea Serket.  I always have.  I know it’s supposed to be pale and most of the time it is but I know that you know that it’s always been more.  Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy with how we are and that we get to share Porrim but sometimes I worry you don’t know just how much I love you and always have.”  
  
    “My sweet, as you just said, I know and I’ve always known.”  She put her arms around the small woman and held her close.  “It won’t change anything at all between us.  But it might make what I have to tell you that much harder for you to hear.”  
  
    Felida swallowed hard.  “Oh?”  
  
    “Yeah.  You see, this is The Plan...”  Even though she knew her island was completely secure, she whispered it into Felida’s ear just in case another visitor suddenly showed up as Aurana did earlier.   
  
    When she was done, Felida looked at her.  “But... what if...”  
  
    “No ‘what if’.  It works or it doesn’t.  You’ll have quite a bargaining chip in your hands if it doesn’t go the way I think it will.  But you and only you will know that part.  Not even Porrim will and she’s the one you will have to deal with when it happens.”  
  
    Oceleo bit her lip and focused her eyes, one green and one glowing green, on her best friend.  “Fine.  I’ll do it.  But on one condition.”  
  
    Aranea raised an eyebrow.  “This is rather unlike you, but I’ll hear it out.”  
  
    “You tell Porrim about Meenah.  Tonight.  Otherwise no dice.”  
  
    With a chuckle, Aranea said, “Done deal.  I was planning on telling her once she gets in.  Along with the rest of the details of The Plan, of course.  You don’t mind entertaining yourself in the morning?”  
  
    “Not at all; I know how big a deal this is.”  Felida regarded the empty bottle sitting on the daystand.  “Think you could do it sober?”   
  
    “I give you no promises.”  
  
    “Fair enough.  Can’t say I wouldn’t do the same.”  
  
    Aranea placed a hand on Felida’s cheek.  “You just bared yourself emotionally to me without it.  You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”  When Felida snorted, she added, “It’s true!  After all, you just gave me an ultimatum and lived to tell about it.”  
  
    Oceleo stuck her grey tongue out at her.  “Moirallegiance has its privileges.”  
  
    “So I hearrrrrrrr.  And what, dare I ask, do you think you’re doing with my robe this time?”  
  
    “Undoing it.”  
  
    “And did I say you could do that?”  
  
    Felida used her mechanical arm to push the laughing blueblood back onto the bed and then straddled her so that her seedflap was pressed onto Aranea’s.  At first she gently rolled her hips to bring their most sensitive places together for a few moments before grabbing the hem of her shirt with both hands, slowly pulling it up and off and then tossing it in the corner.  “Do you see a collar on me right now?”  
  
    “No collar?  Bad kitty...” Aranea admonished.  “Now how are we going to know who you belong to?”  She could tell without reaching into Felida’s thinkpan empathically that her moirail was wrestling with whether she should say what she wanted to so she gave her an added boost of courage.  
  
    “Aranea?  Can we... just make love?  Just once?”  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm... I don’t know...”  
  
    Felida swore she could literally feel her pusher sinking into her belly.  “Oh...”  
  
    “I’m pretty sure we could squeeze at least two or three times in before the meeting, especially if I make some adjustments.  If you’re up for it, that is.”  
  
    This made Oceleo laugh loudly.  “You suck.”  
  
    “And so do you.  And quite well, at that.”  
  
    At this, Felida slipped off of her and got to her knees in between of Aranea’s now spread legs.  “Well, since you enjoy that – hey wait... are you sure you’re good to go?  What if you and Porrim decide to have at it this morning?”  
  
    Aranea closed her eyes and made a frustrated noise.  “Something tells me my loving matesprit might not exactly be in the mood after receiving that kind of news.  I could be wrong but after her last jealousy-tinged meltdown over Rufioh’s flirtations, I suspect I might not be high on her list of Things To Do for a couple of nights.  Which, thanks to a fortuitous roll of Makara’s dice, should be long enough for her to calm down and for us to enjoy each other before shit really gets real.  Basically, what I’m saying is...”  
  
    “Shut up and lick you?”  
  
    “Yeah.  That.”  
  
    Felida grinned and was about to start when Aranea held up a finger.  “Oh right.  One more task.  Computer?  Record message for immediate transmission to Aurana Zashyl’s Handroid.”  She waited for the tone to indicate the system was ready to record and then said, “Aurana?  This is the Captain.  Can you tell the other captains the meeting is in three hours, not two?  Felida and I need to have a... strategy session.  Have no fear; we’ll be on top of things very shortly.  End recording.”  
  
    Once Aranea had ended her message, Felida said, “But I was just on top of things...”  
  
    “Nothing saying you can’t make your way back up there later.  Now, my sweet, we have one more hour to ‘strategize’ and it’s allllllll ours.  Let’s make the most of our time together, shall we?”  
  
    “With pleasure...”  
  
    Aranea inhaled involuntarily as Felida planted a wet kiss on her bluest parts.  “That’s the plan...” 

 


	50. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doc Scratch and his Handmaid have a stimulating conversation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSYCH!!!
> 
> I know you were probably expecting The Plan but sometimes Hussie was known for a bait and switch now and then. Actually, that wasn't my plan but I figured it was time for a Damara update. The following chapter is already written and is on the large side. Should time permit, I might post it a week early to make up for this super short chapter. :::: )

**49.**  
  
    “Despite my best attempts at dissuading you from deviating from your missions in any way, shape or form, it seems that you can’t help yourself.”  
  
    “ <What you mean?  You have nothing better to do with your time than watch me do awful thing to poor people of universe?  You could try shoving your fist in your nook.  Much more fun.>”  
  
    “You’ll excuse me if I don’t partake.”  
  
    “<No!  It fun!  Easy, too!  Watch!>”  
  
    “That will be completely unnecessary.”  
  
    “<Fun not unnecessary! Fun totally necessary!  You watch!>”  
  
    “Put your clothes back on this instant.”  
  
    “<Okay, first step bend over like this; kind of like crouch a bit.  You decide whether you want fist to go over back or between legs.  I like go over back myself.  You have short arms and big head so I not know which easier for you.  Oh, this very important: make sure you put lubricant all over hand.”>  
  
    “I really don’t have time for this.”  
  
    “<No, no!  There ALWAYS time for lubricant!  That my motto!  Trust me, I know this true from experience.  I only have one lubricant with me right now so you wait while I cook some up.>”  
  
    “Damara, stop.”  
  
    “<Okay, there we go.  We sure cooking with petrol now!  So, I know first time always hardest, especially for someone with super tight nook like you, so you start with push one finger in like this...>”  
  
    “First, I don’t have a nook.  Second, if you thi-”  
  
    “<Wait, what?  You no have nook?  No wonder you such uptight no fun shitlord!  You store all shit in big white globe head!  You literally shit-for-pan!  Why you not tell me this sweeps ago?>”  
  
    “Damara, we’ve been through this many times before:  I do not eat therefore I have no need to defecate.  Thus, I don’t require a nook sphincter as you call it, nor is there any waste product in my head.  This may ruin some of your more peculiar assumptions about my anatomy but that’s as irrelevant as your feeble attempts to distract me from your temporal excursions.”  
  
    “<Whatever.  Let’s see how you like talking to me with my hand in my bum then.  Maybe you can ass me a few questions?>”  
  
    “Enough of this impudence.”  
  
    “<Hey!  Funny, I not remember getting dressed.  You really are no fun!>”  
  
    “We just moved ahead in the timeline to a point where you finally decided to put an end to your gross theatrics.”  
  
    “<Was it at least good for you?  You have some greenleaf for us to smoke now?>”  
  
    “Aside from having no interest in doing so, my obvious lack of a mouth precludes such things.”  
  
    “<Well since you say your head empty, maybe I pack it with greenleaf and smoke you like pipe?  It good to have purpose.>”  
  
    “One would think after such a lengthy period in the service of our Master you’d finally come to understand that your purpose is servitude.  If you’d only take pleasure in that in lieu of attempting to agitate me, then perhaps you’d find your tasks less distasteful.”  
  
    “<Sorry, ball head wind sac, I never take pleasure in what you ask me to do.  Someday I have to pay for what I have done in your name.  But all I hope is that when that day come, you pay your bill, too.  Making poor lonely girl do bad things to timeline with glowy sticks create much bigger debt than you think.>”  
  
    “While I find the concept of debt quaint, it really doesn’t matter to me.  It’s just another social construct of your society that simply doesn’t apply where I am concerned.  I have all the time I need and my sole purpose is to serve our Master.  No more and no less.  There are only two things you and I have in common:  who we serve and that the amount of time available to us, even though it’s much greater than to anyone else, is finite.”  
  
    “<Huh?  You droning on again?  I busy picking my sponge clot with glowy stick.  Maybe it send my thinkpan back in time before you ever came along and ruin my short-but-globe-headed- devil-free life.>”  
  
    “Of all of the things you say and do that baffle me, that one in particular confounds me the most: the idea that you would actually give up what you have here.”  
  
    “<That because you never had life other than this one!  Once upon time, universe quiet place.  Then, one night, white head devil happen and blah blah blah and universe become more boring place.  Point is I was happy where I was.  And then you happen.>”  
  
    “If I recall correctly, and I do, you were not that happy when we met.  There seemed to be a fair bit of... drama surrounding you in your youth.  You wanted to be free of whatever that thing was that was raising you and so I set you free.  You have lived a far lengthier and interesting life as a result.  I have given you power far beyond what many will ever know and yet you still insult me and rebel against my guidance at every opportunity. If you weren’t such a vital part of this universe, I would have terminated your life long ago and yet, I almost find your presence enjoyable.”  
  
    “<Of course you do!  Because you have someone to push around and do nasty time shit for you!  This way you not get hands dirty!>”  
  
    “The cleanliness of my hands really has nothing to do with this.”  
  
    “<I speaking proverbially and you know it!  I just your errand girl, going here and there, killing these people or destroying that city, all so your Master can come somenight.  Well guess what?  Maybe I kill someone special so your Master not ever come!  How about that?  Then your life be complete waste instead of just partly waste.>”  
  
    “I have always been prepared for the possibility that this will be a dead session, Damara.  But I will do everything in my power to see that our Master arrives as he should.  And my power is your power.  Do not forget that.  Without me, you are nothing and nobody.”  
  
    “<You make that sound like bad thing.>”  
  
    “I know you better than you would believe.  You would die of boredom without the ability to affect destiny instead of simply being part of the time stream.”  
  
    “<After listening to you blather all night and all day, I could know no boredom worse than that, trust me.  And if you think I would rather do bad thing instead of no thing, you sadly mistaken.>”  
  
    “So explain to me then why you chose to deviate from the assigned time stream for 1.43 milliseconds during your last sortie.”  
  
    “<How you know it deviation?  Maybe it overlap with old assignment from thousands of sweep ago?>”  
  
    “Because I would know.  It never ceases to amaze me that you even offer up an excuse.  I don’t recall asking you to interfere with Kurloz Makara and that’s because I didn’t ask you to interfere with Kurloz Makara.  At least not at that particular moment in time.”  
  
    “<Because it need to happen.>”  
  
    “I can tell you there has already been a shift because of that action.  One that has created an unanticipated nexus that I cannot see beyond.  If this has anything to do with Aranea Serket, I really ought to banish you to your closet again but I don’t see what you would learn from it that as you haven’t learned anything during your previous bouts of isolation.”  
  
    “<What you talking about, spherehead?  I learn LOTS in the closet!  In fact, that where I learn to put fist in nook!  You want another demonstration?>”  
  
    “No.  Your interference may have shifted things slightly but since every possible universe with every possibility exists, the fate of this one is already predestined.  All you’ve done is move a brick but the wall still stands.”  
  
    “<And if you had nook, you’d shit brick if you knew what coming.>”  
  
    “Nothing is coming, Damara.  I see a futile revolt starting on your homeworld.  Many will die.  Aranea Serket will likely be among them.  The fact that a nexus exists at that point means it’s doomed to fail and its outcome already determined.  The probability of who does what constitutes an undetermined alignment of the quantum fabric but soon it will all line up as it is meant to.  All will turn out for the best.”  
  
    “< I sure hope so.>”  
  
    “That’s more like it.  You may find peace in your subservience yet.”  
  
    “<Oh, I find peace, all right.  Peace and quiet... somenight...>”


	51. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 50

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea prepares to fill Porrim in not only on The Plan but also about something she couldn't bring herself to tell her matesprit until now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's quite a simplistic description of the chapter but there is a lot going on between our two main characters here. This took some serious effort on my part to write. It had nothing to do with the size of the chapter but with the emotional pressure that both of them are feeling. Be assured the next chapter will be similar in its depth but even though this one ends as it does, the next will be appreciated that much more, I hope!

** **

**50.**  
  
    “Hello?” Porrim asked to a dark livingblock.  “Anyone home?”  
  
    “Of course, dear heart.  Come innnnnnnn...”  
  
    _Said the spider to the fly,_ Porrim thought, knowing full well her matesprit would pick up on it.   _I don’t suppose I’m about to walk into any sticky webs, Rae?  I really don’t care much for that, especially in the dark._  
  
    “Fear not, my love.  Any webs woven here are metaphorical alone.  Just follow the glow.”  
  
    Porrim looked to the left and noticed the soft hint of light flickering from the door to the diningblock; the accompanying scents of food drifted past her sniffnodes.  “Oh gods, you cooked.  Is something on fire?”  
  
    “Ho ho, ha ha and hee hee.  It’s mood lighting.”  
  
    “Of course it is.  The sprinklers would have kicked in by now if it wasn’t, I’m certain.”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.  “Did you know the more time you spend around your jadeblooded sistren, the more snarky you get?  Do they teach that as a skill or do you come by it naturally?”  
  
    Porrim sighed and set her bag of medical equipment down.  “I only wish it was a more useful defense mechanism against highblood intrusion.”  
  
    _Oh, Porrim, I didn’t mean to-  
  
    It’s all right; I know you meant nothing by it and I know you would have been there if you could have been.  In all honesty, those who were lost were lost well before we arrived.  The good news is that there are survivors and they’re doing well; Lamiea and Kayolo will have their hands full but with our promise of resupply, they’ll be just fine.  That being said, I’m glad to be home; I’d almost forgotten how troublesome herding grubs can be!_  
  
    Aranea could hear her matesprit’s footfalls draw nearer so she switched back to verbal communication.  “And how are the new jadeblooded grubs faring?”  
  
    “All three just completed the Trials last night.  In fact, little Ka-oh!”  She started when she entered the diningblock to find Aranea standing beside a candlelit table full of hot grubloaf and various sauces, sporting a blue and black gown that was very familiar to her.  “I... I’m suddenly feeling very underdressed.”  
  
    “That’s quite all right,” Aranea said, grinning the grin of someone who just succeeded at making the emotional impact she had hoped to create, “I can keep the food warm until you change, if you wish?”  
  
    “Yes... I think I just might do that.”  Porrim returned the smile and stepped back through the doorway to make for their respiteblock.   _And what am I to wear?  My Sister robes?  I’d rather not risk getting grubsauce on those if I can help it.  At least I should be able to find a clean blouse to wear but I don’t have much for nice skirts these nights.  Might as well have a look._  She approached the respiteblock and touched the panel to activate the light.   _I don’t suspect Felida would be here right now so I don’t have to worry about waking her but... but...oh my..._  
  
    Porrim stopped in her tracks and let her eyes wander all over the satiny jade dress that she found lying on their bed.   _Rae... I think I just found something to wear!_  
  
    “Gooooooood,” came a softly spoken word from behind her, followed by two long arms entwining around her waist.  “I would have been pusherbroken if you’d missed seeing it, not to mention concerned about your future employment as a healthtender.”  
  
    “And who’s the snarky one now?” Porrim said, trying her best to keep from trembling at the sight of the garment awaiting her.    
  
    “I have this theory that jadebloods emanate a snark field; anyone within close proximity of one suddenly develops this extreme urge to become an insufferable smartnook.”  She planted a kiss on Porrim’s neck which made her matesprit shiver.    
  
    Porrim sighed at the touch of her red lover’s lips.  “Then I have some bad news for you: at this distance, you might receive a dose from which you’ll never fully recover.”  
  
    “Ha.  After fifty sweeps of it, I suspect I’ve reached an unheard of snark saturation and yet I live to tell.  Happy belated sweepiversary, dear heart; it’s for you.”  Aranea half expected a response of I’d imagine so, unless you normally go around making dresses for random jadebloods? but Porrim was too overwhelmed to make a funny remark even if she wanted to.    
  
    “It’s... wow.  Did you make this?”   
  
    Aranea snorted.  “Love, the last thing I sewed was a hole in a footbag.”  
  
    “I’ve never seen you wear footbags in all our time together.”  
  
    “Precisely.  I hate the fucking things.  Chafe my ankles something fierce and always seem to have holes in them.  Fixing those holes requires sewing.  To the blue hells with that.  No, I must confess that I was unable to make you a dress as lovely as the one I’m wearing now, but I was able to have this one made thanks to the help of our dearest friends.  I asked Lamiea for some fabric made with the correct jade dye and Felida brought it back with her from one of her visits to the Caves so you wouldn’t see it.  I provided Horuss my intended pattern and he cut it with some machine or other in exchange for a bucket of dried grass.”  Aranea waited for Porrim to stop laughing before she finished, “And the sewing was provided by none other than one Meulin Leijon.  She’s been working at it for about five perigees or so; a lot of her time has been spent training recruits but she insisted she’d get it done in time.  Our Summoner rescue mission gave her an extra few nights to add a couple of accents I’d hoped to have in place.  I do hope it fits; while I know you can make some adjustments, I’d hate to have to make you do a lot of work to your own present.”  
  
    Porrim lifted the shiny dress and held it out at arm’s length to study it: the thin jade fabric was rich in colour and the scent of the dye spoke to her of her first home; even though she was just there, this particular fragrance was something that was a unique blend of the underground lichens that provided that shade of green and the fabric to which is was applied invoked her youthful memories.  There were also panels of black velvet sewn in, creating a pattern that she suspected would be much more evident once the garment was on her body; thin strips of the same were used as trim around the neckline and hem.  She noted the dress ran to nearly knee length while the sleeve on one side came to the elbow and the other lacked one at all, creating a pleasant asymmetry.  She did have one concern:  “It’s absolutely gorgeous... I’m just worried it’s not going to have enough room in the bust or hips!”  
  
    “Porrim, as much as I was hoping for something both elegant and slinky at the same time, if there’s one thing I’m going to account for, it’s your curves.  Don’t worry; just try it on!”  
  
    The idea of it exhilarated her.  “I’ve been wearing almost nothing but blouses and shorts and this red sash or some variation thereof for nearly fifty sweeps.  And as amazed as you were by the dress I made you, no one has ever made anything quite like this for me before, either!”  She swallowed the lump in her protein chute as well as she could but it wouldn’t go away.  “Th-thank you...”  
  
    “Tell you what: why don’t you have a quick shower and try it on afterwards.  I’ll make sure the sauces stay hot until you’re ready to join me.  Sound good?”  
  
    “Sure!  Yes, that’s...”  Porrim smiled and then scurried into the adjunct hygieneblock, lovely dress in hand, before the tears started to roll down her face.    
  
    Once the hygieneblock door was shut, Aranea headed back towards the diningblock, looking down at the cerulean blue top half of her own dress, one that had started life as curtains in her seaside hive.   _This changed everything.  Our whole relationship as it exists is because of this dress.  Well, perhaps not entirely, but no one had ever shown me such selflessness and genuine love and trust before.  And tonight I have to put that love and trust to the greatest test it’s ever seen._    
  
    She sat down at the table and filled the metal goblet with the bottle of rum she kept nearby.   _Can’t believe I’m already on my third bottle of this tonight: one with Felida, one right after the briefing to help me get my shit together and now here’s Round Three.  I’m sure my healthtender would give me a stern lecture about stress and alcohol abuse..._  Aranea chuckled to herself as she took a long sip of the smooth, sweet drink.   _As soon as she’s done filling my sponge clots with fire after I tell her what I need to tell her.  What if she runs?  Worse yet, what if she insists on going with me?_  This thought prompted her to empty her glass and refill it.   _This is only going to work if I go alone.  I can’t risk her; the forces at play here are far too unpredictable.  I need her to stay here on the island... but will she even want to stay with me at all when she finds out?_  For a moment, she felt the booze rise in her throat but she swallowed quickly enough to keep it in her stomach.    
  
    _Is this fear I’m feeling?  Marquise Spinneret Mindfang knows no fear!_  Another hearty swig followed this thought but it, too, did not sit well upon arrival.   _Perhaps, but Aranea Serket does know fear.  Fear of abandonment.  I may have left Meenah but she had already left me emotionally speaking a long time prior to that.  There’s a big difference here, though: Porrim is much, much more wonderful than Meenah ever could be.  She will always stay with me so long as I never betray her trust.  I know Meenah was in the past but if Porrim was jealous over my flirting with Rufioh, I can imagine how she’s going to take this: in a word, poorly._    
  
    Aranea nearly took another gulp of the rum but decided against it.   _I better put some food in here to soak it up first.  I don’t think she’ll mind if I start a bit early._  She lifted the lid of the loafpan and helped herself to a warm slice.  She didn’t even bother dipping it in one of the multiple sauce receptacles; down the hatch it went.   _Meu really outdid herself; that tastes so amazing, who even needs the dips?_  She thought for a moment and then glumly chased the loaf with another belt of the drink.   _Meu made this... and sewed the dress.  Horuss cut the fabric.  Lamiea and the now deceased Yakaya made the fabric in the first place.  What have I actually contributed towards this?  Nothing.  Heated some lavender and roachtato sauces up.  Yay me.  Porrim made me a dress out of curtains, silver threads from a pillow and a needle from a medical kit and what do I do?  I just got everyone else to do the work for me.  I’m a lousy, goddamned terrible matesprit.  Sure, I can kick the Imperial Navy’s collective asses across the Seven Seas and I can wreak havoc in the halls of the Grand Justiceblock but make a decent gift for the woman who loves me with my own two hands?  Apparently not!_   
  
    The goblet was emptied and replenished once more.   _I really better back off with this shit.  I need some Liquid Courage to tell this tale, not Liquid All Over The Floor When I Barf My Guts Out.  I can’t remember the last time I got THAT stinking drunk, but this ought not be the next!_  Aranea put her hand to her face and pushed a breath out through pursed lips, trying hard not to let the booze cloud her thinkpan too terribly.  Gonna need all the luck I got tonight; I can’t imagine this is going to end wel-”  
  
    “Aranea?”  
  
    She looked up from the goblet she held to see Porrim standing at the other side of the table, resplendent in her form fitting jade and black dress:  the black felt on the front formed the Sign of the Signless at her waist like a belt which accentuated the curve of her hips that much more, while the candlelight made the hint of sparkles Aranea had added to the black parts shine like tiny stars.  Porrim’s hair was wet and sat slicked down around her ears but the hint of curl at the back spoke of the upsweep that defined her style.  “You look... absolutely magnificent, love.  Truly.”  Porrim simply smiled in reply and Aranea detected that she had also put on a jade lipstick as well.  “Where did you get that lip colouring?”  
  
    “It belonged to Yakaya but she never wore it.  Kayolo isn’t a fan either so she gave it to me.  Thought I’d give it a try.  Do you like it?”  
  
    Aranea’s fangs were visible in her grin.  “I love it.  It suits you somehow.”  
  
    “Well, it certainly does go with the dress, which I certainly wasn’t expecting!  I was actually trying to come up with a reason to wear this lipstick during the ride back here but this dress just...”    
  
    Porrim couldn’t finish the sentence; tears spilled over her cheeks which brought Aranea to her side.  Aranea embraced her and pulled her close.  “Shhhhhhhh... I know these are tears of joy but still, this is the least thing I could do for you.  I couldn’t tell you that I did have something for you for our sweepiversary because I wanted it to be a surprise.  Was that all right?”  
  
    “Mmhmm,” Porrim sniffled.  “I’m sorry I didn’t think it meant anything to you.  With everything else going on, I just thought it wasn’t that important to you.”  
  
    “Dear heart, of course it’s important.  But sometimes a night is just a night.  We can celebrate however we see fit whenever we wish to.  And I do hope that night might be tonight.”  
  
    “I suspect that could be arranged, yes.”  Porrim reached her hand up from Aranea’s back and tried to wipe away the wetness from under her eyes.    
  
    Aranea placed her lips on Porrim’s and kissed her sweetly.  “Excellent.  I think I know just the thing that might help your mood.”  
  
    “Oh?”  Porrim wondered what exactly Aranea had in mind but that question was swiftly answered by her matesprit addressing the computer and requesting a song be played over the sound system.  “But won’t the food get cold?”  
  
    “Not at all.  The candles will keep it at a palatable temperature.  Shall we dance?”  
  
    Porrim chuckled and was happy to find her mood improving by leaps and bounds.  “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”  
  
    “Well, admittedly, I caaaaaaaan...”  
  
    With a sigh, Porrim rolled her eyes.  “Perhaps later.  Dance first, eat next and then we’ll worry about dessert after.  Sound like a plan?”  
  
    Aranea bit her lip.  “Yeah.  The plan.”  
  
    “I don’t need to be an empath to tell that something is troubling you concerning that right now.  I noticed an awful lot of commotion when we landed, people running here and there.  And when I spotted Horuss, I went to ask him what was going on but he bolted for his towel... I mean, tower.”  
  
    “Either word would be apt, no?”  
  
    “Ha!  Call it a slip of the tongue.”  
  
    Aranea chuckled and placed a hand behind Porrim’s head.  “You could call this one, toooooooo...”  She kissed her matesprit passionately, slipping her tongue past Porrim’s jade tinged lips where it was met with equal fervour.    
  
    There they stood in the candlelight, time passing them by, enjoying each other’s scents and sounds until Porrim asked, “Weren’t we supposed to be dancing?”  
  
    “Wasn’t that a dance of sorts?  Tongue dancing, perhaps?”  
  
    “In essence, yes, but I don’t suspect we’d win any competitions with that particular number.  Movement of feet is usually a prerequisite, I gather – and no, ‘knocking boots’ doesn’t count.”  
  
    “And to think I’m actually wearing mine!”  Aranea lifted her leg to emphasize the point, her scarlet boot barely visible in the dim livingblock.    
  
    “And now my feet feel underdressed,” Porrim quipped.  
  
    Aranea took Porrim’s hand into her own and suddenly swept her into movement.  “Somehow I don’t think that will be an issue, love.”  
  
    There was no hesitation on Porrim’s part; her feet were now practiced and moved almost without conscious thought, a far cry from the awkward, hesitant steps she first made in their respiteblock on _Fools Gam8it_ many moons ago.  She smiled and looked into Aranea’s lovely, peculiar eyes and let their dance calm her.   _I don’t suppose you’re helping me relax as well?  
  
    Hm?  Oh... nope!  Just dancing!_  
  
    Aranea stumbled slightly and Porrim quickly shifted to correct to keep them on course.  “Are you okay?  That was... really unusual.”  
  
    “I’m fine!  Must have tripped over the carpet.”  
  
    Porrim said nothing further but let the rhythm guide her as they moved around the respiteblock in slow turns.  She was grateful that the fabric of the dress, while feeling a bit snug on her legs, was flexible enough to permit her a full range of movement.   _This is lovely.  We haven’t done this in far too long, Rae.  
  
    I agree.  I wish I could make this last all morning and all day.  
  
    We could, you know.  But I suspect I’d probably fall asleep by midday and you’d have to drag me around the respiteblock and there’s no music that’s terribly fitting for that. Would probably wreak havoc on this beautiful dress as well and nobody wants that._  
  
    Aranea chuckled and shook her head.  “Never change, Porrim.”  
  
    “What if I could change into a flutterby?  I think wings would be a lovely look for me.”  
  
    At this, Aranea stumbled again, her thoughts racing.   _Does she know about Rufioh now?  Is she upset?   No chance she’s going to be understanding abou-_  
  
    “Rae?  Just how much rum have you had to drink tonight?”  
  
    Aranea scanned Porrim’s emotions and found her red lover wasn’t joking but genuinely concerned.  “You know, maybe we ought to have a bite.  A little food might help settle my stomach.”  She gave Porrim a quick kiss and then broke their embrace to make for the table and the warm grubloaf that awaited them.  
  
    Porrim raised an eyebrow at her matesprit’s bizarrely flawed logic.  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re nervous.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen you nervous.”  
  
    “First time for everything,” Aranea muttered under her breath as she entered the diningblock.  Without waiting for Porrim to sit, she started loading her plate with loaf and filling the small bowls beside it with the sauces; the briefest of tremors caused a spill, sending a lavender spray across the blue tablecloth.    
  
    “There’s ‘hitting the sauce’ and then there’s ‘Hitting the Sauce’ and it looks like you’ve officially done both now.  What’s going on?  I’m actually starting to get quite worried...”  
  
   “And that’s the opposite of what I was hoping for, love!  It’s just...”  She sighed and let her fork fall to the table.  “Bugger it.”  She picked up the goblet and took a long sip from it.  
  
    “Aranea?  Really?”  
  
    “If you knew now what you’re about to know, you’d know why.”  
  
    Porrim took a moment to process this.  “Even so, you can’t use alcohol as a crutch.  I kept hearing whispers about ‘The Plan’ as I made my way over here, which explains all of the bustling about, but no one has told me a thing.”  
  
    Aranea set the metal cup back down; the hollow clink it made spoke of its empty state.  “That’s because I asked them not to.  Not even Felida.  I need to tell you myself.  Which would be much easier if you took a seat already and had a bit of supper first instead of lecturing me about my drinking?”  
  
    “I suppose that couldn’t hurt.  My stomach has been growling non-stop since I first caught a whiff of this meal.”    
  
    Porrim pulled her chair out and slipped down into it in a fluid motion; watching her do so made Aranea smile despite her turbulent mood.  “You are the literal embodiment of elegance.  Did you know that?”  
  
    “That’s not the Rum Fairy talking, is it?” Porrim replied with a wink.    
  
    “Wrong drink, love.  And besides, you don’t see any wings on me either, do you?”  
  
    “Admittedly, no.  But then, I haven’t been drinking, either.”  
  
    Aranea rolled her eyes.  “No time like the present to start; you may find it’ll help you make sense of what you’re about to hear.”  
  
    Porrim looked over to their liquor cabinet.  “If it’s all the same, I’d rather open a bottle of bloodwi-oh!  There’s one already on the table, I see.”  
  
    “Fancy that.  I know what you like.”  
  
    “You do at that.”  Once Porrim had filled her goblet, she helped herself to some warm, just slightly sticky loaf and as much of the lavender sauce as remained.  “This is my favourite.  You realize I might just suck what you spilled out of the tablecloth.”  
  
    “I’d rather you didn’t; your fangs would probably leave holes in the tablecloth.”  
  
    Porrim snorted.  “You should talk!  Remember how you used to bite me when we kissed?”  
  
    Aranea grinned, fangs fully visible.  “I can start again if you’d liiiiiiiike...”  
  
    “Save it for your moirail; I hear she’s kind of kinky.”  
  
    “This is why I love you, Porrim.  I want you to know this.”  
  
    Porrim just smiled knowingly.  “Oh!  That reminds me, speaking of moirails... I have a couple of things to show you. I left them in the respiteblock with my clothes.  Mind if I go get them?”  
  
    “Like I could ever tell you ‘no’, love.  But if you don’t hurry back, that lavender sauce may end up elsewhere.”  
  
    At this, Porrim shot her an icy glare.  “The only place that sauce is going is down my protein chute or we’re going to have words.”  
  
    “Ooooooooh!  Worrrrrrrrds!  Would they be accompanied by a tongue lashing?”  
  
    “I don’t know why you bother drinking.  You’re just as incorrigible sober.”  
  
    Aranea took a large bite out of her slice of grubloaf.  “Better hurry,” she said through her full mouth, “my plate is looking awfully empty...”  
  
    “All right, all right.”  Porrim dashed for their respiteblock and returned half a minute later with a small box in hand.  “Okay, I’m back.  My food appears untouc-”  
  
    “Ooh!  Porrim!  You dropped something!” Aranea interrupted.  
  
    Porrim started and began to scan the floor as best she could in the flickering candlelight.  “What?  Where?”  
  
    “Behind you!  Turn around and look!”  
  
    She did so and bent over to get a closer view.  “I’m not seeing anything...”  
  
    “I’m definitely seeing something.”  
  
    The jadeblood squinted, trying to pick up on what she’d dropped.  “What is it?”  
  
    “A choice ass.”  
  
    Porrim hung her head and sighed with exasperation.  “You have got to me kidding me.”  
  
    Aranea was cackling as Porrim sat back down at the table, the barest hint of a blush on her cheeks.  “Oh that was beautifullllllll...”  
  
    “Can’t believe I actually fell for that.  I would say which part but I suspect I already know how you’d answer that question.  Can I be serious for a second?”  
  
    “Sure.  You’re second’s up; you can go back to being Porrim now.”  
  
    “Rae...”  
  
    “All right, all right.”  Aranea wiped the wetness from under her eyes from the exertion of her laughter.  “What do you have to show me?”  
  
    Porrim shook her head.  “I swear, too much rum makes you silly.  That or you really are that nervous.”  
  
    “Never mind me.  C’mon, let’s see!”  
  
    “Well, first of all,” Porrim said as she presented a small round metallic object to her matesprit, “do you know what this is?”  
  
    Aranea held the small disc up beside the candle to get a better look.  “My powers of deduction inform me that this is, in fact, a button off of someone’s clothing.  Seems an odd trophy for you to be toting around, Porrim, even with your proclivity towards sewing.  It’s black with a couple of red rings on it.  Planning on making some new pants for one of our maroonblooded crew members?”  
  
    “Not exactly...  It actually came from a Navy uniform.”  
  
    “Uh huh...”  Aranea passed the bauble back to Porrim.  “Aaaaaaaand?”  
  
    “The ill-fitting Navy uniform sported by Squish Imdead on the night we invaded Violet Dominion and rescued Rufioh and his crew.”  
  
     Aranea blinked and gestured for her matesprit to continue.  
  
    “Well, Squish was on the hovership you sent to pick me up from the Caves tonight.  We were chatting away and...”  
  
    “Hold on.”  Aranea held up her hand, grabbed the rum sitting nearby and refilled her cup, then took a swig from the bottle.  “Did you just use the words ‘Squish’ and ‘chatting’ in the same sentence?  He’s a cool little dude but I don’t think I’ve ever heard him put two words together at the same time.”  
  
    Porrim gave Aranea a disapproving look.  “Didn’t you once tell me that when it comes to good rum, only grubs drink from bottles?”  
  
    “Shush, you.  What about Squish?”  
  
    “Squish and I have had lots to talk about, if you must know.  He’s pretty quiet, yes, but that’s just his introverted nature; he only talks when he has something to say.  He was fantastic in the defense of the Caves and since then, he and I have chatted about a great many things.  So imagine my surprise when he handed me this button and told me where it came from... and why he wanted me to have it.”  
  
    Aranea blinked a couple of times and then the light came on.  “DID HE JUST PROPOSE PALE TO YOU?”  
  
    Porrim beamed.  “He did indeed!”  
  
    “Well, I never thought I’d see the night you’d find a moirail!  I’m so happy for you!”  For a moment, Aranea forgot about what was to come and came around the table to give her matesprit a hug.  “Never thought in a million sweeps it would be Squish Imdead, mind you, but what do I know?  I admit I haven’t been around to see you two interact all that much.”  
  
    “It’s all right.  I’ve been the one who’s been away a lot lately.  Anyway, I need to find a token for him and I was hoping maybe you could help me come up with one later on?  Once we’re done discussing the details of this Big Plan of yours.”  
  
    “Perhaps.”  Aranea sat back down and took another quick sip.  “So, before that, dare I ask what’s in the box?”  
  
    Porrim said nothing but passed a small white box sporting a blue ribbon over to her.   
  
    “I’m afraid to guessssssss...”  
  
    “Don’t guess, then!  Open it!”  
  
    Aranea undid the ribbon with intentionally agonizing slowness; Porrim responded with an impatient scowl.  “If you keep that expression on your face too long, Porrim, it’ll stay like that.”  
  
    “I’m a healthtender, Rae.  No it won’t.”  
  
    She cracked the box open.  “Fiiiiiiiine, then; let’s see what we have here...”  Once she realized what it was she was holding, her buoyant mood fell to her feet and her mouth almost joined it.  
  
    “I figured it was about time we both filled in something we were missing.  I’m already wearing mine; rather surprised that you didn’t even notice it.”  
  
    Aranea lifted the gold hoop earring from its soft pad inside the box.  Her eyes flicked to Porrim’s sponge clots: both of her earlobes now sported matching gold hoops, identical to the one she now held and the one that resided in her own left ear.    
  
    Porrim grinned.  “Have I actually struck you speechless for once?”  
  
    Aranea’s hands started to shake; she dropped to the floor and then crawled under the table, the sounds of retching following immediately after.    
  
    “Oh!  Are you all right?  You’re not choking are you?”  
  
    “Ugh... nope.  I’ll be... fine in a... moment.”  Each break in Aranea’s speech was punctuated with a spit that made Porrim more concerned.    
  
    “If you say so.  Let me know if you need my help!”  
  
    Aranea replied by placing one hand on the table’s edge, then the other and pulling herself up off of the floor.  She did her best to push her hair out of her face and threw it behind her shoulders but a few wayward strands clung to her features.  “Good news: supper stayed where I put it.  Mostly.  The better news is that I didn’t get any on my dress.”  She grabbed her cup and swallowed its contents, happy to wash what did come up back down.    
  
    Porrim grimaced at the thought.  “That can’t be a good idea.”  
  
    “My darling Porrim, rum is ALWAYS a good idea.  It had nothing to do with that unfortunate reaction of mine there.  I do apologize for that; probably not what you were hoping for?”  
  
    “That certainly wasn’t the response I was expecting, I must admit.  So, if it wasn’t the booze, might I ask what did bring that on?  I know that you received a serious physical battering from your previous matesprit for stealing these original earrings but I took it that you had laid all that to rest a long time ago.  I’m genuinely sorry if these brought back unpleasant memories; I really hoped they’d become symbols of our relationship now.”  
  
    “Oh, they have, love.  It’s just...”  She paused and contemplated what to say next.   _Ok, Felida, here goes nothing._  Aranea grabbed the arm of her chair and pulled it over so that she would be sitting beside Porrim instead of across from her.  “It’s just time you heard The Plan.  Some parts of it you aren’t going to like.  What I want you to know, above all other things, is that you are my matesprit and always will be.  I love you more than anything on Alternia.  Do you understand this?”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “I do, but you’re really starting to worry me, Rae...”  
  
    Aranea reached over to the counter and grabbed the last bottle of rum before sitting down.  “A little worry is healthy, admittedly.  It’s kept me alive for a lot of sweeps.  If all goes well, it’ll keep me alive for a lot more.”  She popped the cork and poured herself another cupful.    
  
    “You won’t be alive much longer if your poor filterslab stops functioning because you killed it with rum!  You do realize that all this alcohol isn’t going to preserve you, right?”  
  
    “At the moment, it’s preserving my sanity.  I’ll even save you some for when I’m done; I suspect you might actually choose to indulge.”  
  
    “We’ll see.”  Porrim said.  “Let’s do both of us a favour and discuss this plan so we can both finally relax afterward?”  
  
    “All right, all right.”  Aranea took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she let it out through her nose.  “Before we do this, I’m going to do something very unusual: I’m going to make you a promise.”   
  
    “Oh?”  
  
    Aranea looked her matesprit directly in her jade and yellow eyes.  “I promise I will not mess with your emotions in any way, shape or form as I tell you this.  This has to be something you experience for yourself.”  
  
    Porrim blinked a few times.  “Remember when I said you were starting to worry me?  I’m officially worried.”  
  
    “Dammit, Porrim, I know!  And it’s killing me that it has to be this way!  Let me start with the basics.”  She took another swig of rum and ignored Porrim’s raised eyebrow.  “We received word this evening that the Grand Highblood has Aurana’s matesprit, Kaerah, as a captive.  By some stroke of luck, he has given Aurana and me eight nights to surrender ourselves.  Obviously, that’s not happening.  What do we do if they do something big?”  
  
    “We do something bigger,” Porrim answered.  
  
    “Attagirl!  Now, I must admit, this is pretty big and we’re not dealing with Ultra Giga Admiral Chumpail this time.  One thing I learned from our intrusion into the Grand Justicehive is that Kurloz Makara is a seriously deranged individual.  Syhale’s not a problem to deal with; Makara is another bowl of worms altogether.  Kaerah is, as far as we can tell, unharmed so far but I don’t suspect it would take much to change that should he get wind of any attempt to outright rescue her.  So, the plan is to take this way over his head.”  
  
    Porrim frowned as she contemplated what this meant.  “If I understand you correctly, you want to get the Condesce’s attention.”  When Aranea nodded, Porrim continued, “And how are we going to do that?  Send her a transmission on Condynet?”  
  
    “Let’s just say I have a far, far better way in mind of doing so.  The first step involves finding her lusus.”  
  
    “And how will you do that?  I gather her lusus is massive but the oceans are even more so.”  
  
    “Fear not, love; the reason we hit the Grand Justiceblock was to gain access to the Grand Highblood’s computers.  That mission was a smashing success; Makara used the keylogger panel I placed over the terminal built into his throne immediately after he returned.  I have full access to Imperial systems, which includes a program that depicts where Gl’bgolyb is at any given time so that Navy traffic can give her a wide berth, lest she snack on them instead of rogues like us.  Horuss has already reverse engineered a tracker so finding that foul thing is the easy part, believe it or not.  It’s what we do when we find her that’s the challenge: my original plan was to steal a whole pile of atomics from larger Navy vessels and then use the _Deep 8lue_ to deliver the payload.  If we did Gl’bgolyb enough damage, Condy might come running but there would be serious fallout, both radioactive and proverbial, if we used atomics – many who joined our cause would have been most displeased with me, I suspect.  The good news is we no longer have to consider that course of action; we have something much more effective.”  
  
    “Which would be?”  
  
    Aranea grinned.  “A beasttalker!”  
  
    “Ah yes.  Lamiea mentioned our Rufioh has that skill.  I gather it works similarly to your empathic ability, but just that he’s in tune with lusii and animals versus trolls?”  
  
    “Seems that way.  He gave me a demonstration – and no, not the kind you need to be worried about – and it’s legit.”  
  
    “I see,” Porrim said through squinted eyes.  “But would it work on a lusus that size and blood colour?”  
  
    “He said he’s been successful controlling highblood lusii but obviously Gl’bgolyb is in another category altogether.  What will increase his odds of success, though, is his friend Daalla’s gifts.”  
  
   Porrim thought about this.  “I’ve watched her fight and I don’t believe I’ve seen what she’s capable of.  Save for pissing Felida off on occasion with her headstrong behaviour.”  
  
    “You wouldn’t see it outright,” Aranea explained, “She is as her name says: a catalyst.  She can amplify someone else’s abilities by making it easier to use them or help combine someone talents with another’s.  The person she’ll need with her is Kandun, or Drawback.  He appears to able to reduce metabolic requirements; what makes him so strong is that he requires less energy to create the same power.  Put the three of them together and you have a rather potent combination.”  
  
    “To do what?  Kill the Condesce’s lusus?  Is that even possible?”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.  “My dear, sweet, lovely Porrim, you’ve come a long way with me and my crew but there is still so much for you to learn.  Kill it?  We have a zero percent chance of being able to kill it.  That thing’s a Horrorterror from the Outer Reaches.  Literally that.”  
  
    “How do you know this?  I can’t imagine that’s common knowledge.”  
  
    “Let’s say that I’ve encountered it a time or two.  I wouldn’t suggest you ask Felida about it unless she’s in a good mood and even then, expect she’ll be in a bad one by the time you’re done discussing it.  Even my blade can’t penetrate its hide.”  
  
    “So if cutting it into little pieces isn’t an option, much less hurling nuclear weapons at it, what do you plan to accomplish with these three?  They can’t kill it...”  
  
    “...but they can put it to sleep!” Aranea exclaimed.  “All Rufioh has to do is send an amplified command to it to make it go  dormant and Kandun can reduce the amount of energy they expend in order to do so.  The Plan to send the _Deep 8lue_ goes ahead, just with a completely different payload onboard.”  
  
    Porrim nodded as she considered this.  “All right.  Who’s piloting the sub?”  
  
    “Kaiyuh Umbras.  She’s trained well enough under Felida to handle that, especially if the Navy can get a sub of their own anywhere near it.”  
  
    “I was wondering about that.  It would take a few nights for the Condesce to get back to Alternia, I suspect?  How will we be able to protect the sub for that long?”  
  
    “First, you suspect correctly.  That’s why I’m glad to have Kandun with Rufioh and Daalla.  In order to keep that beastie unconscious, they will be in a trancelike state for the duration of the mission.  Rufioh wasn’t thrilled about taking a non-combat role but when he realized the importance of it, he accepted the task.  As for protecting the sub, we’re going all out.  And I mean that literally.”  Aranea arranged some of the plates and spoons on the table to illustrate.  “Best case scenario: Gl’bgolyb disappears from sensors altogether when she goes to sleep.  Even if that’s the case, if the Navy still uses her last known position, they’ll be able to find us.  When they arrive, all they’ll see is a few of our ships milling about like they’re in a training exercise.  If they show up with an armada, which I fully expect, they’ll focus on those vessels, who will try to lure them away from the area.  A few klicks away will be eighty percent of our fleet, masked by a cloaking device.  We should be able to do serious damage to many of their capital ships before they even get a shot off.”  
  
    “They could still easily outnumber us ten to one,” Porrim said, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”  
  
    Aranea moved a few of the spoons around.  “Ah, but wait!  There’s more!  The remaining twenty percent of the fleet will also be cloaked but kept in four small groups about fifteen minutes away.  These groups will be utilized by the Fleet Captain at her discretion to provide backup or assistance or even hit-and-run action.  I believe we should be able to hold out long enough for the Condesce to arrive.”  
  
    Porrim thought about this for a moment.  “You chose to say ‘Fleet Captain’ instead of referring to yourself.  Where are you going to be?  Where am I going to be?”  
  
    “This might be the part you aren’t going to like.”  
  
    “Try me.”  
  
    “You’re going to be here on the island, coordinating the defense.  I need eyes from a distance.  You’ll be equipped with drones to monitor the situation from the air.”  
  
    “And why can’t Horuss do that?  It’s not like he’s going to be on the ship with you... right?”  
  
    Aranea bit her lip.  “Wellllllll... actualllllllly...”   
  
    “You’re kidding.”    
  
    “I need him there to ensure the cloaking devices remain functional.  If one of them fails prematurely, we’re all dead in the water.  Doesn’t that make sense?”  
  
    “And Meulin?  This sounds like something she could handle, no?”  
  
    “Porrim, some of these ships are being staffed by raw recruits.  She won’t have time to finish their training prior to our departure so she’s going to be continuing that as best she can enroute.  Considering there are going to be more people on ships than on the island, she’ll be coordinating mess services as well.  Both jobs are very important.”  
  
    Porrim sighed with exasperation.  “Of course.  And Aurana?”  
  
    “Ummmmmmmm... she’s kinda the bait, sorta...”  
  
    “Lovely.  So you’re telling me that your cybermech and your cook and your ex-bodyguard are more useful on your ship than your healthtender and your first officer.”  
  
    Aranea put her hand to her forehead and growled.   _Porrim, my love, please try to understand...  
  
    You said you weren’t going to mess with my thinkpan, remember?_  
  
    “I’m not messing with your thinkpan!”  Aranea reached over and took one of Porrim’s hands into both of her own.  “Let me try to explain this in a better way: you are far too valuable to me to risk on this mission.  Your skills are never in question!  It’s just that there are people I would rather risk – including myself- than you.  If this works, dear heart, you’ll become the most important piece of all!  I can’t risk you here!  Don’t you get that?”  
  
    “I’m still uncertain as to why I would be, but if you say so.  And where are you going to be again?”  
  
    "I will be in charge of the fleet until the Condesce shows up.  After that, Felida will take over while I find my way to her flagship to negotiate.”  
  
    “Negotiate...”  Porrim huffed.  “I know this has been your idea all along, Rae, but now that we’re sitting here, actually formulating an actual plan of action, do you genuinely believe that you can negotiate with someone like her?  She has never shown any inkling of desire to alter this hemohierachy that serves her well.  She had Kankri and I hunted down for trying to change things for the better!  She’s a vicious tyrant!”  
  
    Aranea steeled herself.  “That’s true.  But this time I have something that she wants so badly, she just might consider it.”    
  
    The inevitable question was asked.  “And what on Alternia might that be?”  
  
    “Me.”  
  
    Porrim gave her a confused look.  “You?  I thought you said surrendering yourself wasn’t an option.”  
  
    “It’ll get me onto her ship.  And then from there we can discuss our terms.”  
  
    “And so in exchange for some form of equitable sharing of power, what are you going to offer her?”  
  
    Aranea released Porrim’s hand and reached for her goblet to take a deep drink from it.  “I already told you.”  
  
    “Why would she want you, though?”  
  
    “Let’s just say that my access to Makara’s computer has yielded some confirmation of something that I’d already suspected.  Do you recall what I said some time ago about there being no one left to challenge me?”  
  
    Porrim stared at her red lover, eyes wide.  “I don’t know if I like where this is going, Rae.”  
  
    “The Admiral of the Fleet is a joke to me; I’ve shown him up publicly so often it’s a wonder he’s still in charge.  The Grand Highblood is just another maniacal clown who’s about to have his ass handed to him.  There’s only one place left to go from there, Porrim.  In exchange for a sharing of power on this planet, I’m going to offer her my hand in kismesissitude.”    
  
    “That’s what I was afraid you were going to say.”  Porrim reached over to the bloodwine and, with an unsteady hand, poured herself a glassful of the murky maroon liquid.  “So you think that she’s actually interested in waxing black for you?  And this is based on the Grand Highblood’s communications with her?”  
  
    “Yes... that and some other previous knowledge.  Meenah and I have a bit of a history.”  
  
    “Meenah?” Porrim asked, “Who’s Meenah?”  
  
    _I swear I just had this conversation,_ Aranea thought to herself.  “I’m going to safely assume you know the official surname of the fuchsiablood Imperial line.”  
  
    “Peixes, of course, but what does that have to do with...”  Porrim’s sentence trailed off.  “That’s right... Meenah Peixes is the Empress.  You just don’t hear her called that terribly often.  In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it outside of the Caves.”  
  
    “Exactly.  She doesn’t want most people to know it.  She’s quite content to let her new grandiose title, Her Imperious Condescension, stand in its stead.  She said it suited her far better; a fitting name for the most powerful ruler this world has ever known.  And quite a few other worlds by now, I suspect.”  
  
    “I know you were in the Navy many sweeps ago.  Did you ever get to meet her?”  
  
    Aranea took another swallow from her glass.  “You could say that...”  
  
    “I did say that.  Did you serve on her ship or something?”  
  
    “Yes.”  
  
    “In what capacity?”  
  
    “For a time, I was her aide,” Aranea answered.  
  
    Porrim’s eyebrows rose at this information.  “That’s... probably pretty impressive for a blueblood, isn’t it?”  
  
    “Yep.  First time that ever happened.  I would say she wasn’t always so caught up in bloodcaste but I’d be lying.”  
  
    “Why have you never told me about this?”  
  
    “Because I wasn’t sure how you’d take the idea of me being close to the Empress that you so rightfully despise.”  
  
    “Close is one thing when it’s your job, but to offer an ebon relationship to her?  Seems a bit of a leap, no?”  
  
    Aranea shrugged.  “Not really.  In a way, she was grooming me to be her protégé.  At least, that’s what I thought once upon a time.  It was probably for the better that we went our separate ways when we did.”  
  
    “You actually had a choice in the matter?”  
  
    “I really don’t know how to answer that one, love.  I’m still alive and I just found out the other night that she wanted to keep me that way.  For what exact purpose I’m not certain, but I think I know and if it buys the people on this world the freedom to live without fear, it’s worth it.”  
  
    What little colour was in Porrim’s face dropped away.  “But what it she hurts you?  Maims you?  Takes it way too far and kills you?  That’s not a fair trade at all!”  
  
    “Porrim, my darling, she’s already hurt me in more ways than you know.  I can take the worst she’s got and I don’t think she’d kill me.  That’s why I’m willing to do this.”  
  
    “Hurt you already?  What do you mean?”  
  
    Aranea polished off her glass of rum and set the empty vessel gently on the table.  “I thought the pain she inflicted on me for stealing from her was the most horrible I’d ever known but the pain of a broken pusher over the knowledge that our matespritship was over thanks to her lack of interest was far, far worse.”  She looked over at Porrim and felt the sickening wave of confusion emanating from the jadeblood.  “At least we can all agree that her taste in jewelry is exceptional, yes?”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t speak if her life depended on it.  She rose from her chair, hands trembling, and walked slowly to the front door of the hive.  Not a word escaped her jade tinted lips as the door slid open and she left.


	52. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felida visits Porrim in the Fool's Gam8it's respiteblock to try and help her understand why Aranea kept the secret of her first matesprit from her as long as she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this would have been up last Thursday night but my foot surgery didn't go as planned and I ended up spending a good chunk of the night in the hospital. My Dad has been in to visit until yesterday so this is the first chance I've had to post. Sorry for the delay; I hope this chapter is just what the proverbial doctor ordered! :::; )

   
** 51. **

    “Open up, Jadebutt!  I know you’re in there!”

    Porrim debated whether or not to reply at first but decided she might as well.  “Did she send you?”

    Felida leaned against the door to the _Fool’s Gam8it_ ’s master respiteblock to ensure that the jadeblood could hear her.  “Porrim, NOBODY sends me.  Not even her.”

    After weighing the validity of this statement, Porrim sat up on the edge of the massive bed and wiped her eyes.  “Fine.  Computer, open the door.”

    With a soft hiss, the door opened and Felida entered the dark respiteblock.  She was able to see Porrim thanks to the soft light from the hallway behind until the door shut again, but switched her cybernetic eye to read heat signatures once it closed.  “Wanna talk?”

    “What do you want me to say?”

    “Well, you could say, ‘What the fuck was I thinking?  Maybe it really wasn’t such a big hairy deal that my matesprit once dated the Condesce a long, long time ago and that it’s me she really loves and would do damn near anything for and I shouldn’t worry about a godsdamned thing because no matter what, Aranea Serket loves the living shit out of me and will come back as soon as she actually pulls off her plan to make the world a better place?’  How about that?”

    Porrim snorted.  “You actually think that she can convince Her Imperious Condescension to do anything, much less surrender her grip on society?  Then you’re as big a fool as she is.”

    “Hey, last time I checked, you were the idealist, not me.  I’m the realist and I’m going to be blunt with you: this has less to do with The Plan and more to do with the fact that she didn’t tell you about Condy being her first matesprit.”

    “You think?” Porrim spat.

    Felida chuckled softly.  “Okay, that’s good.  Admitting the problem is the first step.  I’m not going to defend her decision; she told me a long time ago and then made me forget it.  Her reasoning was that should I be captured, it’s better that I couldn’t share that information.  Logical?  Sure.  But on a personal note, it was kinda unfortunate that she couldn’t share it with me completely.  In my case, it had more to do with the nature of the job.  In yours, however, she was worried it would break your heart and you wouldn’t understand.  Looks like she was right.”

    “Does it matter who’s right here?  Do you actually think I’m in the wrong?”

    “Not entirely.  This is about as grey an area as I’ve ever seen.  Look, Porrim, she knew it would upset you.  If she could have gone the rest of her life or yours without you ever knowing, it would have been just fine with her.  However, as soon as this plan got accelerated, things changed drastically.  She let me remember it and one of the first things I made her agree to was that she tell you tonight.  So blame me as well if it makes you feel any better, but I told her you had a right to know and that she needed to suck it the fuck up and tell you everything.”

    Porrim stifled a laugh.  “You told her to suck it up?  And yet you live?”

    “Moirallegiance does have its benefits but also its boundaries as I discovered.  Mind if I come sit with you?”

    “I suppose.”  

    Felida took a seat on the bed beside her kismesis.  “Mind if we turn the lights up a little?  I have something you need to see.  I know you’re down in the dumps right now, but I might need a wee bit of healthtending.”

    This spurred Porrim into action.  “What?  Oh!  Computer, lights to fifty percent.”  As the lighting in the room brightened, Porrim’s eye was immediately drawn to the blood trickling from Felida’s right shoulder and the bits of glass imbedded in her skin.  “What happened?”

    “Well, after I went in there and found her on the floor crying her eyes out, I tried to suggest she go crawl into the ‘coon for a spell.  She told me she wasn’t going to sleep until she talked to you again, hoping to make you understand why she was doing this, but I noticed that there were a few empty bottles on the floor.  So, I quickly put a verbal lock on the cellar door and then took away her last bottle of rum.”

    Porrim’s eyes flew open.  “You took away her rum.  Are you mad?”

    “No, but she sure was!”

    “How are you even still alive?”

    “Like I said, we’re moirails.  If it was anyone else, I’m pretty sure she would have been mentally convincing them to pull their own head off.  I told her I planned to toss her in the recupracoon whether she wanted to go or not and that’s when she started throwing empty bottles.  She didn’t connect but she did hit the wall right beside me once, hence the glass shrapnel in my shoulder.  Don’t suppose you could assist me with that?”

    “Of course; just a moment.”  Porrim rose to find her small kit that she kept in the respiteblock in case of emergencies and returned with tweezers, some ointment and a metal cup.  “It’s a genuine miracle you’re still alive.  You realize this, right?”

    Felida shrugged and then winced as she felt the glass move; a fresh olive trickle spilled down her arm.  “Sometimes one does what one must for the people we love... and hate.  Porrim, I hate you.  I really do, in my own special pale way.  And this is why I need to kick your ass if you don’t go talk to her once she dries out.”

    Porrim sat back down and prepared the tweezers.  “I’m about to pull glass shards out of you and you’re talking about kicking my ass?  Might not be the most optimal timing.”

    “I can take a little pain if it means getting through to you on this.  The woman who is planning what amounts to a planetary coup, whose actions could improve billions of lives on this world, is likely passed out in a pool of vomit and tears because you’re being sullen over who she was red with a few hundred sweeps before you were hatched.  Tell me how this makes a lick – ow! – of sense!”

    The first chunk of glass hit the bottom of the cup with a soft clink.  “I just... needed to get some space to think about it, okay?  And now, here you are, invading that space.  You’re lucky you’re in need of medical attention or I might have tossed you back out.”

    “No, you wouldn’t have.  You know this conversation needs to happen and the sooner, the better.  Let me try and – rrgh – give you a bit of the perspective you seem to be lacking right now.”  Felida looked at her aching shoulder.  “Is that one right about there?”

    “I’ll get it, relax.  You believe I need some perspective, do you?”

    “Damn right, you do!” Felida exclaimed.  “Let me put it this way: what was she wearing when you saw her tonight?”

    Porrim sighed.  “The dress that I made for her.”

    “Pretty obvious why she would wear that, no?”

    “Not really.  Maybe she was just trying to cushion the blow?  She is a master manipulator, you know.”

    “Seriously?  C’mon, Jadebutt, you know – dammit that hurt – you know she was trying to do something nice for you tonight.  Look at that dress you’re wearing!  There was a lot of work put into that, you know!”

    “By who?  Everyone but her?  I know she can’t sew to save her soul.”

    “The point is that she wanted you to have it.  She GAVE you something.  She was trying to give BACK to you because she knows you’ve given so much to her!”

    Porrim used the edge of the tweezers to gently scrape a piece of glass free from Felida’s grey skin.  “She’s still more than happy to wear the earrings she got from the Condesce.  And then to give one of those to me?  You wonder why I’m so confused, Felida?  Why would she do that?”

    “You can be pretty naive when you want to be, Porrim.  Both you and Aranea have told me the story of what happened when you two met and how that whole business with that scumsucker Ampora went down.  She gave that to you because she wanted to do something different: she wanted to give!  Don’t you get it?  When she was with Condy, she learned how to take.  In fact, that was pretty much all she did was take.  The Condesce didn’t give her those earrings, remember?  Aranea took them!  She paid a heavy price for it but at the same time, I bet Condy was pleased as punch to see her – seriously! Take it easy, will you? – see her aide or lover or whatever you want to call her acting like her.  And she did: even when she and... what was her name again?”

    “Meenah,” Porrim grumbled.

    “Yeah, that’s it.  When she and Meenah split and Aranea decided to become Mindfang, she took and took and took because that’s all she knew.  She took money and clothes and lovers and haters; it didn’t matter to her who or what it was, she took it.  She was every bit the Gamblignant and she revelled in it.  I’m not going to lie to you; when someone has that degree of self-confidence, it’s attractive.  Mine was completely in the gaper at that point in my life but she took me and helped make me into the woman I am today.  Was that a good thing?  And before you snark out a snappy answer because I can hear your thinkpan just clicking away on one, let me say I thought so.  I get to be the person I always wanted to be.  But the revelation that a lot of the lessons she taught me about our Dom-sub relationship were originally learned from her relationship with Condy was pretty heavy.  I just spent a good chunk of the night dealing with it all over again while Aranea explained The Plan to everyone else.  But you know what?  I love it and I... love her as much as any palemate can.”

    Porrim said nothing but continued to extract glass bits from Felida’s arm.

    “But one night, out of the black, you showed up in our lives.  Next thing I know, you’re all I’m hearing about.  At first I wondered what the hell was going on but it wasn’t too long before I noticed a change in Aranea.  A BIG change.  Where normally she – mmmph! – would be hoarding loot for herself, she was starting to hand it out to others.  Strangely enough, that was when we started gaining more in the way of ships and deckhands and everything.  Honestly, Porrim, I think this Plan of hers actually started that long ago!  But the thing you need to take from it is this:  Condy taught her how to take.  You taught her how to GIVE!  That’s how big a deal you are!  You changed her from a self-minded pirate into a world-minded warrior.  Something tells me you had a bit of previous experience at that as well.”

    The thought of Kankri made Porrim smile in spite of her mood.  “Perhaps.”

    “The point I’m trying to make here is that it’s you she cares about, not the Condesce.  It’s your dress she wears; Condy wouldn’t have given her anything like that!  It’s your symbol she has tattooed on her body not once but twice!  You see any fishbitch tattoos on her?  I know I sure haven’t and I’ve seen just as much of her skin as you have!”

    “The Condesce left her own brand of tattoos on Aranea,” Porrim replied.  

    “And Aranea had them covered up, turned them into something that fit her!  She’s not proud of her time there.  If she was, she probably never would have left in the first place!  Is any of this getting through to you, Jadebutt?  She’s with you.  Not Rufioh, not Condy... not me.  YOU.”  Felida looked up at the jadeblood and locked eyes with her.  “You wanna know something?  It’s probably no surprise, but maybe you need to hear it from me: I’ve always been jealous of you two.  You think you’ve got a jealous streak?  So do I.  In all of my sweeps with Aranea, I wished and hoped and begged that she could love me the way she loves you: with all the red at her disposal.  I used to dream about filling a bucket with her, being red lovers instead of just pale.  But you know what?  The more I watched you two together, the more I understood about red relationships.  You can’t force them, they just happen.  Your situation was really uncommon; who knew that it could bloom like that between a prisoner and a captor and grow into something so genuine?  I put my feelings for her aside and wholly embraced the pale love I was given.  Getting to wax black with you was a joy I never thought I’d get to experience, either.  My life is full, Porrim.  I get to have Aranea, I get to have you and sometimes both at the same time.  Are we inclade as fuck?  Hell yeah!  Is it awesome?  Damn right!  What if Aranea and I used to be matesprits before you came along?  Would you have ended the relationship if you found out?  I’d like to hope not.  Does it matter if Meenah and Aranea were matesprits before you?  No!  She wants no part of red with Condy but is willing to try and woo her ebon in order to fulfill her promise to you of trying to make this a better world for everyone!”

    “And get kidnapped or killed in the process?  I’m scared, Felida!  I don’t want the cost to be the woman I love!  I know the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few but that’s a price I don’t think I can bear to pay again!  I’ve already paid too much, damn it!”  Porrim threw the tweezers, dropped back down onto the bed and covered her face with her hands.  “I’ve already lost the dearest person in my life to that beast once!  I can’t be broken like that again!”

    _Oh shit.  Good point.  How do I deal with this?_ Felida thought.  “Porrim, listen to me very carefully: as hard as this is for you to hear, you may not have a choice.  Aranea will do what Aranea does.  And it’s you she’s doing this for!  There is a serious risk in this plan; any or all of us could be killed.  But we have to take that chance because the potential payoff could change the world!  Everything we’ve done up to this point has been in preparation for this moment.  We have to fight back.  If you fight, you may not win but you’ll never win if you don’t fight!   You know that better than anyone here.  I can’t even hope to understand how you survived what you lost but I bet it had a lot to do with the love between you and Aranea.  I know I wouldn’t even be here talking to you if it wasn’t for her!  But know that love is still there – will always be there – no matter what happens.  She’s not going to suddenly ditch you for Condy and you can bet your bottom caegar that if this doesn’t go the way she wants it to, she’s got a backup plan... one that might involve perforating the Empress!  I don’t know, she hasn’t said anything like that to me at all, but just know that no matter what she says or does when she’s up there, she loves you and only you.  I can’t say anything further about that right now, but when the time comes, I’ll fill you in.  Do you trust me?”

    “Y-yes,” Porrim sobbed.

    “Good.  You’re one of my favourite people, Jadebutt.  I don’t know what I’d do without you to be honest.  I trust you on a level that so few kismesises could ever hope to achieve and I’m thankful you’re in my life.  But back in our hive is a woman that would assassinate the ruler of our people for you or die trying.  I’m sure it won’t come to that, but if it did, I have zero doubt in my pan that she wouldn’t hesitate to kill the woman she used to love to avenge the one she loves now.”

    “But what if... what if I don’t want her to go?”  Porrim put her hand to the silver sigil she wore around her neck and tried to block the thoughts of the Signless’s fate from bubbling up in her mind.  

    Felida sighed.  “It’s too late now.  Wheels are in motion.  This is the endgame.  Your son believed that this world belonged to everyone, and I’m betting he learned that from you.  This is our chance to see that through.  But the person who can make that happen is terrified that your belief in her is shaken.  You need to go and remind her how deep your love for her is.  Do that and maybe, just maybe, we get a happy ending this time.  What do you say?”

    Porrim swallowed the lump in her protein chute as best she could.  “I say you sound an awful lot like her right now.  You’re right about this.  All of it.”

    “Ha!  And who sounds a lot like her now?”

    “I didn’t even realize I was doing it.”

    “Funny how that happens.  Now, are you done picking pieces out of me?”

    “Almost.  I still see a couple more.”  Porrim released her grip on her necklace and picked up the tweezers again.  “How hard did she throw that bottle?”

    Felida moved her arm to give Porrim easier access to the side of her bicep.  “Let’s just say that if she’d connected, I’d likely be visiting Horuss looking for another new arm.  And please don’t give her shit for that?  She was... in a state.”

    Porrim hung her head.  “I can imagine.  But that doesn’t make my feelings any less valid.”

    “No one ever said it did.  You were hurt and confused and so was she.  You’ll likely find her passed out on the floor of the diningblock.  Gotta admit, it was... really weird to see her like that.”

    “I would imagine.”

    “Honestly, Porrim, if that doesn’t speak volumes, I don’t know what does.”  Felida laughed and added, “I wonder what her life would have been like without you or me in it.  What would she have done?”

    “She probably would have jumped Rufioh’s bones and made him her matesprit.”

    “Porrim!  Wow, you are a jealous one!  You have nothing to worry about from that guy.  Relax!”

    “I know.  Just having some fun.  He’s a decent enough fellow; courageous.  She could do worse.”

    Felida placed her hand on Porrim’s thigh.  “Good news.  She doesn’t have to.  She has us.  Who would trade that for some pretty boy with wings?”

    Porrim thought for a few moments.  “Maybe I should get some wings...”

    “You have got to be kidding me.”

    “Yes, I am.  Now hold still... I can use my fingernails to get these last ones out now.  Just a couple more to go.  Think you can handle it?”

    “I’ll try.”

    She picked up the cup that contained the extracted glass pieces and then stood up to set about picking out the remaining ones.  “And Felida?”

    “Mmhmm?”

    A deep breath.  “Thank you.  For doing this.  You’re right; I needed to hear it.”

    “You know damn right you did.  We’ll get through this.  If anyone can make this happen, it’s us.”

    “I sure hope so.  You know, this is rather strange...”

    Felida’s face reflected her sudden concern.  “What is?  My arm?”

    “No, you boob.  Just... what you did here.”

    “How so?”

    Porrim put the cup full of glass shards on the daystand and then opened a packet of alcogel to start wiping out the cuts.  “It’s like you were acting as a reverse auspistice; instead of trying to keep two potential kismesises apart, you’re trying to keep two established matesprits together.  What would you call something like that?”

    “One of a kind.”  Felida gave the jadeblood a swat on the backside.

    Porrim sighed.  “Just for that... give me that arm back.  This may sting a bit.”

    “Aw you’re just saying that tOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!  You suck!”

    “Pay me back later.  I have a feeling I’m going to need to be at my best tomorrow night.  Best I not show up too beaten up on the outside.”

    Felida reached over and put her hand around Porrim’s.  “It’s the injuries inside that we need to deal with once and for all, okay?  Aranea’s been carrying that one around ever since you’ve been together.  Help her heal.  You’re always reminding us that you’re a healthtender, not a charging unihornbeast or a sautéed veggieloaf or whatever you come up with this week, so be a healthtender.  Mental and emotional health is just as important.  She’ll never in a million sweeps admit that she could use some help but you’re the only one who can do it.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but the success of everything depends on this.  Just sayin’.”

    “Well, certainly no pressure there at all, is there?”  Porrim’s smirk spoke to her rapidly improving mood and Felida was certainly thankful to see it.  “All right, then.  I’m exhausted as exhausted can be; I’ll go find her and see if I can snuggle up to her while she sleeps this off.”

    “Excellent!  My work here is done, so I’m gonna just hop in the ‘coon right here if that’s all right.  You two need to patch this up yourselves.  I have to work with Horuss on installing the cloak generators when the sun goes down in a few hours so I’ll catch up with you both after that, okay?”

    “Sure.  Hey, I do have some cute bandages in my medikit if you’d like them for your arm.  They have little glow-in-the-dark green and pink moons on them.”

    Felida snorted. “I’m good, thanks.  Use ‘em on Aranea.”

    Porrim offered a tired smile in return.  “If only it were that easy.”

    “The good things never are easy, Jadebutt, but they’re worth it.”

    “Funny, I wasn’t aware you were carrying a platitude generator in your nook.”

    “Just make like a tree and get outta here already, will you?”

    Porrim left the _Fool’s Gam8it’s_ respiteblock laughing, something she never suspected would have been likely when she’d entered it.  

 

 

 

    “Brrrrrrrr... so cold...”

    “Don’t worry, you’ll be a lot warmer in a moment.”

    “Okay... if you say so...”

    “I do say so.”  

    The next sound Aranea heard was the snap-hiss of the shower being turned on and a few moments later, she was being bathed in a steady but gentle warm stream of water.   _I’m having some difficulty opening my eyes but I’m amazed my head doesn’t feel like someone threw a grenade into an ammunition dump.  
   
    That’s because you made it into your recupracoon.  You can’t open your eyes because they’re covered in goo.  You kept letting your head sink below the surface of the sopor slime until I propped you up into a better position inside of it. Good thing we have a two seat ‘coon._  

    “Porrim?” Aranea asked.  “When did you come back?”

    “Sometime after you passed out on the floor.  I never cease to be amazed at how good the slime is for draining toxins but considering how much rum you had in your system, it’s a wonder I’m not inebriated myself!  Now hold still; I’m going to wash your face and hair.”

    Aranea said nothing but welcomed the hot water as it washed over her features as much as she enjoyed the sensations created by Porrim’s fingers rubbing her face and scalp.  She gathered her head was in Porrim’s lap and her body lay stretched out away in another direction.   _This is delightful.  Certainly a far better way to wake up than I expected.  Or than I deserve, I suspect._

_No, Rae, it’s me who was the jerk, not you.  My response wasn’t warranted.  I’m sorry I ran away.  I don’t even know what made me more upset: who your first matesprit turned out be or that you waited fifty sweeps to tell me.  Either way, the way I acted wasn’t right and I’m sorry if I shook your belief in me... or in us or however you want to put it.  I just needed some space to figure out how I felt about it all._

_So you’ve had enough space now?_

_I believe so.  I gather time is of the essence.  But you understand why I freaked out at least?_

    “Hey, my former matesprit had to be someone, no?  And can you scratch right at the base of my right horn?”  Aranea shivered at the sensations.  “Mmmmmmmm... yeah.  The point, of course, is that the word ‘former’ is the essential one.  I wouldn’t trade eight thousand of her for one of you.”

    “But eight thousand and one you’d consider?”

    “Ah, there’s the smartnook I know and love.  You truly have nothing to fear; I don’t believe cloning technology has been developed yet that could produce a second Condesce, never mind eight thousand more.  And if it ever was, it would need to be smashed with a hammer.  Could you just imagine being able to cook up another dozen trolls out of nothing more than goo?  The very idea just gives me the jibblies, and you well know it takes an awful lot to give me the jibblies.”

    Porrim snorted a laugh.  “Well, when you put it that way, it does seem rather strange.  The good news is that there’s already an incredibly fun and easy way to make new trolls so cloning seems rather unnecessary.”

    “There is?”  Aranea reached up to wipe the last of the gelatinous slime from her eyelids and looked up at Porrim’s face.  “Can you give me a demonstration?”

    “Wow.  You’re as subtle as a kick in the shame globes some nights.”

    “I wouldn’t know.  I don’t have shame globes.  And last time I checked, which was...” Aranea turned her head to the side to try and get a better view of what was between Porrim’s legs, “... zero seconds ago, neither do you.”

    “The good news is globes aren’t required.  However, we also don’t have a pail handy.”

    Aranea pursed her lips at this information.  “Oh well.  There are enough trolls out there as it is.  Let’s just do it for shits and giggles.”

    Porrim let her hand run all the way up Aranea’s long, curved horn and back down again, aided by the water’s natural lubrication.  “For what it’s worth, I certainly don’t mind the latter but let’s try and avoid the former if at all possible.  So, does this qualify as make-up sex, then?”

    “Damn straight.  As in ‘making up for lost time’!  Although I have to admit that I was kind of anticipating a less than enthusiastic response from you once I revealed my secret anyway so I suppose it wasn’t really lost time.”  Aranea planted kisses on the soft curve of the bottom of Porrim’s tummy.  

    “Hey, that tickles!”

    “I know.  That’s why I’m doing it.”

    Porrim tried hard not to giggle when Aranea did it again.  “After all these sweeps, you’re still a brat.”

    “Admit it, you love it.”

    “I do.”

    “Gooooooood...”  Aranea rolled off of her red lover’s lap and sat up on her knees on the padded floor of the steamy shower.  She pressed her lips to Porrim’s and found her partner hungry to return the kiss.  The kisses soon moved to necks, ears, shoulders; fingers searched for purchase against backs, on breasts, through hair.  They fell to the wet floor, gasping at both the thin air and the sensations that lips and fingers made as they tasted and explored.  Aranea rolled Porrim onto her back and planted kisses down her stomach and down between her thighs, relishing the spasms and moans that emanated from her matesprit.   _Yessssssss... music to my sponge clots, love._  

    Porrim’s fingers ran though Aranea’s sopping hair and up to the root of her horns.   _Gods, yes!  Help me get... that tension out!  Put your mouth on me...  and love me..._

_With pleasure..._  Aranea sucked on the inside of Porrim’s left thigh, her kisses drifting inward one by one, brushing Porrim’s soft, swollen jade labia with her lips and gently sucking on them, savouring each blissful whimper the contact created.  This culminated in Aranea pursing her hips and blowing cool air onto her matesprit’s aching nub, teasing her before finally embracing that most sensitive place and gently sucking on it.  The emotional pulse from Porrim struck her like a crashing wave and she inhaled involuntarily.   _I haven’t felt something like that from you in a long ti-_

_Keep sucking!  PLEASE keep sucking!_

    Aranea could feel a hand gently pushing her head back down.   _Well, who am I to argue?_  She resumed her oral pleasuring, enjoying the feelings and flavours Porrim sent her both physically and emotionally.  She considered pausing, drawing it out longer and longer, but knew that her lover was as much in need of release as she was, so she slipped a pair of fingers into Maryam’s decidedly wet seedflap and used them in concert with her sweeping, swirling tongue to beckon her closer to her climax.  

    It came in a jade wave, pouring out as Porrim’s voice strained to reach a note it could never hope to, even in a shower.  Aranea closed her eyes and shared that pure pleasure, let it resonate and echo through her thinkpan, her own body begging for a similar experience but firsthand.  

    Porrim trembled on the floor, unable to find a word to speak; even her thoughts were too slippery and nebulous to render into concepts.  She simply let her orgasm run its course through her, taking away all of the stress and tension that had previously darkened her inside.  Aranea moved up beside her and held her hand while she rode it out.   _So... so..._

    “Shhhhhhhh... it’s all right, dear heart.  Just relax and enjoy.”  

    The water continued to fall around them in the large shower and Aranea considered turning the heat down somewhat but instead opened the door to allow some of the cooler air in to breathe.  This change in temperature brought Porrim back to consciousness rather quickly and she gulped in sacfuls of the rich air.  “Thank you.”

    “No problem.  It was getting a bit stuffy in here.”

    “I meant for what you were doing down there, Rae.  I needed that.  More than you know.”

    “Oh I know, love.  Believe me, I know.”

    Porrim sat up on to her elbows and looked at her blueblooded matesprit, who was sitting with her back to the shower wall, smiling away, hair dripping and stuck in wild strands all over her face and horns and breasts.  “I wish you could see how you look to me right now.  Still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

    Aranea’s smile grew that much wider, her long fangs now in full view.  “I’m glad you think so.  It’s only your opinion that matters to me.  I fought for you, Porrim.  Killed for you.  I’m not going to give away what we have for anyone.  There is no one on this planet – or OFF of it, for that matter – I want to be with more than you.  I will do everything I can to make sure that continues, I promise.  Believe in me, love.  No matter what you see or hear, know that my heart yours now and for always.  Put your fears to rest once and for all.  Can you do that?”

    “I... I can.  I will.”  Porrim wiped the water from her face and made her way over to where Aranea was sitting.  “I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”

    “If you believe in me, believe in yourself, too.  Even to this night, I still don’t think you know what you’re capable of.  You’re one of the most incredible people this world has ever known; why would I want to leave you for anyone at all?  If I wanted Meenah, I would have stayed with her.  I don’t want her that way.  I want you and you alone.  Do you finally understand this?”

    Porrim nodded and wiped her face again, this time to hide the tears that were spilling over.

    “Gooooooood.  I love you, Porrim Maryam.  More than life itself.”  Aranea took Porrim’s hand in hers and stroked the sapphire token she wore; the gold spider still perched atop the large stone.  “I’m glad you get to wear this one once in a while; I know it’s not practical with your work but I’ve always loved it.”

    “I wear the other fluorite band you had made for our tenth sweepiversary all the time.  It’s much smoother and fits well enough that I won’t lose it inside of a patient.”

    “Well, that’s all well and good but I do hope you don’t lose this one inside of me.”

    Porrim chuckled.  “Was that another one of your oh-so-subtle hints?”

    “Perhaps...”  

    In a fluid motion, Porrim sat astride Aranea’s legs and looked into her lover’s unusual eyes.  “Good news.  I can take a hint.”  She leaned in and kissed her again with all the passion at her disposal.  In time, she moved to place her kisses on the small spider that bore her symbol on Aranea’s neck.   _This seems like forever ago, doesn’t it?_

_The tattoo or the injury that preceded it?_

_Both.  I can’t believe I almost lost you that night._

_But you didn’t.  I live because you acted.  You did what needed to be done and you always will.  This is what makes you special, dear heart._

_If you say so.  And right now, I suspect what needs to be done is you._

    Aranea gasped as Porrim began kissing under her neckline.  “You suspect correctly...”

    Porrim began to make her way down from there, taking time to put each of Aranea’s conical breasts into her mouth and flicking the stiff cerulean nipple on the end with her tongue; the intensity of this caused the blueblood to reach down between her thighs and make swirls on her own nub.  As she did so, she opened her own empathic floodgates and bathed Porrim in a sea of echoed pleasure.   _Too much of that and I might lose focus on what I’m doing to you_ , Porrim warned.

    _I’ll take my chances_ , came the mental reply.

    _Surprising no one.  All right, then._  Porrim slipped back off of Aranea’s legs and gently grabbed her ankles in order to pull her away from the wall.  She ignored her matesprit’s cackles of laughter and continued self-pleasuring before parting Aranea’s legs and pushing those slender fingers out of the way so that she could take over.  

    _Why, Porrrrrrrrim!  Is it just me or are you being assertive?_

_Don’t you dare make an ass pun out of that!_

_What, is my name Oceleo now?  Have no fear._  

    Porrim wanted to laugh but instead pressed forward, using her wet fingers to gently rub on either side of Aranea’s cobalt nub while her tongue explored places below, visiting her openings and occasionally pressing inside, making Aranea call out both audibly and emotionally.  Eventually her fingers and her mouth switched roles, which intensified those shared sensations to a level Porrim herself could barely handle.   _Rae?_

_At laaaaaaaast..._  Before she could finish the thought, her release arrived in full force and the shower floor ran blue.  Both Aranea and Porrim closed their eyes and let the unnameable joy wash over them together as one...

 

 

 

    “She stirrrrrrrrs!  I was almost getting worried.”

    Porrim blinked her eyes open but couldn’t focus.  “Mm?  Where...”

    “You almost passed out in the shower, love.  I know that sometimes you forget to breathe when you have your own orgasms but I have to admit that’s the first time I’ve seen someone taken out by someone else’s!”

    “Oh.  Still don’t know where...”

    “On our bed.  I carried you out of the shower when I was able to finally stand.”

    Once she turned her head to the side, Porrim was able to confirm that they were still in their respiteblock and Aranea was nearby, towelling her hair dry in the light from the hygieneblock door.  “Thank you.”

    “Pssh!  Thanks go to you, Porrim!  You blew both our minds!”

    Porrim sighed and smiled.  “Glad we enjoyed it.”

    “Smartnook.”

    “Takes one to know one.”

    “So it does.”  Aranea tossed her saturated towel on the floor and grabbed another one from a nearby cabinet.  She walked over to the bed and tossed the towel down flat on the bed, then laid down on it beside Porrim.  “Thank you for a wonderful evening.  I love you.”

    “I love you, too, Aranea.  I wish this moment would never end and we could stay here for the rest of our lives.”

    Aranea kissed her matesprit on the back of her neck.  “I wish we could, too, dear heart.  Where I am is where I should be.”

    Porrim smiled and pressed herself back into Aranea.  “I could certainly use some warmth.”

    “Um, I’m a blueblood, remember?  You want warm, you’ve come to the wrong place.  You’re just chilly because you didn’t dry yourself off is all.  Not to mention you just came out of a rather hot shower.”

    “Stop making sense.”  Porrim pushed her bottom back even harder against Aranea’s thighs.  “Do we really have to do this?  Can’t we actually just stay here and just be happy?”

    “I’d believe that coming from anyone else but you, Porrim.  The Dolorosa in you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if we changed course at this far along.”

    “I suppose you’re right.”

    Aranea reached up and gently patted her on the head.  “Of course I’m right!  You should know this by now.”

    Porrim closed her eyes and sighed.  “Some nights I wonder what it’s like to go through life already having all the answers.”

    “Meh.  It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.  It does take a lot to surprise me.”

    “Sometimes I swear you have a crystal ball that tells you everything you need to know.”

    Hearing this, Aranea frowned and strained to recall something long forgotten.  “I had a dream one day about that.  Some strange and talkative fellow with a big ball for a head and a hideous green suit offered me a crystal ball that would tell me the future.  He had a young woman working for him wearing an equally hideous green dress – looked like a terrible costume out the Eastern Prefectures history book – who told me... something.  It was really important but damned if I can remember what it was.  Anyway, thanks to her, I ended up telling Mr. Ball Head to keep his damned juju; I wanted to make my own future.  And guess what?”  She kissed Porrim’s neck again for emphasis.  “That’s what I’m doing.  That’s what WE’RE doing!”

    “Seems like an odd dream.  I’m a touch surprised that you would turn down something that would tell you the future, though.  Could you imagine what you could accomplish with it?”

    “Tell me a bauble like that wouldn’t come with a price.  You’ve heard your share of fables, love: every last one of them that tells a tale of a gift too good to be true ends up with someone getting bitten in the ass – and not in a good way, either.”

    Porrim chortled.  “Thank you for making that distinction.”

    “Anyway, it was just a dream within a dream of somewhere in between.  I daresay we’ve done just fine so far without one, no?”

    “Admittedly, not too bad at all.  But I sure wish I had a glimpse of what was to come now.  I need to know you’re going to come back to me in one piece!”

    “Porrim, my love, Meenah won’t hurt me – at least, not outside the bounds of kismesissitude anyway.  She wants me for a reason.  The Plan is that she’ll come back every now and then, we have a black session and in return she lets someone other than her finfaced buddies and the insane clown posse run the circus on this planet.  I won’t let her take me away, either.  If that even seems like even a remote possibility, I will let you or Felida know somehow and you come get me.  But for now, the first step is to get Condy to come home and then we make our own fate from there.  Sound like a plan to you?”

    Maryam exhaled loudly.  “It is in fact a plan, yes.  Beyond that, all I can do is trust that it will unfold as it should.  Doesn’t mean I’m not scared, Rae.”

    “As hard as it is for you to believe, dear heart, so am I.  Being scared means you’ve got your wits about you, though.  It’s easy to be complacent and steer the ship on calm waters, but a captain’s mettle is tested only when the seas are rough.”

    “That adage is all well and good, but we’re dealing with a metaphorical quakewave here!”

   “Fortune favours the bold, love!  There cannot be great reward without great risk!”

    Porrim put her hand to her forehead.  “And I accused Felida of having a platitude generator in her nook...”

    “If she had one, I would have seen it by now, believe me.”  Aranea slipped her tattooed arm over the curve of Porrim’s hip.  “All bravado aside, we have no choice but to forge forward.  We have a truly unique opportunity here and we’d be fools to waste it.  I’m nobody’s fool and neither are you, so let’s make our mark.  No matter what happens, our love will endure.  I know you’ve lost someone dearer to you than even I could ever be, but this time, we’ll win.  I can feel it.  Believe in me, dear heart.  Believe in us.  No matter what happens, we will have an answer.  Do you believe?”

    “I... haven’t believed in anything since Kankri died except for you.”

    “Then believe in me now.  And believe in you.  I do.”

    Porrim moved her hand to place it over Aranea’s that had taken up residence on top of her thigh.  “Thank you.  And I believe in you.  Now more than ever.”

    “Attagirl.”  Aranea kissed her neck once more and moved her hand ever so slightly.  
“And I believe someone is feeling a bit frisky again.”

     “You better believe it, lady.”

    Porrim made a contented sound and allowed her red lover’s hand to roam freely between her thighs.  “Tell me this won’t be the last time we make love...”

    “Of course not,” Aranea answered.  “This plan doesn’t start until I say it does and I think we can get at least a couple more times in before someone even contemplates pounding on the hive door.”

    _To turn a phrase, this is why I love you, Aranea.  Never change._

_Hard for me to change when I’m not wearing any clothes, silly._

    Porrim laughed and pressed herself against Aranea’s playful touches.   _I’d say we rub off on each other but you’d take it far too literally._

_And that’s the best way, I’d say.  Come, dear heart, and be loved..._

 


	53. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 52

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindfang's fleet gets underway in search of their first target... one that gives them more of a challenge than any of them anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured I'd post this one up now; heading off to Vegas for a couple of weeks so expect the next chapter around Dec. 15 or so. I've been making all kinds of music the last little bit as well as a shortfic for the friend of mine who inspired this story (and it even fits into the canon!) but fear not, I've been busy with this tale as well and have begun Ch. 57 so we're well ahead of the curve. Hope you enjoy this one!

**52.**  
  
    “Something feels awfully... backwards about this,” Porrim said.  
  
    “It does, doesn’t it.”  Meulin averted her gaze away from her old friend for a moment.  “I almost feel guilty getting on this ship, to be honest.”  
  
    “Please don’t.  Really.  Your skills will be put to good use.”  She embraced the long haired oliveblood and added, “This is our best shot at seeing Kankri’s legacy come to pass.  We both have our roles to play.  If that means I have to remain here and help coordinate, then that’s what I’ll do.”  
  
    Meulin all but purred.  “You’ve always been the responsible one that’s kept us grounded; the one we come to when we need advice.  There’s no one I’d rather have to be watching over us.”  
  
    Porrim gave her another squeeze.  “Thank you.  And I will be.  But I need you to watch over a certain ceruleanblood who seems to have a tendency to go looking for trouble and then running headlong into it.”  
  
    The clack of scarlet boots on the wooden deck punctuated the conversation.  “Not only are we looking for trouble, my love, we’re looking for the biggest trouble of all and we’re going to find it, spank it and send it for a nap!”  Aranea surveyed the crew standing on the dock: Horuss and Felida waited patiently beside the gangplank, while Porrim and Meulin said their goodbyes a short distance in front.  “Status report, Horuss.”  
  
    “All cloaking devices are operational and running smoothly across the proverbial field, their manes and tails flowing in the meadow bree-”  
  
    “Sweet cuppin’ cakes...”  Mindfang tried to keep her eye from twitching.  “Meu?  Did you let him borrow a poetry book or something?”  
  
    “I have no idea when he would have found time to read, Captain.  He’s been busy working for... well, ever?”  
  
    “This must just be your natural talent showing through then, Horuss.  Don’t let it happen again.”  
  
    The massive indigoblood grinned lopsidedly and wiped his brow.  “Er... as you wish, Marquise!”  
  
    “Okay, then, you and Meulin get on board.  We’ll be right behind you.”  
  
    As the moirails boarded _Fool’s Gam8it_ , Mindfang turned to the other oliveblood present.  “All hands are on deck, Felida?”  
  
    “Yes, Captain!  Hey, since I’m back to being your first officer, do I still get to be a captain?  And can I wear my hat?”  
  
    “Felida, you have earned the captain’s stripes and you may most definitely wear that hat whenever you wish.  Except in the respiteblock unless I say so.”  
  
    “But, Mistress...”   
  
    “No whining or I’ll offer your bed space to another oliveblood.  Hey, Meu!  How’d you like to sleep in the Captain’s quarters for this trip?”  
  
    Felida wasn’t sure who blushed more fiercely at this: Meulin, Horuss or Porrim.    
  
    “Relax, Porrim.  As beautiful as she is, I’m not sure who’d murder me first for touching her: you, Horuss or her!”  
  
    “Horuss wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Porrim said.  “Unless someone hurt Meu.  Then all bets are off.”  
  
    Aranea looked up at the hulking cyberneticist.  “In all my sweeps with him, I’ve never seen him hurt anyone intentionally.  That being said, I would not want to be on the wrong side of him if he ever did snap somenight.”  
  
    “Hey, Jadebutt!  Do I get a hatesnog goodbye or what?”  
  
    Porrim smiled and gave Felida what she asked for.  “I owe you more than that.  You can collect when you get back.”  
  
    “Deal!”  
  
    “Oh!  By the way, you might find the new First Officer’s chair a little uncomfortable.  I needed something with a little more width and a touch more height.  If you ask the Captain nicely, she might give you a couple of planks to use as stairs to get into it.  If you ask her REALLY nicely, she might even give you a boost.”  
  
    “You threw out my chair?  You thundering ditchpig!  I loved that fucking chair!  Captain, she threw out my fucking chair!”  
  
    Mindfang sighed with exasperation.  “First, didn’t I say no whining?  Second, it was not a fucking chair; there was nowhere near enough room for that in it.  Way too tiny.”  
  
    “If you want it back that badly,” Porrim added, “ask the sub crew to see if they can pick it up on the way back.  I think we pitched it overboard about two hundred klicks east of Stinkweed Bay.  Shouldn’t be hard to find; I bet it’s the only chair down there.”  
  
    “I can’t believe you let her throw my chair overboard...” Felida grumbled.  
  
    “Felida, if you liked it that much, you could have put it into Deep 8lue when you transferred over there,” Mindfang said.  
  
    “I don’t think Kaiyuh would have let her,” Porrim interjected, waving her hand in front of her nose.  “Could you picture that smell in a submarine?”  
  
    “I’m this close to biting you before I leave, Jadebutt.  Keep it up.”  
  
    “She’s right; you can collect on your ebon threats later.”  Aranea gestured to the gangplank.  “Get on board and take the helm.  Porrim will send the signal when everyone checks in.  I’ll be at the bow where I belong.”  
  
    Felida scowled at Porrim.  “You just wait.”  
  
    “I intend to.”  The jadeblood leaned in and gave her kismesis a much gentler kiss this time.  “For both of you.  Make sure you two get home in one piece.”  
  
    Oceleo grinned and knocked on her metallic shoulder.  “I don’t have many more pieces left to give in case you didn’t notice!”  
  
    “And if you don’t quit lingering like a nasty stink, you’re going to have a lot less when I get through with you!  You’re not the only one who has to kiss her goodbye, you know!”  Aranea chased Felida up the ramp with a swat on the rear and then turned her attention back to a laughing Porrim.  “She’s relentless.”  
  
    “She’s not the only one.”  
  
    “True.  You know, I’m not sure which is harder: leaving you behind back in the nights when Cronus was still a threat or leaving you behind now.  But just like then, I have to.”  
  
    “No, you don’t,” Porrim pleaded.  “I can help run this from the bridge.”  
  
    “Porrim, one stray torpedo and we could lose everything.  I meant it when I said you’re the most important of all of us.  In time, you’ll understand.  I’m betting on you, dear heart, not the other way around.”  
  
    Porrim’s face reflected her frustration and resignation.  “I still don’t entirely gather but I have no choice but to trust you.  This better not be the last time I see you, okay?”  
  
    “It won’t be.  One way or another, I swear it won’t be.  Even if I have to climb over the Condesce herself to get to you, I will be with you again.”  
  
    “You better.”  Porrim wrapped her arms around her matesprit and kissed her fiercely.  She tried to drink in every scent of her, the sound of hands made as they grabbed onto the fabric of Mindfang’s long black jacket, hoping these memories would serve in Aranea’s absence.    
  
    As they fell apart, Aranea touched her lip and found blue on her fingers.  “Did you actually bite me this time?”  
  
    “Maybe...”  Porrim licked her left fang and found the tang of Aranea’s blood peculiar but not entirely unpleasant.  “Get going before I drag you back to the hive.”  
  
    “Yes, ma’am!”  With a smirk, Aranea turned on her scarlet heel and took the gangplank up to the foredeck.    
  
    Porrim could hear Felida call out “Captain on board!  Raise the gangway, prepare for departure!” and felt a secondary pang of desire, this one to be on board with them for the pleasure of simply being on a ship.   _I never thought in a million sweeps that I could feel this way about nautical life.  And yet here I am, a Gamblignant of all things.  I belong on that ship now.  Or do I?  Life has put me in many interesting places; I don’t suspect that it’s done with me yet.  I best go embrace the role I’m to play this time._  She waved to her matesprit, the most famous Gamblignant to sail the seas and it was Aranea Serket, not the dread Marquise Spinneret Mindfang who winked and blew a kiss back to her before entering the bridge door.   _You haven’t left and I already miss you.  Please come home to me alive and in one piece._    
  
    As the _Fool’s Gam8it_ pulled away from the dock, Porrim hurried up the hill back to Horuss’s tower which was to serve as her command center.  I’m sure they’re all waiting on me but I make no apologies.   _At least I still have some company here…_ She entered the makeshift commandblock and surveyed her crew of two:  Alyssm Waleti and her recently declared moirail.  “Hey, Squish.  Video links all established?”   
  
    The diminutive redblood nodded and gave her a big grin and a thumbs-up.  
  
    “All ships have checked in,” Waleti said from her computer screen, “Squadron leaders are awaiting your command.”  
  
    _My command… that’s Aranea’s department, not mine, but I guess I better play the part._  “Okay, then,” Porrim said, taking her seat in front of the large screen Horuss often used as his primary console, “let’s give this a spin.”  She looked at her armrest and the small companel installed there in search of the ‘All Ships’ button and pressed it upon finding it.  “All ships, this is Jade Base.  Status report!”  
  
    The first window appeared in the top left corner of the screen: “Gold Leader standing by,” said Niedys Bycros from the bridge of Head8reaker IV.    
  
    Porrim was pleased to see his familiar face; the first real signs of age had long since crept into it but she knew he was still as capable as they came.  She was about to say something welcoming when the next window appeared.  “Orange Leader, standing by.”  
  
    “Red Leader, standing by!”  
  
    “Green Leader, standing by.”  
  
    Waleti looked up at Porrim.  “You should probably respond…”  
  
    “Oh!  Yes, of course.  Jade Base copies.  Just waiting on two more; the flagship should be moving into position any minute.”  
  
    Another window showed up on the display.  “Wait no longerrrrrrrr.  Blue Leader in position; awaiting main fleet to take formation.”  
  
    Porrim smiled at seeing Aranea in her captain’s chair with her tricorne hat in place between her horns and fought down a fresh ache to be on the bridge beside her.  “Roger, Blue Leader.”  She looked at the display in front of Squish.  “The other ships see you and are falling in behind _Fool’s Gam8it_ now.”  
  
    “Excellent.  There should be one more, yes?”  
  
    “Let me check in with them.  Rogue One, this is Jade Base, do you copy?”  
  
    A few seconds later, the last window appeared on the viewscreen.  “Roger, Jade Base, this is Rogue Leader here!  Sorry for the delay!”  
  
    “Wakey, wakey, Umbras!” came Felida’s voice from beside Mindfang.  “And how the hell can you be Rogue Leader?  You’re the only one in your fleet!”  
  
    “Now, now, Felida, if she’s a squadron of one, then that makes her the squadron leader,” Porrim answered.  “Besides, that’s your sub she’s running and I KNOW you’d want to be Rogue Leader.”  
  
    Felida pondered this.  “I kinda like the sound of Olive Rogue better but that’s just me.  Okay, Kaiyuh, you think you can stay awake until you get _Deep 8lue_ to the target?”  
  
    “Don’t worry about her, Cyberkitty, I’ll make sure she stays awake!”  Rufioh appeared on the screen behind Kaiyuh Umbras, lopsided grin in full view.  
  
    “Good luck with that, Nitram,” Felida said, “Let’s just say that Daalla might have a better shot of keeping her awake, if you catch my drift.”  
  
    Daalla Emburi’s face was next to materialize.  “My sponge clots are burning.  Say what?”  
  
    “Never mind that right now,” Porrim said in an effort to get everyone refocused, “Rogue Leader, you’ll get your course and updates from Blue Leader.  In the meantime, prepare your defenses and make sure Rufioh and his crew have plenty to eat; they might not be eating for a few nights once you arrive at your destination!”  
  
    Kayiuh looked over at the hulking Drawback.  “I do hope Meulin packed extra rations…”  
  
    Porrim scanned the image she was getting from _Fool’s Gam8it._  “Hey, where are Djoran and Rolyat?  I see Inegev, but where’s the usual crew?”  
  
    “I transferred the lot of those orangebloods over to Werdan Refcen on _8ehemoth_.  I needed some young guns on that battleship,” Mindfang replied.  “Say hi, Orange Leader!”  
  
    “These grubs are going to put me out of a job soon,” Captain Refcen said, gesturing to his bridge crew.  “Not only were Nayeel, Rhyane and Rolyat dynamite to watch in the training runs, but this new guy, Ronnoc Cidvam… he’s what, not even nine sweeps old?  And he has aim like that with both the big guns and a pulse rifle?  Kid’s a natural.  Every last one of these guys could run his own ship soon enough.  Your right flank will be in good hands with us, Captain.”  
  
    Porrim took a deep breath and let herself relax a bit.   _They’re speaking like there’s going to be a future for them.  This is good.  They’re confident but not cocky or scared.  They genuinely believe we can do this; maybe it’s about time I did the same._  “Jade Base is glad to hear it.  We’re ready for the cloaking deployment.  All ships activate your cloak and wait for visual confirmation from us.”  
  
    “Sounds good,” Mindfang answered.  “Felida, please do the honours?”  
  
    A few keystrokes by her First Officer on her commpad and then, “Cloaking device engaged and showing fully operational, Captain.”  
  
    “Good.  How’s it look, Porrim?  Or, more accurately, how does it NOT look?”  
  
    Alyssm changed her display to the exterior drone cameras: one by one, the assembled vessels, even the massive battleships, winked out of view until none remained visible.  “Like they were never there.”  
  
    “All cloaks appear operational,” Porrim reported.  “Horuss, these power generators you’ve designed are nothing short of an engineering marvel.”  
  
    Porrim swore she could see him sweating even on the screen.  “Thank you, Porrim!  It’s really just the same principle as what powers Felida’s cybernetics, but amplified usin-”  
  
    “THANK YOU, MISTER ZAHHAK,” Mindfang interrupted.  “While I’m certain your longwinded technical explanation riddled with equine references would have been utterly captivating to hear in full, we have a date with a butt ugly sea creature and damned if I’m going to be late.  Lives are riding on this.”    
  
    _Aurana is at the Weapons station_ , thought Porrim, _which is good as it gives her something to take her mind off what’s at stake._  “All systems here show operational.  You’re good to go!”  
  
    “Excellent.  Comm, patch me through to the entire fleet.”  Once the communications officer confirmed the link was open, Mindfang began:  “This is the Captain.  I chose to speak to you all at once this way as there are a few among you who can’t quite hear me when I talk with you the usual way.  Note that those few are highbloods.  If someone who hadn’t been with us for very long observed this, they would probably see it as yet another concession to the hemohierarchy, where highbloods rule the night.  And yet, I suspect that not a single one among you sees it in that way.  This crew consists of highbloods, midbloods and lowbloods, all working together with common goals in mind.  This should be the norm, not the exception!    
  
    “Take a look around your stations.  You’ll likely notice that the vast majority of your crewmates are lowbloods, those society deigns to be the ‘lesser caste’.  Fodder in the eyes of those higher up on the hemospectrum.  Not on my watch.  Each and every one of you has chosen to serve a higher purpose.  Over the last fifty sweeps, many have joined us, fought with us, died for us, in hopes that their lives would have meaning or a purpose some night.  Tonight is that night!  Tonight we will begin to make our voices heard, and those voices will grow louder and louder until she who would seek peace through tyranny has no choice but to listen!  From there, we will move forward and forge a new reality where those who live a longer life will reach out and assist those with shorter ones to help make those existences more fulfilling and happier.  A society where that minority who received special treatment before offers it instead to the majority.  And you, each and every one of you here, gets to be part of the vanguard that will drag this dream into existence!    
  
    “I want to see a world where lowbloods no longer have to scramble for food between having to dodge press gangs looking to fill starships bound for other worlds to dominate the broken civilizations there.  I want to see a world where anyone can love or hate anyone else they choose, except for when moirails and auspistices are necessary, of course.  More than anything, I want to see a world where there is no more need for Gamblignants like us because there is no need to steal because our most basic desires are met and the opportunities exist equally for one and all to achieve the greater desires that stir the pushers of every man and woman and grub!  This, ladies and gentletrolls, will be the last ride of the Gamblignants, for this time we are stealing something bigger than anyone else could ever have dreamed possible!  Tonight we sail to take back our very WORLD!”  
  
    Mindfang could swear she heard the cheers coming not from the bridgeblock’s speakers but from the invisible ships that surrounded her own.  She swallowed the lump in her throat and continued.  “But these plans that we carry out were not all born of my own thoughts. I was once a simple criminal, thieving and taking whatever I wished.  No, it took the love of a special woman to teach me that there are needs far beyond what the self desires.  She showed me that not only was it possible but NECESSARY that we find a way to take back this planet and free ourselves from millennia of fuchsiablood rule!  That woman is my matesprit, Porrim Maryam.  You all know that Porrim was behind the revolution mounted by the Signless; it was her words and teachings that led him to rise against the Condesce.  His life may have been cut short but his words, his teachings, have carried on thanks to a special few who have been a part of his life.  His rebellion did not end with his death!  Thanks to Porrim, I am a believer in the Signless’s message of love and compassion, of true justice and equality.  Many of you have embraced those same principles and now rise to fight the symbols of oppression that are the Imperial Navy, Subjuggalators, Screamarines, Threshecutioners and all of these other vicious symbols of highblood domination.  Even many highbloods have seen the horrors inflicted on their fellow Alternians and opted to join with us; we have welcomed them with open arms and they have worked with you, lived with you, fought with you against this regime as they heard your stories, seen your scars and encountered the same hate and prejudice you did because they chose to stand with you.  But we all see how much stronger we are when we work together and now we are a united force against a common foe, fighting that most righteous of battles against an oppressor who thrives on division and discord.  We are together!  And we shall win!  And it will be because someone believed that it could be different.  And that someone was raised by a woman who is with us tonight, manning our Jade Base: Porrim Maryam.  You know her story, she knows yours.  She has trained many of you, tended your wounds, lifted your spirits.  Her fight is your fight; your fight is hers.  Without her, we would not be here tonight.  I can say with utter certainty that I would not be here tonight.  But I am here.  You are here.  WE are here.  And this night, we sail to turn her dream into reality for one and all!  WE SAIL!  WE FIGHT!  WE WIN!!!!!!!!”  
  
    “WE SAIL!  WE FIGHT!  WE WIN!” echoed again and again throughout the bridge, over the radio channels, between the assembled armada as the ships made way into the open ocean ahead.  And back on the island that they had just emerged from under, jade tears poured down Porrim Maryam’s lovely face, wetting the hair of her moirail who embraced her with as big of a hug as he could provide.  
  
    “Oh, come on!  We could take it and no one would be any wiser!”  
  
    “Felida,” Mindfang said as she watched the shape of the Imperial frigate drift by the starboard side of the ship only a few kilometers away, “we need to keep our eyes on the big prize.  If we break our cloak now and it calls for assistance, this entire operation is jeopardized.”  
  
    “I know that.  It’s just… kinda funny.”  
  
    “What is?”    
  
    Mindfang’s once and current first officer smirked.  “I remember a time when you totally would have went for it, cover be damned.  Gamblignant’s pride and all.  Like you would have dared the whole bloody Navy to come at you.”  
  
    Aranea inhaled the moist, salty night air and sighed.  “In essence, my sweet, that’s what we’re about to do.  That and maybe I’ve finally found the focus I need in order to pull off an operation of this magnitude.”  
  
    Felida’s metal hand made a soft click as she placed them both on the wooden rail in front of her.  “No shit!  I suppose I just still have that reflex to scour that tub and take what we can.  But then, since our missions over the last few sweeps have been all about preparation for this, maybe it’s still hard to believe that it’s finally happening.”  
“I’ve had to literally pinch myself.  Twice.”  
  
    “You could have asked me to pinch you, Mistress,” Felida whispered.  
  
    “I may yet,” Aranea answered with a hint of coyness.  “But that will have to wait, I’m afraid.  We should be just about in range of our target.  Are you ready?”  
  
    “As I can be.”  Felida shivered and for a moment wished she had a longcoat like her captain wore.    
  
    Mindfang detected this and looked over to her.  “I can make those memories of your previous encounter with Gl’bgolyb disappear again if you like.”  
  
    “Nope.  I have to do this.  I will face my fear.”  A flicker of a smile crossed her features and she added, “Wouldn’t be right if I didn’t after insisting you do the same.”  
  
    Aranea was ready to suggest that fear might be too strong a word but realized that it was what had held her back from talking to Porrim about her previous matesprit.  “No, I suppose not.  I applaud your courage but be assured I’ll be damned if I’ll let that thing harm you or anyone else.”  
  
    Felida placed her right hand on Aranea’s left.  “Thank you.  But I am curious about something…”  
  
    “And what would that be?”  
  
    “How do you know Rufioh’s abilities are going to work on it?  Even being amplified won’t help if he can’t get through.  What if its mind is so alien that there’s just no way?”  
  
    Mindfang pursed her lips.  “Wellllllll, it’s hard to explain.  I know my own abilities have limits but from what he tells me, he doesn’t seem to share those.  I’m reasonably certain that it’ll work; if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be going through with this!”    
  
    She laughed and hoped Felida would follow suit.  “That being said, if it doesn’t, we’re  going to need to get the hell out of here in a hurry.  The odds are good, however, that it will be too preoccupied with something else that the fleet itself will be able to retreat with minimal losses.”  
  
    “And that something else is my sub, isn’t it?”  
  
    The uneasy silence that followed answered Oceleo’s question as well as any word could have.    
  
    “Right.  Okay, then.  You did tell Rufioh and Kaiyuh this, right?”  
  
    “More or less.  They’re Gamblignants, Felida; they know as well as we do what the risks are.  This isn’t exactly a paper-shuffling desk job, you know.”  
  
    “I hadn’t noticed.”  She gave Aranea’s hand a quick squeeze.    
  
    “Felida?”  
  
    “Yes?”  
  
    Another deep breath before she spoke.  “I’m reasonably certain you had a lot to do with Porrim coming back the respiteblock after I finally did open up to her about Condy.  Thank you.”  
  
    “Hey, no worries!”  Felida looked down at the healing cuts on her organic right shoulder.  “She took out her frustrations by picking glass bits out of my arm.”  
  
    “Why would there be glass bits in yo-oh wait.”  
  
    “Yeah.”  
  
    Mindfang grimaced.  “Right.  Sorry about that.”  
  
    “The things I do for you two,” Felida said, rolling her eyes.    
  
    “I’m glad you do them.”  She leaned over and gave her moirail a kiss.  “More than you know.  Now what say we get back to the bridgeblock and never speak of that morning again?”  
  
    “Aye, Captain!”    
  
    “Attagirl.”  Mindfang turned and drank in the sound her crimson boots made as she strode across the deck of _Fool’s Gam8it_ towards its command center.   _No more rum for me until this mission is over._  “Status report!” she called out as she entered the bridgeblock.  
  
    “Ve are approaching area you provided coordinates for, Keptan,” Inegev Kanmil replied from the helm.    
  
    Mindfang gracefully slid into her captain’s chair.  “Gooooooood.”  Her slender fingers logged into Condynet with the codes she obtained from the Grand Highblood and a few moments later, the location of the Condesce’s lusus appeared on the screen a short distance from their location.  “There you are.  Blue Leader to Rogue One, I’m sending you the location.  We’re only a few kilometers away now.  Is everything ready?”  
  
    Kaiyuh Umbras’ face was visible in a corner of the main viewer.  “For the most part, Captain.  The modified soporbeds Porrim and Horuss installed appear fully functional but I fear one of our guests has some… concerns.”  
  
    “Patch me in.”  While Mindfang awaited the feed from the sub’s medicalblock, she watched Felida struggle to get comfortable in her seat.  “I actually can have a ladder installed, you know.  It can even be a rope ladder so that it fits the décor.”  
  
    Felida shot her a sideways look.  “Who’s been spending too much time with jadebloods, Captain?  I’ll manage, don’t worry.”  
  
    Mindfang chuckled quietly and prepared to answer Rufioh’s questions; she was surprised when it was Daalla Emburi’s face that showed up.  “I need to know something: has anybody thought about what happens if they lob a sub or twelve at us?  I gather this used to be one of theirs so that means they’ve got likely got a shitload more of them!  If it’s all the same to you guys up there, I’d rather not die in my sleep!”  
  
    “Emburi, if I have to come down there, I’ll kill you myself,” Felida snarled.  “Get in the fucking slimebed, Daalla.”  
  
    “What my esteemed first officer is trying to say, Daalla, is that your safety has been accounted for,” Mindfang said, smiling her most calming smile.  “Most of our ships are equipped with depth charges and torpedoes, remember?  We’ll be creating a perimeter ring around the lusus and anything that gets within five kilometers gets turned into fresh new seabed.  That includes any other submarines.  Rest assured we want that sub and all of its occupants intact throughout this operation.  You are all very important, believe me; this doesn’t work without all of you.”  
  
    “See, doll?” came Rufioh’s voice from the background.  “Told you.  She’s on this.”  
  
    “Fine… but if I die, I’m haunting ALL your asses.  Just sayin’.”  
  
    As she stalked away, Rufioh Nitram filled the screen.  “Don’t mind her; she didn’t know she didn’t like submarines until she got into one.  I think we’re good to go here.”  
  
    “Excellent.  Can you feel her?”  
  
    Rufioh closed his eyes for a moment.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I can!”  
  
    A large part of the tension in Mindfang’s stomach dropped away.  “Glad to hear it.”  
  
    “It’s not very pleasant, though.  Makes me kinda… nauseous?  I hope the sopor slime helps.”  
  
    Mindfang chuckled.  “I know it works wonders for a gut full of rum but I can’t speak on how effective it is against eldritch abominations.”  
  
    “No doubt.”  Rufioh looked back to see Daalla and Kandun stripping down in preparation to climb into their respective beds.  “So all three of these are linked and should keep us as such?”  
  
    “Yes.  I will send you a signal when to start telling that white beast to go to sleep.  Once you have it, all three of you should remain in stasis until I send word to wake you up.”  
  
    “I see.”  Rufioh removed his shirt and added, “You know, this isn’t how I thought I’d be fighting the big fight.  I’d much rather be up there waving a sword around with you.”  
  
    “And if I could have you up here to do that, I’d welcome your sword at my side but you’ve been blessed with gifts that make this operation possible.  Don’t worry, I’m certain that when this is over, there will be some local ‘clean-up’ to attend to.  I’ll let you and yours have first dibs.”  
  
    “Deal, doll.  Hey, good luck, okay?”  Rufioh gave her a wink and started removing his pants.  
  
    “I deal in nothing but, Nitram.  Expect the word in a few minutes.”  She closed the connection and returned to Umbras.  “Kaiyuh, draw to within two kilometers and match velocities with it.  Once there, let me know and then close in to one kilometer.”  
  
    “Understood, Captain; will advise!”  
  
    Once that window was closed, Felida aimed a thought at Aranea.   _Holy shit, Captain, that was impressive.  Listen to all that diplomacy!  Porrim has taught you well!  
  
Shame you haven’t learned that lesson yourself!  
  
    Ha!  When it comes to Daalla, I find meeting her obstinance head on is usually the best bet.  
  
    Funny… She reminds me a lot of you in many ways, including that one._  
  
    Felida blushed, olive hints on her cheeks.   _Luckily, I grew up a bit.  
  
    A bit, yessssssss…_  
  
    The reply was a quick view of Felida’s grey tongue in Mindfang’s direction which made her smile despite her unease over their mission.  “Mister Kanmil, position update?”  
  
    The goldblood made a couple of calculations.  “Ve are three kilometers away from the lusus, and two point four kilometers above.”  
  
    “Good.  Maintain a minimum distance of one kilometer from it.  All other ships in our group are in trailing formation.  In the event that it surfaces, turn hard to starboard and proceed at flank speed.”  
  
    “Yes, Keptan.”  
  
    A moment later, Kaiyuh’s voice was heard.  “Two kilometers.”  
  
    “Do you think it knows we’re here?” Felida inquired.  
  
    “I know it does,” Mindfang answered, “I just wonder if it cares or not.  I’m betting it doesn’t.”  
  
    “Well, I just hope it’s not hungry…”  
  
    Mindfang did her best to remain expressionless and kept the thought _It’s always hungry…_ to herself.    
  
    Horuss and Meulin entered the bridgeblock and found standing room behind Aurana’s weapons console.  “Cloak is holding, Marquise, but I’m still collecting data on whether or not it renders us invisible to the lusus.”  
  
    “I’m betting against it but one never knows.”  Mindfang called up the display screen of where each ship was; each carried a special transponder broadcasting on one frequency so that she could track them under cloak.  “All ships are where they should be.  She doesn’t appear to be surfacing, so that’s a good sign.”  
  
    Kaiyuh called out, “One kilometer!”  
  
    “All set down there, Cowboy?” Mindfang asked.  
  
    “Say the word, Captain!”  Rufioh’s voice belied his nervousness.  “Might take a couple of minutes for us all to relax here but we’ll…”  
  
    “CAPTAIN!  BLUE FIVE JUST DISAPPEARED!” Felida yelled as the dot representing one of the ships in her fleet winked out.  This was followed by a sound of commotion from the _Fool’s Gam8it’s_ deck.    
  
    _What kind of range does she have to be able to strike at the surface?_  “Hard to starboard!”  Mindfang leapt to her feet and bolted for the door to see what was going on for herself; once there, she braced herself in the doorway so that the hard turn Inegev was making wouldn’t throw her to the deck.  She scanned the water and all that remained of one of her cruisers was twisted metal and blood on the ocean surface.   _That ship was cloaked so that answers that question.  She has to be surfacing; we don’t have much time…_  
  
    Just as that thought crossed Aranea’s mind, a massive white tendril punctured the skin of the sea and waved around in search of another target, followed shortly by a second and a third.   _Blue Squadron!  Ships eleven through twenty make a hard port turn instead!  If we split up, perhaps we can confuse it!_  She stopped transmitting for a moment before thinking _Or at least improve our chances of survival…_  
  
    No sooner was the thought complete when another pale tentacle erupted only a few meters from the port side of her own ship.  The mental command she sent her helmsman was raw but pointed.   _RIGHT TURN EMERGENCY SPEED!!!!!!!!_   
  
    Kanmil answered and pushed the engines beyond their safety range for a short burst.  Felida watched the external camera feed with frozen horror, completely unable to even breathe until the ship turned away from the alien attacker.  All was silent on the bridgeblock until Aurana called out, “We’re clear but it’s going for the ship behind us now!”  
  
    _BLUE TWO EVASIVE MANOEUVRES NOW!!!!!!!!_  The empathic wave of horror and anger that slammed Mindfang in reply told her that the ship was already damaged and likely being pulled beneath the waves.  “Damn!”  She could hear the sounds she associated with the targeting computer locking on and whirled in her chair.  “NO, AURANA!  Whatever you do, do NOT fire on it!”  
  
    The turquoiseblood was incredulous.  “What?”  
  
    “It would be a complete waste of ammunition and it would bring her after us!  We’d be more likely to destroy one of our own cloaked ships; hitting one of those tentacles is all but impossible.”  
  
    Aurana reluctantly disengaged the weapons lock and slammed her hands down on the console in frustration.  Mindfang didn’t need her empathic abilities to sense Zashyl’s fury at being unable to strike a blow against those who held her matesprit captive and she wished she could communicate with her privately.  Since that wasn’t an option, Mindfang opted to do so out loud, “The creature doesn’t have Kaerah and us getting destroyed doesn’t help any either.  Hold your fire, Aurana, in all senses of the phrase.”  
  
    “Yes, Captain.”  
  
    Mindfang was reasonably certain that she’d gotten through to her friend when she realized that Felida was at the bridgeblock door now, watching with morbid curiousity.  “Felida, you really should sit down.  No sense tormenting yourself.”  
  
    “I count ten of them so far.  Eyelessly seeking their prey: us.”  
  
    Aranea wanted to reach out to her and help her deal with the sight of those squirming things which took her limbs but she was also trying to minimize her empathic reach lest she be overwhelmed by the anguish emanating from the ruins of the two ships she’d already lost.  “We’ll get through this, have no fear.  I know you can handle it.  We all can.  This won’t last for lo-”  
  
    “KANMIL!  FULL STOP!” Felida shouted.  
  
    Mindfang was about to ask what prompted this order but the viewscreen ahead showed the reason:  two more of the twisting limbs erupted from the ocean directly ahead of the ship.  Without a questioning word, Inegev Kanmil deployed the reverse thrusters and tried his best to decelerate the ship from its maximum speed but knew that they would carry forward into the range of the tentacles before he could halt their progress entirely.  “Attempting to… initiate turn…”  
  
    The viewscreen showed the swaying white forms all but curling forward in anticipation of the ship’s arrival.  Mindfang looked to her right; the terror emanating from Felida was reflected on her moirail’s face.   _This is definitely not the last thing I want to see.  BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!!!!!!_  
  
    The violent forces associated with the ship’s sudden lurch sent anyone not in a proper seat skidding across the bridgeblock deck while those outside were thrown violently; a few lost their footing and tumbled over the rails to the sea below.  Mindfang awaited the sickening crunch that the monstrous lusus’s tentacles rending her flagship apart would make but it didn’t come.   _What are you waiting for, you hideous thing?_  She cast her attention to the helm console; Kanmil not only had control of the ship but it was coming around after completing the violent turn inflicted on it.   _What’s going on?_  The viewscreen showed the two nearest tentacles off to the port side but they no longer appeared to be flailing or even under conscious control; they fell and hit the water a few meters from the _Fool’s Gam8it_ , sending a wave of water to push the vessel along.    
  
    Incredulous, Mindfang rose from her seat and looked outside: every other visible tentacle was either collapsing or disappearing back into the dark water from whence it sprang forth.   _They did it… holy shit, they did it!_  She turned and bolted back inside to the comm console where she jabbed a button.  “Kaiyuh!  Report!”  
  
    A long pause.  “Captain, based on the information I have here, that lusus is in a stasis of some sort.  It’s asleep!”  
  
    _Rufioh, I owe you and yours a bottle of my best when this is over._  “And not a moment too soon!  How are the vital signs from the soporbeds?”  
  
    Another short silence followed.  “I’m no healthtender but I’d say everything is in the green?  Jade Base, can you confirm?”  
  
    Porrim’s face appeared on the monitor.  “All of those readings are normal for all three of them.  I suspect none of them are fully awake right now based on what I know of Kandun’s abilities but we want their metabolic rates to remain as low as possible.”    
  
    “You just let us know what you want done to or for them, Porrim, and we’ll do it!” Kaiyuh answered cheerfully.  “How are things up there, Captain?”  
  
    Mindfang surveyed her bridgeblock: Felida was still clutching the armrests of her chair so hard that one was completely destroyed by her metallic hand and the other was sporting serious cracks.  “Other than some damage to the furniture, I suspect we’re none the worse for wear.  Everyone else accounted for?”  
  
    Meulin and Horuss were regaining their bearings and rising to their feet; the lithe oliveblood said, “Tell the pilot I’ll cook him whatever he wants tomorrow night – provided he still has an appetite after all of that!”  
  
    Inegev laughed loudly.  “I tink I vill be able to eat by then, yes.”  
  
    Horuss offered Aurana a hand but she pulled herself up, trying not to wince at the pain that sparked up her leg from her damaged foot.  “I’m good, thanks.”  She glanced over to where Felida was sitting silently.  “Hey Kittie!  You all right?  You look… catatonic!”  This made Horuss snicker but Meulin was more concerned than anything.    
  
    “Felida?”  Meulin approached her and waved her hand in front of Oceleo’s face.  “Captain, I think she might benefit from your particular brand of help?”  
  
    Mindfang immediately turned away from the screen and probed her first officer’s thinkpan.   _Hello, my sweet… are you okay?  
  
    So… many… of them…  
  
    You’re okay, I promise.  We all are.  We’re going to be okay.  I need you here and with me.  I’m going to put those memories back behind closed doors just for now, okay?  I’m so, so proud of you for trying to face your fear but some things are bigger than we expect them to be.  I will make them small again for you because we need you here with us.  Is that all right?  
  
    Yes, Mistress.  
  
    Gooooooood.  In eight seconds, you will be ready to let go of those armrests – what remains of them, anyway – and you’ll feel as calm and relaxed as you ever have.  The creature is asleep now.  It can’t hurt us anymore.  Do you understand me?  
  
    Yes, Mistress.  
  
    Very well.  Almost there.  Three… two… one…_  
  
    Felida blinked her eyes and tried to get her bearings.  “Wow… I didn’t know it was possible to get whiplash on a ship!”  She looked to her hands and noticed that they were full of broken wood and plastics.  “Hey, Porrim!  Got some bad news for you: they sure don’t make chairs like they used to…”  
  
    “What did you…?”  The resigned sigh that escaped Porrim’s lips spoke volumes.  “It’s all right… sure I can get another… somewhere…”  
  
    “I’m sure you can, love.  In the meantime,” Mindfang said as she returned to her notably undamaged chair, “we have work to do.  Felida, go see to getting those who went overboard back on deck.”  
  
    “Aye, Captain!”  She opened her hands and the remainder of her chair’s armrests crumbled to the floor.  
  
    Aurana couldn’t resist a jab.  “Good news, Kittie!  All of the experience you’ve had going over the side will help you here!”    
  
    Felida didn’t look back but offered an upturned middle finger on her way out the door.  
  
    Mindfang was pleased that Aurana was feeling up to making the effort to needle Felida considering her tense mood as of late.  “What’s the status of the rest of the fleet?”  
  
    “Blue Squadron has lost two ships:   _Up8raid_ and _8om8ast_.  Beyond that, only minor damage and casualties,” Porrim answered.  
  
    “Blue Squadron, regroup at these coordinates and search for survivors,” Mindfang called out as she transmitted location data to the rest of her fleet.  “Once we have them on board, establish a ten kilometer perimeter around this point.  All other squadrons proceed to the designated hold points and await further orders.”    
  
    Acknowledgement came on her console as the fleet set about their missions.  Mindfang took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she refocused herself.   _We’re all in now.  No turning back._    
  
    “So here we go,” said Porrim, all but echoing her thoughts.  “Do you think she’ll know right away?”  
  
    Mindfang recalled some of the things that Meenah had told her about the bond she shared with her lusus; it was the line “Gl’bgolyb never sleeps” that had inspired this course of action.  “She’ll know.  The question is how long it’ll take her to come running.  I’m betting everything that it won’t be long at allllllll…” 


	54. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 53

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her Imperious Condescension is suddenly made aware of a disturbance on her homeworld... one she's uncertain if she should be upset about - or excited?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay there, folks! Made it back from Vegas about a week ago but have been working and readying for the holidays. Hope this finds you and yours well now and in the next year! Next upd8 in 2016!

  
** 53. **

_analysis of shield harmonics… compression of forward edge within tolerance_

4ND WH47 H4V3 1 D0N3 T0 W4RR4N7 B31NG GR4C3D BY Y0UR PR353NC3 7H15 F1N3 3V3N1NG M33NAH

    Her Imperious Condescension was not in the mood.  “Stow it, chum.  I can tell when you’re being catty and this is not the time.”

_distortion of right lobe of warp field detected due proximate stellar mass… correcting_

D0N7 Y0U M34N C47F1SHY

    "NO I DON’T MEAN FUCKING CATFISHY! THAT’S A TERRIBLE FUCKING PUN!”

_reanalysis of distortion… stellar core four point one three percent greater mass than anticipated_

50 7H15 W0ULDN7 B3 4 PRUD3N7 71M3 70 M3N710N 7H47 Y0U U53D 7H47 V3RY PUN 7H1R7Y 53V3N 71M35 0V3R 7H3 L457 F1F7Y 5W33P5

    She turned from her intended course which would have taken her to the main computer console and strode over to where her goldblooded helmsman was suspended by the multiple giant purple tentacles that served the dual duty of holding him in place and acting as conduits between his powerful psionic mind and the biomass that permeated every meter of the massive battleship.  As soon as she got within an arm’s length of him, she reached out and used the sharp points of her long fingernails to surround his shame globes.  “Not if you’d like to keep these attached to your body,” she snarled.

_warning… unexpected deviation due to solar flare instability… compensating_

WH1L3 1 W0ULD N0RM4LLY 54Y G0 4H43D 4ND 74K3 7H3M 51NC3 N0 0N3 U535 7H3M BU7 Y0U 1 K1ND4 L1K3 7H3 1D34 0F K33P1NG MY 74CKL3 1N 175 B0X 7H15 W4Y Y0U 4LW4Y5 KN0W WH3R3 17 15 R1GH7 1 5U5P3C7 Y0UD H4T3 70 M1SPL4C3 MY R0D

    Meenah glowered at him but opted to release her grip on his most sensitive parts.  “I suppose fishing puns are almost as good as fish puns...”

_compensation successful... recalibrating position in preparation for accepting modified vector_

7H475 7H3 5P1R17 4NYW4Y WH475 G07 Y0U 1N 5UCH R0UGH W473R5 70N1GH7

    “Since you asked so nicely,” Meenah said as she resumed her intended course towards the primary computer, “I didn’t sleep very well.  Spent most of the day floundering around on my waterbed.”

175 7H3 DR34M5 4G41N 15N7 17

    She gave him a sideways look.  “Maybe...”

_course correction complete... resuming on course to destination_

L00K M33N4H 1V3 B33N W17H Y0U F0R 7H3 L457 F1F7Y 5W33P5 4ND 1 D0N7 7H1NK 1V3 533N 0N3 1RR3FU74BL3 3X4MPL3 0F Y0U H4V1NG 4NY PR3C0GN1T1V3 4B1L1T135 1F 4R3N34 W45 G01NG T0 F1ND 4 W4Y 70 G37 7HR0UGH 70 Y0U 5H3 W0ULD H4V3 D0N3 50 BY N0W W0ULDN7 Y0U 54Y

    Meenah frowned in reply.  “She will.  In fact, I’m more concerned that she’s been trying to get a message to me and I just haven’t received it.  I don’t suppose you’ve been sitting on any messages for me?”

5H17 Y0U G07 M3 1 H4V3 4LL 7H353 5UB5P4C3 7R4N5M15510N5 FR0M 4R4N34 53RK37 CR4MM3D 1N MY N00K 4ND 1 W45 N3V3R 5UR3 3X4C7LY WH47 70 D0 W17H 7H3M

    “If you think for a microsecond that I’m about to go rummaging in your nook for anything, you best think again.”

H3H H3H Y0U 5UR3 4B0U7 7H47 Y0U C0ULD B3 M1551NG 0U7

    “NOT HAPPENING, TUNA!”

1M 50RRY

    She started scanning the data on her viewscreen.  “Second and Third Screamarine Divisions on Altius IV are encountering some refishtance.  We may need to swim back through there for additionshell support.”

_calculating optimal course to Altius IV... primary probable vector determined_

DON7 Y0U F1ND 17 0DD 70 K33P C4LL1NG PL4N375 BY 7H3 N4M35 W3 G1V3 7H31R 5T4R5 1 M34N 7H3 L0C4L5 C4LL 17 D4N7001N3 WHY D0N7 W3

    “I don’t give a shit if they call it Veruna’s Salty Nooksphincter! WE call it Altius IV and that’s what it is.  The last planet we visited was called Bpfassh in their native tongue and I don’t even think I can make that sound without spitting.”

_alternative routing calculated... present for analysis_

H0W D0 Y0U KN0W

    “Know?  Know what?”

7H47 V3RUN4 H4D 4 54L7Y N00K5PH1NC73R

    Meenah put her hand to her forehead and sighed.  “If it were any other name, I probably would have laughed.  I just reeled that one out of my nook, okay?  And no, I have no idea as to the degree of saltiness of my own nooksphi-”

_WARNING... WARNING... LOSS OF CONNECTION TO HOST... GL’BGOLYB NOW IN STASIS MODE_

M33NAH Y0U C0P13D 7H47 R1GH7

    Mituna didn’t need to ask; the strange blank expression on the Condesce’s face spoke volumes.  “She’s asleep.  She never sleeps.”

7H15 D035N7 S0UND G00D

    “SET COURSE FOR HOME MAXIMUM SPEED!  DON’T YOU DARE HOLD ANYTHING BACK!”

_emergency course calculating... estimating one point four three nights to destination_

1 C4N D0 17 1N 4 N1GH7 4ND 4 H4LF BU7

    “NO EXCUSES!  NOW!!!”

_course laid in... emergency speed authorized_

4CKN0WL3DG3D

    Meenah watched as his eyes immediately burned bright with red and blue pulses and his muscles tensed with effort as he put everything he had available into powering her battleship’s space-warping engines.  Once she was satisfied that he was, in fact, giving it everything he had, she returned to her screen and opened her subspace communications network.  “MAKARA!  SYHALE!  I NEED TO TALK TO YOU.”

    A few moments later, her screen filled with the ghastly image of the Grand Highblood, his yellow and purple eyes wide and his face covered in at least three different colours of blood.  “Yes, Your Highness?”

    “It appears I’ve interrupted something.  Whatever it is, this is far more important.  Standby for Syhale.”

    Makara shrugged and began wiping the gore from his face; he smeared it somewhere offscreen that Meenah really had no interest in knowing about.  Shortly after, her viewer went split-screen to accommodate the visage of Fleet Admiral Syhale.  “This had better be important; I’m in the process of-”

    “YOU’RE IN THE PROCES S OF CLAMMING THE FUCK UP BECAUSE THIS IS WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING YOU’VE EVER DONE IN YOUR SORRY FUCKING LIFE, SYHALE, SO SHUT THE SHELL UP AND EMPTY OUT YOUR SPONGECLOTS!”  The Condesce watched Syhale visibly recoil and admitted she would have taken great pleasure in it had she not been so upset.  “My lusus has become unresponsive; I need to know what’s going on!  Since you happen to, I don’t know, run the fucking Navy, how about you go check on her and see what’s going down?”

    “Your lusus?  Gl’bgolyb?” he replied, quite surprised to hear this.

    “NO, SHITPAN, MY OTHER LUSUS: BUCKBUCK THE FUCKING CLUCKBEAST!”  This elicited a laugh from the Grand Highblood who was enjoying both the joke and hearing Syhale receive an upbraiding, but it also drew Meenah’s wrath upon himself.  “Glad you find this so fucking finny, Makara!  You know anything about this?”

    “Er, no, Your Highness.  I’ve had my own issues to attend to.  The Grand Justicehive was recently vandalized and I’ve been working on flushing out the filthy squeakbeasts responsible.”

    “I know, I saw the State of the Empire address you gave – the one you gave without consulting with me first,” she snarled.  It was Syhale’s turn to make a sound of smug satisfaction as it wasn’t just he who was on the receiving end of her tirade.  “Oh, I’m not done with you yet, Admiral.  You just wait.  So, Kurloz, do you think that maybe your flushing attempts have caused someone to come after Gl’bgolyb?”

    He blinked a few times as he tried to process this.  “As far as I knew, Your Highness, there isn’t anything out there that could harm her.  Nothing could even get close enough to her to do so and it would take a motherfuck of a lot of artillery to damage her, I’d bet.”

    “Syhale?  No atomics have been stolen or detonated?”

    Malwil Syhale consulted his Handroid.  “Contrary to popular belief, if someone set off an atomic weapon on this planet, I’d be the first to know about it.  The Navy has all kinds of instruments that would immediately detect it and something of that magnitude would be brought to my attention.  And since the vast majority of those weapons are under the purview of that same Navy, if any should go missing, we would know about it.”  
“Mindfang steals your ships on a motherfucking whim,” Makara sneered, “and some of those ships must have nukes on board so how are we supposed to believe that you don’t just sweep it under the waves when she helps herself to them?”

    Meenah looked over to Syhale, curious as to his response; she was surprised that he appeared unfazed.  “Oh I don’t know, clown,” the Admiral said calmly, “I suppose it’d be the same way that you fail to mention that one of the women who broke into your filthy hive and wrecked your creepy statue and now have a death threat against is none other than Mindfang herself.”

    The Condesce’s attention was now fully on the purpleblood.  “WHAT?”

    The Grand Highblood let a deep growl escape.  “How in the hells do you know that?”

    “Please, Makara, I have sponge clots all over Capitol.  I really can’t understand why you would think that I wouldn’t hear about it... or why Her Imperious Condescension wouldn’t want to know about it.”

    Meenah could see that Kurloz was seething but she barely gave it any mind.   _Is Aranea behind this somehow?  Is this her message?_  “My edict still stands, Kurloz: no harm comes to Mindfang.  I mean this.  I don’t give a single fuck what she did to your lawnring gnomes; she will NOT be hurt by you or yours on the threat of a death so horrific it will make your gruesome theatrics look like a hatchday party.  And I will carry that out personally.  According to my hardworking helmsman, I’ll be there in a night and a half.”

    Both men raised their eyebrows.  “You’re coming... here?” Syhale asked.

    “I CAN’T HEAR MY LUSUS YOU SCUM SUCKING IMBECILE!  DAMN RIGHT I’M COMING HOME!”  She swore they both took a step or two back from the screens they were facing.   _Good.  Keep them off their guard.  Now to keep them busy._  “Since the two of you only seem to have half a working thinkpan these days, we might as well put both halves together.  Here’s what’s going to happen: you two are going to get your sorry asses on a ship, gather up a few more ships to go with you, find out what exactly is going on out there and then report that back to me.  No shots are to be fired without my say.  NONE.”  Their expressions spoke volumes about how thrilled they both were about having to work together again so she addressed that as well.  “And if you two start carrying on and being difficult for one another,  I’ll take it as ebon overtures and I promise you won’t like my brand of auspistism.”  
   
    “Yes, Your Highness,” the Grand Highblood said with all of the enthusiasm he could muster.

    “And when do we depart on this mission?” Syhale inquired.

    “IF YOU AREN’T ON A SHIP  TO THE COORDINATES I’M SENDING YOU IN AN HOUR, IT BETTER BE BECAUSE EITHER EVERY SINGLE SHIP IN THE FLEET INCLUDING THE ROWBOATS IS SUDDENLY BROKEN OR BECAUSE YOU SLIPPED AND FELL AND CRACKED YOUR SKULL OPEN AND YOUR THINKPAN IS LEAKING OUT YOUR SPONGE CLOTS.”  Before the Grand Highblood could start chuckling at this, the Condesce quickly added, “AND IF HIS SKULL IS CRACKED BECAUSE YOU OR ONE OF YOUR PAN-DAMAGED CLOWN BUDDIES SMASHED HIM WITH SOME KIND OF MESSED UP WEAPON, I WILL LIQUIFY ALL OF YOU SO FAST THAT EVERY SINGLE INCONVENIENCE STORE ON THE PLANET WILL BE SELLING NOTHING BUT PURPLE FAYGO FOR THE NEXT TWELVE SWEEPS!  DO I MAKE MYSHELLF CLEAR?”

    “Er… quite, Your Highness,” Makara muttered.

    “Good.  I want a report from you both in twelve hours.  And it had better be a useful one.  Understand me?”  Before they had a chance to reply, she slammed her hand down on the comm panel to cut off the channel.  “Fucking idiots.”  Meenah exhaled and closed her eyes; the silence that filled her head where the subliminal hum from her lusus always came from was almost painfully off-putting.   _We’re coming, we’re coming.  What’s baffling me is how this is even happening… I don’t remember Aranea being able to mentally mess with lusii but then she’s always exceeded the expectations of others.  That’s how I found her in the first place.  But what if it’s not her?  Then whoever it is will soon suffer the longest, slowest death that’s ever been meted out._  “Tuna?”

C4N7 74LK N4V1G471NG

    “Sure you can.  What if this really is Aranea’s doing?”

N0 53R10U5LY 1 C4N7 45 Y0UR CHUCKL3H34D BUDDY 7H3R3 W0ULD 54Y 1M W4RP1NG 5P4C3 L1K3 4 M07H3RFUCK3R R1GH7 N0W Y0U W4N7 70 3ND UP CH0K1NG 0N 4 5T3LL4R FR4GM3N7 0R 3471NG 4N 45573R01D K33P 17 UP

    Meenah narrowed her eyes at her helmsman.  “Eating an ass-teroid.  You reelly can’t help yourself, can you?”

H33 H33 N0 M0R3 7H4N Y0U C4N W17H Y0UR F15H 74LK N0W 5HU7 UP W1LL Y0U 1M 7RY1NG 70 DR1V3

    “Only you could get away with that, My Tuna.  As you were.”  She slipped away from him and entered her respiteblock.   _I may not have precognitive abilities like you say, Mituna, but I know she’s involved somehow.  To think Aranea might finally be reaching the potential she showed me after all these sweeps.  Finally ready to be a matesprit fit for an Empress…_

 

 

 

    “So what should we do, Syhale?”

    The Admiral of the Fleet almost found the sensation of the nails of his right hand cutting new arcs into his palm oddly pleasurable.   _I suppose the pain of it is less than dealing with this revolting brute._  “Do?  We do what we’re told, nitwit.  She’s coming.  Do you think she is in any way, shape or form joking about eviscerating us if we don’t get out there immediately?”

    Makara gritted his teeth.  “Obviously we’re going.  What I meant was what should we do when we get there?”

    “If your idea of ‘do’ involves lobbing shots at Mindfang’s fleet, you’re even stupider than you look.  You’re the one who’s taken all kinds of sniggering pleasure at watching me being forced to engage her from afar over the last few decasweeps.  She just reiterated that command about as plainly as possible about a minute ago so unless your thinkpan quit functioning – assuming it ever was functional in the first place – that’s not going to happen.”

    “And what gave you the motherfucking idea that I planned on doing any shooting?”  Syhale watched as a large, bloodstained white club appeared in front of the Grand Highblood, who began to slap it into his palm with a menacing grin on his face, causing spatters of maroon and orange to spray about.

    Syhale shook his head.  “Since, unlike you, I value my life, if you try to kill Mindfang with a gun or a club or any other random object you pull out of your ugly trousers, I’ll have to stop you.  You understand that, right?”

    “Assuming you could,” Makara countered, “you misunderstand.  I plan to take my show on the motherfucking road.  Well, the sea, anyway.  You’ll notice the Condesce never said a motherfucking word about whether or not we could mutilate members of Mindfang’s crew.  That upstart blueblood wasn’t the only one who was involved in desecrating my monument; her little bodyguard is just as guilty and I have that one’s matesprit caged up.  I plan to bring that backstabbing motherfucker along with me to try and bait that bitch into doing something stupid so you better have room on board whatever crate we’re going to be bobbing along in for her.”

    “There will be ample room for you and your prisoner.  Do you have any more Subjuggalators left to accompany you or are you fresh out?”

    “Don’t worry about that, Admiral.  I have my personal guard here in Capitol that will accompany me.  All you need to do is tell me what motherfucking ship to meet you at and we will be there in under an hour.”

    “Good.  I have the…”  Syhale paused as he brought himself to utter the name, “‘ _Victorious Butcher_ ’ to serve as my flagship for this operation.”

    Any hope he had of the Grand Highblood simply letting this go without a barb evaporated the moment Makara smiled his hideous smile.  “Yamato’s old ship?  Where do they find the real wood to keep that ancient motherfucking shitraft afloat?  Does he get to come with you?  Yamato does technically outrank you, you know.”

    “Grand Admiral was a title the Condesce cooked up to make him happy when she put him out to pasture so never mind.  No, he’s not coming; I’m sure he’s busy counting his trophies which should keep him occupied.  That doddering old fuck couldn’t count his globes and come up with the same number twice in a row.  And, I’ll have you know that the ship has been completely refitted with modern materials.  It just happens to be the only ship in the docks here that would make an adequate flagship.”

    “Whatever you say.  Doesn’t matter to me.  We will be there.”  

    Makara’s face abruptly disappeared from the screen leaving Syhale bathed only in the dim lights from his control panel in his respiteblock.   _Just what I need.  It’s bad enough I can’t do what I want to do to Mindfang’s pirated fleet but now I have to grubsit a psychotic clown and his gang of idiots.  Caution will be necessary here… and unlike him, I’m not risking my prisoner in the middle of a potential firefight._  He thought of the mixedblood woman – hard as it was for him to think of her as such – stashed safely in the brigblock of his command center in the golden trident-shaped tower that loomed six kilometers high over Capitol.   _This may be the highest stakes game of Watch Me ever played on this world and I intend to keep my hole card hidden as long as possible._  



	55. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 54

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindfang surveys the capability and intent of the Naval fleet surrounding her. Her first officer provides a welcome distraction from the tension. The Condesce makes her orders to her highblooded commanders clear and hopes either of them can actually succeed in drawing the Marquise from her ship in one piece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots going on in this long chapter! Should be regular upd8s every two weeks now. Looking forward to getting some writing time in the next couple of weeks, too. I recently just finished a shortfic set a little bit longer than fifty sweeps in the past for the friend of mine who created Aurana that's decidedly racy so if you like the character and want to read a bit more about her, check out the story here on Ao3 called "Mane Lupus"! Enjoy! 
> 
> RIP David Bowie, whose "Dead Man Walking" and "Days" found a place in my soundtracks for Condemnation and Nobody Lives Forever. Truly a genuine artist.

  **54. **

    “Any change in their position?”

    “Negative, Captain,” Felida answered from the open bridgeblock door, letting her cybernetic eye determine the distance of the nearest ship of the Navy fleet that surrounded them.  “Maintaining a minimum five kilometer distance from our own core ships.”  
Mindfang tented her slender fingers.  “I hate this waiting.  Six hours now.  The sun will be up soon.  Any undersea activity?”

    “None detected, Captain,” Aurana replied from the Weapons station.  “I don’t even think they brought subs at all.”

    “This looks like it’s just standard Syhale posturing,” Mindfang said.  “That said, he’d usually be filling the airwaves with bombast and chest-thumping by now.  It worries me that there hasn’t been any, to be honest.  Horuss, how are the satellite fleet’s cloaks holding up?”

    The massive indigoblood poked away at the console as gently as he could for fear of damaging the keyboard; this one wasn’t built as soundly as the ones he used in his laboratory.  “All four groups showing functional cloaking; they’re operating about twenty kilometers away from us to permit room for the Navy ships to orbit us.”

    “Gooooooood.  Just what I wanted to hear.”

    “You don’t suppose they’d try anything during the day, do you?” Meulin asked from her seat beside her moirail.  “When Porrim and I were on the run, we never stopped because they never stopped.”

    “I believe this is a different situation, my dear,” Mindfang said, brushing her long hair out of the way as she looked back over her left shoulder. “They have us, or so they think.  And we have control over something extremely valuable to them; they wouldn’t dare to risk any harm to the Condesce’s lusus.  Even if they did somehow break our hold over it, those Navy ships would be in just as grave danger as we would be when it woke up.  Not that Condy would give eight shits if it ate Syhale and all of his bobbing buddies, but the risk that it might eat ME is why she hasn’t given the word to blow us to little pieces at pointblank range.”

    “You’re absolutely certain you’re the target?” came Porrim’s voice from the speakers.  

    Mindfang sighed, doing her best to understand her matesprit’s unreasonable hope that just maybe she wasn’t what the Condesce was after.  “I think you know the answer, dear heart.  We wouldn’t be where we are now if I wasn’t completely sure of this.”

    The sorrow in the soft sound that followed was heard and understood by all present.  “All right.  The day shift has arrived and is offering to spell us off now.  My moirail tells me I look tired and could use some time in a bed or a ‘coon.”

    “My moirail tells me that all the time, minus the ‘tired’ part.”  She looked over to Felida and gave a wink; the oliveblood responded with a beaming grin.  

    “Yes, well,” Porrim said with a hint of a chuckle.  “I don’t suspect things will get that red around these parts.  Alyssm is going to stay up a until a couple of hours after sunrise and then rest on a cot in this block so she can wake us if something does develop.”

    “We may do the same here as well.  If they don’t want to sleep, that’s their problem.  I doubt we’ll use ‘coons here but rest of some kind is imperative; a rested crew is a ready one.”

    “Undoubtedly.  But just because we’ve been honourable and only made our advances during nighttime doesn’t mean that they’ll hold to that.”

    Mindfang laughed.  “I know all about it, Porrim.  There’s a reason I keep my dice in my jacket pocket at all times.”

    “Yeah… last time you used those turned out real well, didn’t it?” Felida said, grinning.  

    “Shush, you.  Okay, love, sleep well and we’ll reconvene at sundown.  Sound good?”

    “It does.  We’ll be right here if something happens.”  Porrim waved and the screen winked out.  

    Mindfang rose and looked around the bridgeblock.  “I know you’d all happily stay up through the day if I asked you to but we ought to take our own advice and try to rest up.  There are ample bunks below but some of you may have to double up.  Horuss, try not to break anything, please and thank you; if worse comes to worse, you may have to sleep on the floor.”

    “I’ve slept on worse, Marquise.  I’ve even experimented with sleeping on all fours, just to see wh-”

    “That’s nice, Horuss; please keep the weird horse shit down to a more manageable level while on board, thanks.  Anyway, the day crew is here so make your position transfers and head below decks.  Reconvene here in eight hours.”  

    Felida watched Inegev hand his position over to his replacement, Redick Poulit.   _Oh, look_ , she thought to Mindfang, _another goldblood!  Fancy that!_

_Did I not say ‘shush, you’ already?  Consider yourself doubly shushed._

_Yes, Mistress._

_Just for that…_  “Aurana?  You can sleep in Felida’s old quarters.  Some of her stuff is still in there but she won’t mind at all; if you need extra blankets, just cover yourself up with blouses.”

    “Thanks, Captain; I’ll take you up on that.”

    Felida looked aghast.  “But… she’ll shed everywhere!  And the fleas!”

    “Then maybe you should clean up your block every now and then!” Aurana admonished as she walked by.  “If there are fleas in there, it’s from your general filth, not from me.”

    “I’ll have you know my respiteblocks are kept plenty clean these nights.”

    “Thanks to Porrim,” Mindfang said, “She cleans up after you because she knows it ticks you off.”

    “Can’t find anything anymore…” the oliveblood grumbled.  “Except on my sub.”

    “Speaking of which:  Comm?  Contact the sub, please.”  Mindfang waited as the day shift Comm officer made the connection.  “Rogue Leader, status report?”  Silence followed.  “Kaiyuh?  This is the Captain…”

    A burst of static and then, “Sorry, Captain!  Must have dozed off there.  Everything’s fine as far as I can tell.  No signs of any activity from the lusus and the readouts from the soporbeds are showing that their occupants are doing well in their subconscious states.”

    “Excellent.  How about you take a break and have a proper nap instead of dozing at the main console?”

    “I suppose I should.  I’ll make sure my relief lets you know if anything changes.”

    “Of that I have no doubt.  Blue Leader out.”  Mindfang looked to Felida and asked, “That girl can sleep anywhere, anytime, can’t she?”

    Oceleo nodded.  “Uh-huh. For the most part it’s not at inopportune times, thankfully.  Now, how about we go down, Captain?”

    “Hard as it will be for you to believe this, my sweet, when I said we should sleep, I actually meant it.  But yes, let’s head below.”

    _Are you teasing me now, Mistress?_

_Maybeeeeeeee…_

 

 

 

    “What do you think they’re up to, Mistress?  It seems awfully quiet, especially with Syhale around.  You’re certain he’s here?” Felida asked as she adjusted her head on the firm blue pillow.

    Mindfang draped her arm over her first officer’s shoulder and pressed her chest more closely up against her back.  “Unquestionably.  The alignment of these ships confirms it for me.  But there is definitely something afoot.  The fact that he hasn’t made it quite clear that he’s involved suggests he’s waiting on something.  And I have a pretty fair idea what it is.”

    “Condy?”

    “Count on it.”

    Felida pushed her hips back against Aranea’s.  “So what do you think the odds are that they’ll attack us once you’re on your way?”

    “That all depends on Meenah’s willingness to risk the well-being of her lusus.  I honestly don’t think she’ll command Syhale to outright engage us but then again, her opinion of her lusus has always been a rather dim one.  She knows she needs it to provide her the power and energy she uses, but she doesn’t view Gl’bgolyb with reverence or awe; merely as a necessity at best.  Remember how she became known as the Condesce, after all.”

    “Good point.  You think our perimeter fleet will be able to do enough damage to stop them from sinking us?”

    Aranea placed a kiss on the back of Felida’s neck just above where her collar rested.  “Fear not, my sweet; they’ll come as soon as you call them.  Just because you don’t have my abilities doesn’t mean they won’t respond.  And if they jam your radio transmissions, launch the flare.  It’s that simple.”

    “I know, Mistress.  I just hope it all unfolds according to plan.  Plan A, preferably.”

    “That’s why we have a Plan B in case it doesn’t.  I know Porrim may not care much for it but sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.”

    Felida snorted.  “I would say ‘Try telling HER that!’ and yet, no one knows it better than she does.  When it comes to you, however, she tends not to think so rationally.”

    This time, Aranea let the hand drift down to the space where Felida’s thighs met.  “You also seem to suffer from a similar affliction.”

    “Mmmmm…  I thought you said that we ought to rest, Mistress?”

    “I happen to know for a fact that you and I both sleep better when our desires have been sated.”

    Felida lifted her right knee to allow Aranea unfettered access to her rapidly warming seedflap.  “My Mistress knows me very well.”

    “That said, we ought to make it quick.  How about a Watch Me session tonight?” Mindfang asked as she flipped the blankets off of them and then turned on the bedside light.  
   
    Oceleo knew that this version of Watch Me had nothing whatsoever to do with playing cards.  “A fine idea, Mistress!”  She hopped out of bed and retrieved a blue towel from the hygieneblock.  

    Before she made it back to the bedside, she watched herself suddenly toss the towel back to the floor behind her.  “Felidaaaaaaaa… why did you drop that?  You’re going to have to pick it up now.”

    With a soft, knowing chuckle, Felida said, “How clumsy of me, Mistress.  I better go over there and get it.”

    “Take your tiiiiiiiime...”

    Felida turned around and walked the couple of paces over to where the towel was before slowly and deliberately bending over to pick it up.  “Oh, I seem to have dropped it again.”  She opened her stance a bit wider and leaned forward to expose as much of her curvaceous bottom and everything that lay between as she could.  The sounds that were coming from the bed behind her indicated that it was having the effect she was hoping for.  “Purrhaps I should hurry back before my Mistress has need for this?”

     “I suspect so,” Aranea sighed, her back up against the headboard of the bed, her fingers already showing traces of blue from their visits into her own seedflap in search of wetness.  “Could you also grab the lube from the basket in the daystand, too?  This isn’t going to take long at all.”

    “Of course, Mistress!”  Felida strutted back to the bed, giving her hips an extra little pop to the sides as she moved, and first placed the towel down on the bed between Aranea’s open thighs before obtaining the requested bottle of lubricant.  “And where would you like me to put this, Mistress?”

    Aranea gave her an odd look.  “On my elbow, Felida.  Where do you think?”

    “Just being funny, Mistress.”  She squirted a bit of the clear, pleasantly scented fluid on to her organic fingertips and then waited for Aranea to pull her hand free before gently applying it in slow swirls of decreasing size on her moirail’s smooth, engorged blue lips.  “How’s that?”

    “Wonderful, but it’ll be even better when the show starts,” Aranea said, patting the bed with her hand to suggest the oliveblood join her there.

    Felida knew exactly what to do: she hopped onto the bed facing Aranea, grabbed her pillows and placed them behind her back to support herself and then let her legs fall open to provide both access for her fingers to her seedflap as well as a better view of it for her Mistress.  

    “No lube for you, my sweet?” Aranea asked.

    “Still lots on my fingers from adding yours, Mistress.  I trust my Mistress is getting what she needs?”  Felida let her fingertips gently pull back on the skin surrounding her engorged olive nub to expose it fully before using them to slip back and forth on either side of it.

    Aranea sighed and moved her fingers in concert with her moirail’s.  “Quite.  I love watching you pleasure yourself for me.”

    “I live to serve… and this is certainly… one of my favourite ways to serve!”  It was harder for Felida to get a view of Aranea’s self-pleasuring in her position without the benefit of a headboard to sit up against but she was able to see enough to spark her own arousal.  

    “Felida… slip a finger… in your nook for me…”

    Oceleo shifted herself on the pillows and lifted her left leg to allow room for one of her metallic digits to press into her other entry; she welcomed the coolness of it and relaxed herself so that she could allow it further inside.  “Ohhhhh… anything you want, Mistress.  Do you like watching me do that?”

    “Mmhmmmmmmmm…” came the reply, accompanied by an increase in the speed of Aranea’s hand movements over her lips and nub; she was producing more than enough lubrication of her own now.  “Just keep… doing that.”

    “I know you like a confident lover, Mistress.”  Felida let her finger fall from that opening and brought it up to her own seedflap in search of wetness before using it to wet another one of her silvery digits and attempting to place both of them inside of her now, her right hand continuing to almost vibrate around her aching nub.  “I do love being a naughty girl for you.”

    Aranea wanted to reply verbally but the ability to do so escaped her; all she could do was watch Felida continue to pleasure herself for both their benefits.   _You just keep doing that and I’ll just… just…_

    The last thought was obliterated in a barely restrained wail and a spray of blue that launched forth from Aranea, coating the towel under her backside and reaching as far as Felida’s legs and even onto her right hand.  Aranea collapsed back against the headboard, her nub still singing beneath her slim fingers; Felida’s view of her pale lover’s climax served to push her towards her own that much faster.  As she reached that delicious point of no return, her own song issued from her lips as her wetness issued from her other ones – at the same time as another song altogether filled the sponge clots of every single troll on board the _Fool’s Gam8it_.

    “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?” Felida yelled out, startled by the unexpected din.

    Aranea’s eyes popped open.  “THAT song?  You have got to be kidding me.”

    Felida groaned and let herself fall back onto the pile of pillows.  “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that isn’t coming from our ship, is it?”

    “I suspect not.  In fact, that particular tune tells me something very important.”

    “What would that be?  That shitty techno music is a bad choice to masturbate to?”

    Aranea chuckled and sat up, peeling her long, damp hair from the soft cushions behind her and taking a moment to examine the colourful issuing on the towel between them.  “Strangely, I can actually enjoy that song without irony now and then.  You do know it, don’t you?”

    Felida nodded.  “Trying to remember where from, though.”

    “Let’s just say that I now know we’re dealing with someone other than just Syhale.  That’s a song you hear coming from…”

    “…a Darude Sandstorm.  Of course!  There’s purplebloods on those ships, then.”

    “Not just purplebloods, my sweet; I’m all but certain the Grand Highblood himself is on one of them.”

    “That would explain this sick, twisted audio assault at sunup, then.  If we’re awake…”

    “So is the rest of the fleet.  But by the same token,” Mindfang surmised, “every one of their sailors are as well.  I don’t suspect clotplugs are standard naval issue these nights.”

    Felida sat up and used a corner of the towel to wipe some of the olive and blue off of her seedflap and thighs; at one point she actually succeeded in adding more of her ejaculation to her bare skin than removing it.  “Well, if the music didn’t wake everyone else up, our songs might have!”

    Aranea smiled.  “I’m reasonably certain the soundproofing I had added was an effective damper but then again…”  She considered the volume of the song she was being subjected to.  “That must mean this song is being broadcast awfully loudly.”

    “I’d say you’ve got the ‘awful’ part right, Mistress.  The only ones who are probably spared this are on the sub!”

    “I certainly hope so.  The last thing we need is to have our friends disrupted… or Gl’bgolyb, for that matter.”  

    “How should we deal with this, Mistress?  Blow the ship playing that abomination out of the water?”

    Aranea slipped off of the bed as gracefully as she could without making too much of a mess.  “Sadly, no.  They’re trying to bait us into attacking them first.  Amazingly enough, an audio assault isn’t considered a legitimate form of combat.  That said, this proves the Grand Highblood knows nothing about naval warfare.  These techniques may work when you’re using shock troops and Subjuggalators to attack land targets during daylight hours but he’s hurting his own troops as much as ours by doing this, possibly even more so.”

    Despite the blaring cacophony, Felida still felt a twinge of arousal at watching her moirail’s bare bottom as she walked towards the hygieneblock.   _Can’t believe I’m going to mentally associate this song with an orgasm now…_ “So what should we do about it, Mistress?  We can’t simply let this go without some form of response, no?”

    “Actually, Felida, we can and we will.  Like I just said, he’s harming his own – or Syhale’s, in any case – by doing this.  We ought to make an appearance on the bridgeblock to let our crews know what’s happening and do our best to mitigate it.”

    What sounded like a welcome reprieve to Felida’s sponge clots was a short one as the song began again.  “I still think a well-aimed missile would be an ideal form of mitigation, Mistress.”

    “I know you’re joking, Felida; you’re smarter than that,” Aranea said as she turned on the sink and grabbed a washcloth.  “In fact, if you want to take some pleasure from this, can you imagine what Syhale is thinking right now?  I would love to be a spider on the wall in that bridgeblock…”

 

 

 

    “GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I DON’T TIE YOUR FEET TO THE ANCHOR AND HURL YOU OVERBOARD RIGHT NOW!”  Fleet Admiral Syhale thundered as he stormed onto the bridgeblock.

    “Because I’d tear your motherfucking horns off and shove them into your gills if you tried,” the Grand Highblood answered just loudly enough to be heard over the thumping beat that filled the air.  “Besides, I think my Flying Mirthspeakers are doing exactly what the fuck they were built to do.”

    Syhale gritted his sharp teeth and tried his best to regain his composure. “You do realize that your- mirthspeakers, as you call them – aren’t just waking up Mindfang’s crews but ours as well?”

    Makara gave him a surprised look.  “You mean your troops aren’t trained to tune out a sonic bombardment?  I’m more than certain my motherfucking contingent is getting the rest they need… which is none at all.  Subjuggalators require no rest.  The lack of discipline in your crews is not my concern.  I certainly hope it doesn’t fuck up our plans.”

    “You see, the key word here is ‘our’, Makara.  I had no inkling you were planning on doing anything like this or maybe I would have had an opportunity to prepare my crews for this… atrocity.  It’s a wonder no one’s tried you for war crimes.”

    “No one’s been tried for war crimes in my lifetime, Admiral.  All’s fair in love and hate and war, no?  She won’t dare fire on the motherfucking speakers because she’s unwilling to provoke you with that rump of a fleet she has.  And aside from disrupting her crew’s ability to get some needed sleep, I’m sending a message to both Mindfang and her pet dog that I’m here.  In fact, it’s the latter that I’m trying to get the attention of.”

    Syhale raised an eyebrow.  “The turquoiseblood you said was involved in the attack on the Grand Justicehive?  Oh yes, the matesprit of the one you’ve got in the cage down below deck.”

    The Grand Highblood grinned.  “That’s the one.  Her Imperious Condescension has made it very clear that we aren’t to harm Mindfang so then I will do everything I can to bait that other motherfucking bitch into doing something rash.  If she’s foolish enough to try a rescue mission, we’ll capture her and then I’ll disassemble her in front of Krysli.  I was going to make it a private show but I’ll let you watch if you like.  Don’t ever say I don’t offer you anything in exchange for our passage.”

    “I’ll pass on the offer of nauseating displays of barbarism.”

    “You have a reputation of being a butcher yourself, Syhale.  Am I to believe those reports are a motherfucking exaggeration?”

    Syhale could feel his fingertips drawing closer and closer to his palms but he refused to give Makara the satisfaction.  “I prefer to use my sword on armed combatants as a general rule, thank you very much.  If someone chooses to engage me or mine, they die messily.  But they die as warriors on their feet.  You’ve taken violence to levels few save this Empress or the one previous could hope to achieve.”

    “Why thank you, Admiral.”

    _That wasn’t a compliment and you know it, freakshow._  “As for this… music, this needs to stop.  The detrimental effect it could have on any potential battle is obviously beyond your ability to comprehend.”

    The Grand Highblood put a massive hand over his chest.  “And here I thought we were getting along so well.  I suppose I could recall the Flying Mirthspeakers for now; the intended recipients of the message have heard it loud and clearly by now.  Oh what I’d give to be a bug on the motherfucking wall of that bridgeblock right now…”

 

 

 

    “He’s here.  And he’s got Kaerah,” Aurana shouted over the din outside the Fool’s Gam8it’s bridgeblock.  “If you’d let me swim across, I could get her and-”

    “Aurana, I’m going to need to stop you right there,” Mindfang said as she adjusted her coat buttons, silently cursing how quickly she was forced to clean up and dress thanks to the noise that barraged her sponge clots.  “You will be detected, captured and killed in depraved ways even I couldn’t imagine in my most violent dreams.  Do you think it would even remotely help Kaerah if she was forced to watch you being torn to pieces?”

    The thought of this all but stopped the turquoiseblood in her tracks.  “I suppose not…”

    “Precisely.  While I have no doubts about your combat abilities, that’s an entire battleship full of highblood warriors.  Even I’d have to seriously consider my plan before I went over there.  The good news is we already HAVE a plan, remember?  One that WE control.  We force them to play our game, Aurana, and the best way to do that is to not play theirs.”

    “But my matesprit’s life is at stake, Captain!  I can’t stand idly by and let that purpleblooded monster keep her locked up!”

    Mindfang felt her jaw was tightening; the last thing she wanted was a headache but she knew she needed to get through to her friend before this went horribly awry.  “Aurana, I’m ordering you to stand down until further notice.  Kaerah’s rescue is the primary focus of this plan.  Never doubt that.  You’re too valuable to risk right now and if I know that clown, he’s counting on you to act rashly.  We can’t afford to provoke them right now and induce a confrontation that will force us to blow our element of surprise.  Both you and Felida know how this is going to play out; be patient and your opportunity for revenge and rescue, in whichever order you choose, will come shortly.  For now, we…”  Aranea looked over to Felida, who was in the process of tying her olive sash over her sponge clots in search of relief from the song being used against them, and then continued, “endure.  This is our game; remember this.  If we give into their plans, we’re sunk.”

    Zashyl fumed silently for a few moments before conceding.  “You’re right, Captain.  I know you are.  You always are.  But you do understand how difficult it is to do.”

    “I left my matesprit behind with the possibility I may never see her again, Aurana.  It’s unlikely, but possible.  I understand wholeheartedly, believe me.  But you must also prepare yourself for the possibility of… unforeseen, undesired outcomes.  That’s been the toughest part for me to grasp as well.  I’ve always had luck on my side but luck never carries a guarantee.  Just know that I will do everything I can to see that it works out for you and that includes keeping you from sabotaging yourself.”

   “Thank you, Captain.  I know it’s not the first time that’s had to happen.”

    Mindfang smiled and placed a hand on Aurana’s shoulder.  “Sometimes we do things for the ones we care about most that might not be very pleasant at the time but are actually backed with good intentions.  What’s scarier is that sometimes the person you’re doing them for might not see that you’re trying to help them.  It was very tense for Porrim and I right before we set out on this mission.  Ask Felida.”

    The oliveblood noticed both Mindfang and Aurana looking at her and lifted the sash off of her left ear.  “Hm?  Oh!  Yeah, it wasn’t pretty.  Had to talk ol’ Jadebutt into listening to reason.  Not an easy task.”

    “Probably easier than trying to talk to you with that thing over your sponge clots,” Aurana said.  “What’s going to hold your pants up?”

    “Don’t tell me you’re waiting for me to drop my shorts now?  Gods, who ISN’T trying to get into my pants?  Get in line, Poochie.”

    Aurana gave her a mock scowl in reply.  “If you want to go make a personal inspection of your sub, Kittie, I can arrange that.”

    “Ladies, pleeeeeeeease,” Mindfang interjected, “as happy as I am to see you two getting along in your own special way, this would be a less than ideal time for anyone to take an impromptu swim.  I suggest we all head back to bed and try to drown out the…” She paused as the blaring music suddenly stopped.  “…noise.  Well, that was interesting.  Maybe Syhale talked some sense into that clown.”

    “Or maybe he killed him!” Felida added gleefully.

    “He better not have; he’s mine!” Aurana said, only half-joking.

    “I don’t suspect we’d be so lucky on that front.”  Mindfang stepped to the door of the bridgeblock and squinted against the sunlight as she watched the strange, helicopter-like boxes returning back to whence they came.  “That said, we should just count ourselves lucky that racket has quit.  Syhale does still outrank Makara so he may have resorted to using his brass as leverage.  Or, and this is the more likely explanation, the Grand Highblood’s message has been sent.  Now do you see what I mean, Aurana?  He knows you’re here.”

    Felida nodded.  “Who’s baiting who, I wonder?”

    Aurana let her shoulders slump and tried to let herself relax.  “You’re right again, Captain.  Even without the noise, I’m probably going to have a tough time sleeping today.”

    “Then just rest quietly in the bed or if you really need to, use the ‘coon in there.  I’d rather have you fresh than fighting off the sopor slime effects but do what you must.”

    “Thank you, Captain.  I’ll try my best.”

    “Gooooooood.  That’s all I ever ask.  I have a feeling things are going to be much more interesting come sundown.”

    Aurana thought about this.  “Why do you think so?”

    Mindfang looked at the main viewscreen at the Navy ships moving in their perimeter.  “Why are they here?  To check on Gl’bgolyb, of course.  They’re going to have to report her status back to the Condesce.  And what she has to say will determine how the next night is going to play out.  Oh, I’d love to hear what she has to say when Syhale tells her that he has no clue what’s going on…”

 

 

 

    “WHAT?  WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T MINNOW?”

    She means business when she starts yelling the fish puns, Admiral Syhale thought as he carefully considered what to say next.  “Here’s what we do know: she is sitting in one place on the ocean floor.  As far as our instruments can tell, she is… alive?  But beyond that, we have no idea whatsoever why she’s in stasis… asleep… whatever you want to call it.”

    “And you can confirm that Mindfang is there?”

    “Sitting directly overtop of her, your Highness, along with a few other ships,” said the Grand Highblood.

    “When you join the Navy, Makara, I’ll ask you Naval questions!” the Condesce spat, making him step back behind Syhale.  “What is your assessment of her fleet, Admiral?” she added, with the emphasis on his rank.

    Syhale drew himself up as regally as he could and answered, “She has ten ships parked over your lusus.  None of them are currently taking any offensive postures; we have them completely surrounded.  Strange as it may sound, this may be a complete coincidence that she’s here.”

    “Malwil, if I could reach through this screen and slap some sense into you, I would.  This is Marquise Spinneret Mindfang you’re talking about.  She has something to do with this.  And you can’t seem to come up with how at all?”

    “No, Your Highness.  You know your lusus far better than I do, of course.  Is there anything in particular she’s susceptible to?”

    “Yes.  Lullabies and warm milk.  TRY AGAIN, SMARTNOOK.”

    “If I may, Your Highness,” Makara interjected, “there were legends of lowblood trolls who were capable of manipulating lusii.  These ‘beasttalkers’ were few and far between but those motherfuckers were known to try and cause revolts by getting the animals to rise up against the highbloods.  Is it possible that the Marquise is one?”

    The Condesce silently thought about this.   _I know she can manipulate people but animals?  Never seen her do that before._  “In case you’ve gone colourblind recently, Makara, ceruleans are NOT lowbloods.  That said, maybe she’s developed some new skills?”

    “Or more likely some new recruits,” added Syhale.  “She helped herself to the Summoner and his crew not terribly long ago.”

    “No thanks to your incompetence,” the Condesce grumbled back.  “So if she had one of these beasttalkers in her service, it would simply be a matter of finding out who it is and then krilling them.  Sounds like something you can handle, Kurloz?”

    “It is my specialty, Your Highness.  As soon as we determine who the lusus-manipulating motherfucker is, I will make sure they face the wrath of the righteous chucklevoodoos.”

    “Unless it actually IS Mindfang, right?”

    The Grand Highblood’s body language couldn’t hide his disappointment.  “Yes, Your Highness.”

    “Good.  I just wanted to make shoal we’re all on the same page.  I will be there in a few hours; I suggest you continue your scans of her ships and see if you can narrow it down a bit.  Once we have Mindfang out of the way, you can less… judicious about which ships need to be destroyed.  I’m sure the Admiral will be most pleased to hear that?”

    Syhale was so elated, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d smiled so broadly.  “Most pleased, Your Highness.”

    “Exshellent.  Make your final preparations.  One way or another, Mindfang’s attempts at rebellion are about to be curbed.  See you soon.”

    As the screen winked out, Meenah made for her respiteblock.   _This is finally a thing that’s happening.  I always knew this night would come but now that it’s here, all that remains to be seen is how willing Aranea is to rejoin me… or if I’ll need to force the issue._  A toothy smile not unlike Syhale’s crossed her features.   _In a way, I kinda hope I WILL need to…_

 


	56. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 55

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Fool's Gam8it prepare for their roles in the battles to come. Mindfang makes her own arrangements for a trip to see the Condesce while taking steps to ensure those she's leaving behind have a fighting chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are more than a few touching moments in this chapter; you can tell things are heading towards what I hope will be a big finish. It's been almost two months since I've had a chance to really add to this main story so I'm thrilled to finally get back at it! By the way, f you haven't checked out the sidefic I wrote for my friend called "Mane Lupus" involving Aranea and Aurana yet, you can find it here: [MANE LUPUS](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5788168)

   
** 55. **

     “I’m not sure which is worse: that horrid music that they blared at us in the morning or the complete silence that’s followed,” Felida mused as she looked over the rail at the slowly circling Navy ships that surrounded _Fool’s Gam8it_.

    “‘Remember what peace there may be in silence’ was a line from a poem I once heard about fifty odd sweeps ago,” Mindfang said beside her.  “That poem was attributed to the Signless but then sometimes the true origins of a tale may be lost to history.  I’ll have to ask Porrim about it sometime... doesn’t necessarily strike me as something he’d say.”

    The oliveblood smiled in spite of her tense mood.  “I’m glad you still plan to come back, Captain.”

    “That IS The Plan, Felida.  Well, Plan A, anyway.  Plan B may not exclude the possibility, either.  Orrrrrrrr… I could just improvise and see what happens.”

    “Yeah.  That’s always worked well for us before.”  She looked up at Aranea and the smile she saw on her captain’s face spoke volumes of their shared adventures.  “It’s gonna be sunrise again in an hour or so.  The crews are getting restless.”

    Mindfang clutched onto the railing and drank in a deep breath of the sea air.  “I know.  I’ve already had to calm them down once tonight.  Everyone is quite eager to swing a sword or fire a cannon and all things considered, I can’t really blame them.  This will be the final fight and none of the fools on the Navy ships surrounding us know that yet.  All of this pent-up energy will be an unstoppable wave when the time comes.  I’m really quite sad that I won’t be here to see it for myself.”

    “Maybe Condyvision will provide you with a good view of it all?  She does seem to have cameras everywhere.”

    “So long as we can keep Makara off the air, that’s what matters.  If he does something to Kaerah, I can’t believe either you or I could stop Aurana from jumping ship.  And that could be a serious problem.  I know you’re going to have your hands full with everything else but you’ll need to keep an eye on her.”

    Felida chuckled at the thought.  “I’ve got two now; I suppose I can spare one for that?”

    “You may have to literally attach it to her if you can.  She’s quite insistent on getting Kaerah back, plan or no plan.  I need her to stick to it for all our sakes.”

    “So why don’t you go tell her that, then?”

    Aranea huffed.  “In case you didn’t hear me making it painfully clear to her last night, I already did.”

    “I don’t mean like that.  That was Captain to Bodyguard.  I mean friend to friend.  You’ve known her literally as long as you’ve known me.  Maybe this time talking with her as a friend concerned about her needs versus that of the fleet’s might make more of an impact?”

    For a few moments, nothing spoke but the sea breeze.  “You seem to have a gift for telling me what I need to hear, my sweet.  That’s why you are what you are to me.”  Mindfang gently stroked Felida’s cheek and added, “No time like the present, then.  You have the bridge until I get back.”

    “Yes, Captain.”  

    Mindfang tried to gather the thoughts that blew around inside of her thinkpan as though in a violent gale.   _The waiting gets to me as much as it does everyone else and yet holding the course has paid off for me more times than not.  I wish I could convey that to Aurana empathically but considering the circumstances, there may be even less likelihood of getting through to her than usual.  I only hope my words can make enough of an impact._  

    She opened the bridgeblock door and called the turquoiseblood at the weapons console.  “Aurana?  Would you join me out here on the deck for a moment?”

    “Of course, Captain.”  

    _No visible signs of duress but she’s still tense, perhaps even more so now than last night.  She seeks the fight but the foe remains just outside of her reach._  Mindfang gestured to where she wanted Zashyl to stand and watched as Felida entered the bridgeblock to assume her command seat.  “Soooooooo… I know there’s been no news but I suspect this standoff won’t last much longer.  I wanted to commend you on your patience; I know it’s been difficult in the extreme but it’s also been essential.”

    “I know.  I’m trying my best to keep it under lock and key, but…”  Aurana’s voice trailed off.  

    “The killer instinct is strong in you.  You’ve always fought hard to hold it back except for when you let it take you in the heat of battle.  More often than not it’s worked for you and, by extension, for me as well.  Just know that it will more than likely get its opportunity to show itself before this is done; all I ask it that you wait until the right moment to set it free.  Can you do that?”

    Aurana gripped the rail so hard that it began to bend under her hands.  “I… hope so.  All that keeps me together in there is the thought of tearing the Grand Highblood’s throat out with my teeth.  If Kaerah is harmed in any way, I’ll string his entrails out behind the ship, I swear it!”

    Despite her uncertainty it would help, Mindfang bathed her with what calmness she could mentally muster.  “Your time will come.  Just try not to lose sight of what it is you’re fighting for.  Or what we’re fighting for.”

    This earned her a wary look from her former bodyguard.  “What do you mean?”

    “You’ve obviously fighting for the safe return of your matesprit.  I can think of few things more noble than that… save for perhaps fighting for the freedom of our entire world.  That’s the main mission here and it’s one that’s going to see some sacrifices made.  I know you know most of what’s happening and you’ve been involved in the planning from the very start, but all I ask is that you don’t put an end to the bigger dream by chasing your own needs ahead of it.  You will get your Kaerah back but the time has to be right.”  She placed her right hand on Zashyl’s left and waited for that grip to ebb.  “Can you do that for me?  For us all?”

    A sigh through clenched teeth.  “I will try.  I can’t say that if I see an opportunity to take it that I won’t but I will do my best to make sure that it’s not premature.”

    “That’s all that I ask, pet.”  Aranea gently squeezed Aurana’s hand and steeled herself inside.  “Actually, there is one other thing I need to ask of you.”

    “Yes, Captain?”

    “If I… should not return, can you keep a close watch on Porrim and Felida for me?  You’ve known them both for so long… the only people I could trust this to are Meu and yourself.  Should anything untoward befall me, I just want to ask if you’ll offer them your sworn dedication as you have me.”

    The idea that Mindfang might not come back had never really even occurred to Aurana.  “Of course, but… you’re coming back, Captain.  I’m sure of it.”

    Mindfang fixed her with her cerulean eyes.  “I’m glad you are.  Your optimism knows no bounds, but I have to prepare for the possibility.  You’ve been a loyal friend to me for many, many sweeps; I’ve fought beside you and watched you risk your life for me on numerous occasions but where I’m going this time, I can’t take you with me.  All I can ask is that you please look after the ones who matter most to me… yourself included.”  

    When Aurana opened her mouth to suggest that that wouldn’t be necessary, Aranea continued, “I mean that.  I won’t have you kicking yourself about how you weren’t there in my hour of need.  There is genuinely nothing you can do for me once I get to Condy; she’ll listen and accept my offer or she won’t.  If she won’t, there may be something in between that we can come up with or I’ll be forced to improvise.  Wouldn’t be the first time, no?”

    Zashyl barked out a laugh.  “Understatement of the sweep!  Remember that time when we stormed Captain Nerrun’s ship expecting to find all kinds of gold and loot and all the _Starhome_ had in her hold were crates and crates of Melonade… and about fifty well armed crewmen?”

    “Ah, yes.  You know, it’s a good thing Melonade was flammable; I suspected as much considering Condy was behind making that swill.  Probably wasn’t ever a real melon within a hundred klicks of it at any point in its existence.”

    “Those poor saps may have gone down with that ship, but at least they smelled good in the process.”

    Mindfang snorted.  “Ugh.  I don’t know about that; it took me eight showers at least to get rid of that sticky feeling, not to mention the burnt plastic odor that clung to me.  But at least we escaped with no casualties that night.”

    “Uh huh!  See, that’s why I have faith in you, Captain: you always seem to pull through somehow.  Call it luck, skill or whatever you want; you’ve never steered us wrong yet and I don’t think you’re going to now.  I honestly believe you’ll get what you want from Condy and things will be a lot better around these parts.”

    Hearing her friend’s unquestioning but genuine endorsement made Aranea smile in spite of her tension.  “I’m glad you think so.  But just in case, I have to be absolutely certain that those who need to be looked after are looked after.  If I fail, they’ll be gunning for you, have no doubt of it.  I just need to hear that you’ll all retreat to the island and hole up there, fortifying the defenses until they find you.  Will you do this for me?  Consider it my last command.”

    Aurana released her grip on the railing and swept her captain up in a tight embrace.  “Of course I will, but I fully expect there will be many more orders to come from you.  Really, I do!”

    “Okay then,” Mindfang grunted, doing her best to return the gesture.  “I can ask nothing more of you.  Let’s see if we can secure Kaerah’s freedom in the proce-”

    “CAPTAIN!” Felida yelled from the bridgeblock door, “INCOMING SHIP ON INTERCEPT COURSE!”

    Both women released their hold on one another.  “What kind?” Mindfang inquired.

    “Looks like a small destroyer, no signs of any active weapons.”

    Mindfang didn’t have to tell Aurana what to do; she was halfway through the open door, nearly knocking Felida over in the process.   _BATTLESTATIONS!_ she thought to her crews, but don’t fire on it yet.   _Let’s see what they have to say first._

    Once back in the bridgeblock, the incoming vessel was being tracked on the main viewscreen; Porrim’s face was present in the corner.  “Just a small ship, Captain,” she said quietly, “estimating your position in two minutes.  All others are maintaining their positions.”

    “Hmmmmmmmm… interesting.  Let it approach; advise if any weapons suddenly become active.  Just so that they know we mean business, lock on the plasma cannons, Aurana.”

    “Yes, Captain.  Target is locked.”

    Mindfang acknowledged this and took to her seat.  She reached out to the ship, hoping to find out what she could but there were only a few crew on board that she could read and all she could feel from them was the expected degree of tenseness associated with approaching their enemy’s flagship.   _This is not an attack,_ she thought.   _Perhaps they wish to parley?_  “Let them approach; they mean us no harm.”

    “Are you certain, Captain?” Aurana asked.

    “Quite.  Watch and seeeeeeee.”

    A minute later, Meulin spoke up, “Captain, they’re hailing us.  They want to speak with you… outside.”

    _Parley it is.  Very well, then._  “I think that can be arranged.”  She stood up and headed for the door, her crimson boots tapping out the rhythm of her steps.

    Protests came from both Aurana and Porrim.  “Captain, do you think that’s wise?” Porrim asked.

    “They’re not going to gun me down like some common criminal, love.  If they wanted me dead, I would be.  This certainly doesn’t end here and now.  Aurana, if you’d like to join me, you can.”

    “It would make me feel a lot better, Captain.”

    “Very well, come along.  Felida, you know what to do.”

    Oceleo appeared calmer than she felt.  “Aye, Captain.”

    Mindfang adjusted her coat and flipped her long hair out behind her as she waited for Aurana to meet her at the door.  “Let’s hear what they have to say for themselves.”

    They stepped out onto the _Fool’s Gam8it_ ’s foredeck and watched as a small destroyer cut its engines and floated up alongside.  From its bridgeblock emerged a pair of guards and an indigoblood man who cupped his hands to his mouth and called out, “You are Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, yes?”

    “The one and only!” she answered with a dramatic bow, making sure he could see her confident smile at all times.

    “My name is Captain Weddar Jelico.  You are to-”

    “It doesn’t matter what your name is!” Mindfang bellowed back.  “What do you want?”

    Zashyl did her level best not to laugh.

    The indignant scowl she received in return made Mindfang smile even more broadly.  “By the edict of Her Imperious Condescension, you are to surrender yourself immediately and command your fleet to stand down.”

    “Nope!”

    Captain Jelico was incredulous.  “I beg your pardon?”

    “I’m certain you heard me quite plainly!  I said, ‘Nope’!”

    “Am I to take it that you are defying a direct Imperial Command?”

    Mindfang shook her head.  “Hardly an Imperial Command if it’s coming from the likes of you.  It’ll be a cold, cold night in the blue hells before I surrender to a blustering hoverbus driver such as yourself.  Tell that squidfucker Syhale that he’s the only one I’ll talk to right now.”  When Jelico didn’t immediately reply, she started making shooing gestures with her hands.  “Go on, then!  Get your little buddies here to help wind up your toy boat and go fetch somebody useful for me to deal with.”  When he didn’t respond immediately, she added, “What, does someone need to swab out your sponge clots?  Fuck off before I have to say ‘fuck off’ again and next time I’ll do it with this!”  She drew _Spider8ite_ and brandished it at him.  “You might not have fins for ears but I’ll happily add one of yours to my collection!  Scram!”

    Jelico’s dark eyes shot daggers at her but he turned and stalked back to his bridgeblock, security detail right behind him.  As the destroyer returned from whence it came, Mindfang and Aurana looked at each other and both broke down into gales of laughter.   “For someone who doesn’t have globes, Captain, you’ve got the biggest ones I’ve ever known!”

    “Pssssssssh!  Who says you need globes to be brash?  Just another fable concocted by the male-dominated Admiralty.  Besides, I’m holding all the cards here.  Thanks to Condy, I’ve got an unbeatable hand and I intend to play it.”

    “Do you think Syhale will show up?”

    Mindfang nodded.  “Count on it.  I have a feeling that’ll be my ‘ride’, too.  Guess I better take care of what I need to take care of.”  She started back to the bridgeblock but paused.  “You know… that little exchange gave me an idea.  Wait here.”  

    Aurana did so and watched as her captain ran down the stairs to head below deck, returning a few moments later with a trophy around her neck.  “Ampora’s fin.  You sure know how to make an impression, Captain!”

    “If there’s anyone I know who will appreciate this… accessory, for lack of a better term, it’ll be Syhale,” Mindfang said as she twirled the desiccated flap of skin she separated from Cronus Ampora’s head many sweeps ago on its chain around her neck.  “Mind you, Condy might get a kick out of it, too.”

    “If you say so, Captain!”

    “I do indeeeeeeeed.  Now, let’s head in before I change my mind about all of this…”  
Once inside, Aurana resumed her position and Mindfang made her way back to the captain’s chair.  “Status report?”

    “Whatever you said, Captain, it sure lit a fire under his ass!” Felida said.  “He’s already back at the main core of their fleet.”

    “Advise me as soon as anything else heads our way.  I’m expecting a…” Mindfang’s face made no secret as to her disgust at having to finish this sentence: “higher class of visitor any minute now.  Which means I have to say a few words before he shows up.”  She lingered a moment in the chair, letting her fingers caress the warm wooden handles before rising and making her way to the back of the block where Horuss and Meulin were sitting at their stations.  Meulin knew what she was up to and suddenly found herself choking up; Horuss obliviously continued entering commands into his console.  

    “Horuss...” Meulin hissed, “You might want to look up for a moment?”

    “Hm?  Oh, hello, Marquise!  Everything is continuing to run smoothly.  If our systems could prance, they would be prancing!”

    Mindfang sighed and placed a hand on his thick shoulder.  “As weird as you are – and that’s saying something coming from me – I don’t know what I’d do without you.  Literally don’t know.  You’re one of the best investments I ever made, Zahhak; your debt has been paid a thousandfold.  Just keep doing what you’re doing and make sure you take care of this one, okay?”  She gestured to Meulin just to make sure the massive indigoblood knew exactly who she was talking about.  

    “Of horse!  She is my moirail.  I often think that I need her much more than she needs me but I do hope that she gains something from my presence.”

    “Other than a never-ending supply of sweat, you mean?” Mindfang asked with a wink; Horuss answered with an awkward grin but she knew he would continue to do his best no matter what.  “Meu?  He’s right; he does need you more.”

    The lithe oliveblood chuckled.  “Probably.  Listen… I couldn’t be more proud of you right now.  I hear Kankri’s words coming from you and the sound of it warms my pusher more than I could ever tell you.  You’ve brought his dream to the precipice.”

    “And I intend to bring it further yet.”  She bent her head down and kissed Meulin on the forehead and took in the scent of her shaggy hair.  “I will succeed.”

    Meu looked up at her and grinned hopefully.  “I believe it.”  

    Mindfang looked over to Aurana now.  “You’ve been at my side during some of my fiercest battles and the fiercest is yet to come.  Just because I won’t be present for it doesn’t make it any less important.  There’s no one I trust more in combat than you, pet.  Keep the guns blazing when the time is right but not a second sooner.”

    Aurana stood as straight as she could and hoped her emotional fatigue wasn’t so great that it would keep her from holding back tears.  “Aye, Captain.  My sword and my life are ever yours.”

    “Captain, another ship is inbound,” Felida advised.  “It’s a battleship.”

    “Onscreen.”  The viewer filled with the sight of a large approaching vessel, bristling with guns of all types, but its distinctive styling spoke of its vintage and made it identifiable to anyone familiar with naval history.  “So he brought the _Victorious Butcher_ out of mothballs, did he?  I wonder if they strapped Yamato to the front like some kind of hideous figurehead.”  Felida’s snorted laughter was just the response Mindfang hoped to create.  She turned to her first officer and said, “I don’t think there’s much more that needs to be said, save for a few official things.”

    “I suppose not, Captain.”   _Except that I love you and I want you to come home._

_I will.  One way or another._

_It’s the ‘another’ part that worries me, Aranea._

_Don’t let it.  Trust me as I trust in you._

_I’ll do my best._

_Fear not, my sweet.  You always do._

    This mental conversation took place in all of two seconds and appeared to the rest of the bridgeblock crew as a knowing look between two moirails.  Mindfang turned to face the viewer and prepared herself.  “Blue Leader to Jade Base.  How do you read?”

    “With my eyes, as usual.”  Porrim smiled as she said this but she fought as hard as she could to keep her voice from trembling.  

    “Never change, Porrim Maryam.”

    “Too late…” Porrim had to stop herself from speaking ‘Aranea Serket’ out loud but managed to catch it in time.  “I’ve already changed but it’s been for the better.”

    Mindfang bit her lip and collected herself.  “No, dear heart, it’s I who have changed in ways that simply cannot be measured.  Your love and your belief are what made all of this possible.  And now I’m going to finish what you started all those sweeps ago.  It’s the only gift I can think of that would be worthy of thanking you for what you’ve given to me.”

    The tears poured down Porrim’s face unabated now.  “The only thing I want is you back and in one piece.  Got it?”

   “Loud and clear.  Watch over these guys and girls while I’m gone, all right?  They trust you like they trust me.”

    “If you say so… I mean, I’m a healthtender not a leader!”

    Aranea raised an eyebrow and said, “Then I have some news for you.  I’ll fill you in when I get back, okay?”

    Porrim nodded and tried to wipe her face.  “Okay.  I love you.”

    “I love you, too.  More than life itself.”  She quickly brought a finger up to catch the blue moisture that was forming under her eyes and then steeled her resolve once again.  She exhaled sharply and then spoke, “Computer: recognize Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, Fleet Captain.”

    _Recognized.  State your intended function._

    “Command transfer of _Fool’s Gam8it_ and all override codes for all other vessels under my command to Captain Felida Oceleo.  Authorization code A-S-4-1-3-8.”

    _Code accepted.  Awaiting transfer acceptance._

    Mindfang looked over to her First Officer and gave a nod.  Felida spoke, “Computer, recognize Captain Felida Oceleo.”

    _Recognized.  State your intended function._

    “Assuming command transfer of _Fool’s Gam8it_ and all override codes for all other vessels.  Authorization code F-O-6-9-6-9.”

    _Of course it would be that._

_What else would it be, Mistress?_ Felida thought, wishing she could wink mentally.

    A pause and then _Transfer complete_ issued forth from the speakers.

    “Well, that’s that, then,” Mindfang said, removing her hat and tossing it behind the captain’s chair.  “No trumpets playing, no salutes on deck and that’s fine with me.  We’re Gamblignants, not Navy dogs and that’s what separates us from them: they can keep their pomp and circumstance, but we’ll take everything else!”  A cheer came up from the bridgeblock crew but it was somewhat muted by their captain’s impending departure.  She walked over to Felida and gave her a kiss on the lips.  “Congratulations, Captain.  The fleet is yours.” She gestured to the central seat.  “Please try not to break the arms on this one?”

    Oceleo swallowed the lump in her protein chute.  “Thank you, Captain; I’ll do my best.”  
   
    “I hope so,” Porrim said from the screen, “I’d hate to see another perfectly good chair have to be pitched into the sea.”

    “Jealous much, Jadebutt?” Felida asked as she sat down, knowing full well that her kismesis was proud of her.  

    “Ha.  I’d serve under you any time.”  Porrim watched the smile build on Felida’s face and added, “Don’t worry, you’ll do fine.  Let’s just get through this part first.”  
   
    “Agreed.”  Felida looked over to Mindfang, but her moirail was already out the door and back at the rail, watching the massive battleship drawing ever nearer.  “Helm, hold position”, she called out, “Comm, advise the visible ships of Blue Squadron to train every gun they have on that beast.  If they decide to unload on _Fool’s Gam8it_ as soon as they have the Captain, I want make damn sure that their shitraft will be joining us on the trip down to Dafyyd Jonses’ Locker.”  

    Both positions acknowledged their orders as Felida rose to join Mindfang in watching the Victorious Butcher move to parallel their flagship.  The oliveblood ran her eyes over the imposing but peculiar battleship:  there was easily as much wood (and just as much modern wood-like substance) as could be found on _Fool’s Gam8it_ , but the sheer amount of visible firepower in the form of vintage projectile and energy weapons was like looking at a history book come alive.  “Never thought I’d get to see this ship up close.”

    “You’re luckier than you know.  Most never got to because they were sent to the bottom long before it got this close to theirs.  The sheer sight of it was enough to make lesser thieves surrender without a single shot fired.  Yamato was a force in his night, I gather… before he went senile.  I have no doubt in my thinkpan that Syhale is most unpleased about having to sail out in Yamato’s flagship.”

    “Seriously?  This is the coolest Navy ship I’ve ever seen!”

    Mindfang chuckled.  “Didn’t I just hear you call it a ‘shitraft’?  Anyway, you’re impressed because you’re interested in history.  Syhale views it as something belonging to his predecessor and, by default, a bygone and inferior era.  The retrofitting with modern weapons was at his insistence and for this very reason: just in case he was ever forced to actually make use of it.”

    “Sounds like you had a hell of a history teacher.”  Felida suddenly realized who that would likely be and wished she could take it back.  

    “No need to be upset or embarrassed, my sweet.  I’m going to be seeing her again soon enough and I don’t suspect we’re going to be discussing Naval History at any length.”  Mindfang took Felida’s right hand in her left and gave it a gentle squeeze.  “Speaking of which, if at any point you feel you’re surrounded and in a no-win situation, you remember the Admiral Tkirrk Manoeuver, right?”

    “Turn a loss into a win with Triple-oh.  Got it.”

    “Attagirl.  Let’s have some fun here, shall we?”  She relished Felida’s grin and then looked up at the deck of the warship alongside her own: a number of indigoblood naval officers were lined up at the railing in crisp black and navy blue uniforms, all brandishing pulse rifles.   _Indigobloods_ , she thought to herself, _Syhale knows who he’s dealing with, evidently.  Yamato never saw need for his soldiers to carry ranged energy weapons.  Ah, the nights when naval combat was conducted exclusively with swords and cannons, how I miss them.  A more honourable time._  

    Those officers soon stepped aside to allow the violet cloaked Admiral Malwil Syhale to approach.  “The Empress wants you to finally call it a night, Mindfang,” he shouted, all his sweeps of command giving his voice a layer of sharp steel that his guards lacked at their sides.  “Surrender and I’ll take you to her.”

    “Malwillllllll… you know I only answer to one highblood and you’re not her.  Perhaps if I cut your globes off and you grew your hair out a couple of meters you might be able to do a passable impression of her.  It would certainly be a far better one than your Fleet Admiral impersonation.”  Mindfang wasn’t certain whose eyes widened more: Felida’s or Syhale’s.   _Oh how I wish I could feel his delicious, impotent rage right now._  
   
    “Just get over here so I can get this distasteful task over with,” he spat in reply.  “If it were up to me, I’d have torn you in twain, ripped your filthy cerulean guts out and turned you into chum for that foul creature down below sweeps ago.”

    Mindfang smiled sweetly before replying with a single word.  “IF.”

    This was enough to push Syhale into grabbing a pulse rifle from the nearest officer to him and all but ripping off of them before aiming it directly at her.  “I can make this look like an ‘unfortunate accident’, Mindfang.  A rogue wave could bump the ship and my finger could slip.”

    “I’ve seen you shoot, Admiral.  The crew of your ship is in far more danger than the crew of mine.”  While she couldn’t sense Syhale’s fury, Mindfang could definitely feel Felida’s combination of shock at her brazen taunts and the mammoth effort it was taking to keep from openly cracking up with laughter at them.  “Here’s what’s actually going to happen: you’re going to get your Handroid and give Condy a call for me.  Then, you’re going to get another Handroid from one of your buddies over there and make it a conference call.  You keep one and you toss me the other.  Once she and I have had a discussion, one that you’re more than welcome to listen in on, then we’ll talk about whether or not you’ll be graced with my presence as a passenger.”

    Syhale glowered at her; he wished he could dig his nails into his palms and feel that release in the slick coolness of his own violet blood, but the pulse rifle he was brandishing made that impossible.  A few moments later, he tossed it to the deck in disgust, grabbed the officer that he had just wrested the rifle from a few moments before and rummaged through the pockets of his tunic in search of a Handroid to commandeer.  Upon finding one, he shoved it into his uniform pants and then retrieved his own from his overcoat before furiously entering a series of codes.  After a short pause, Syhale said, “Yes.  She’s right here, making all kinds of ridiculous demands…  No, I’m quite certain they’re ridiculous; one of them is to talk to you directly…  Yes, I can arrange it… As you wish, Your Highness.  Please standby for a moment.”  He returned the active Handroid to his pocket and retrieved the other, repeating the sequence of commands required to connect it to the same call.  “Here,” he snarled at Mindfang, “catch.”

    Mindfang reached up and plucked the thrown Handroid from the air with ease.  “Don’t mind if I doooooooo.”  Before she looked at the screen, she took a quick breath and refocused herself.   _Here we go…_ She raised the device and was greeted by a face she knew far too well.  “Good morning, Meenah.  Shellcome home.”

    Any angry word that the Condesce had on her tongue melted away in an instant.  “You do know what I like to hear even after all of these sweeps, Aranea.  Malwil tells me you’ve been up to something.  Since I can’t hear my lusus right now, I’m betting he’s right for once in his miserable life.  What do you think you’re doing?”

    “Well, I have a feeling this may not surprise you, but I had your lusus take a nap in order to get your attention.  Did it work?”

    “Swimmingly,” answered Meenah, her sharp teeth revealed in a self-satisfied grin.  “So, how about you and I do some catching up.”

    “Here and now?” Mindfang asked.  “With the grubs listening?  What I’ve got to talk about wouldn’t interest little fins at all.”

    During this exchange, Felida snuck a peek over her moirail’s shoulder to get a glimpse of the woman on the screen.   _Holy shit, that’s the Condesce all right!  It’s one thing to hear about her but another to actually see her?  No question about their familiarity…_

    The Condesce snorted. “I suppose not.  How about you catch a ride with him to Capitol and then grab a shuttle up here we can spend a little one-on-one time, hm?”

    “I would love nothing more but you must know that I have others to think about now.  Here’s what I need to happen: first, I need your guarantee not a single shot is fired at any of my ships in my absence; they must remain unharmed.  Second, I’m aware that the Grand Highblood is on board Syhale’s ship; he has the matesprit of a close friend of mine in his custody and I’d like her back, please and thank you.  Also, on that note, I’d rather not ride on any ship that he’s on; needless to say, I don’t trust him.  He’s… unstable.  In return, I guarantee the safety of your lusus, I’ll do my best not to kill anyone and I’ll also bring you a gift of sorts.  Let’s just say it’s something you’ll find extremely valuable.  Here’s a hint: it’s me.”

    Meenah’s eyes narrowed.  “Only you would ever dare to think of suggesting terms to me.  Tonight, like almost every night, it seems, is your lucky night: I’ll agree to most of these because I really do want to see you.  I’ll make sure the Navy does your Gamblignant fleet no harm – HEAR THAT, SYHALE? – and as for Kurloz and his prisoner, conchsidering what you and that friend of yours pulled off at the Grand Justicehive, I’d rather he kept his prisoner for now but I will enshore he won’t hurt her while you’re my guest.  The best I can offer you is to suggest you take another ship – a Navy one, of course – to Capitol.  I’ll make sure there’s a ride waiting for you.  We’re going to have SO much fun, aren’t we?”

    “All of the fun,” Mindfang replied, “Allllllll of it.”

    “That’s what I like to hear.  Don’t keep me waiting, Aranea…”

    “Be right there.”  She put the Handroid on Standby and slipped it not into her pocket, but Felida’s.   _I’ll use this to get a hold of you.  Don’t shut it off or change the frequency; keep it on you at all times, okay?_

    _Got it, Mistress.  Thank you for trying to get Aurana’s matesprit back._  
   
 _It was worth a shot; that battle is far from lost.  I’ll see what else I can do from up there.  If it works, it’ll be more than just Kaerah that’ll be freed._  

_I sure hope so.  Please be careful, okay?  You may know her but I sure don’t trust her._

_I do know her and I don’t trust her.  I’ll keep my wits about me, have no fear, my sweet._

_Easy for you to say, Mistress._  Felida adjusted the position of the Handroid in her pocket to a more comfortable spot.   _You come back for me and Porrim, okay?_

_Count on it._  Another quick kiss on the oliveblood’s lips and then Mindfang looked over to where Syhale was standing on the deck of his flagship, his arms crossed and his face blatantly displaying his opinion of these developments.  “So what do you say, chum?  Give a lady a lift?” she called out.

    “I’ve called a destroyer to escort you to Capitol but know this: the only lift I want to give you is off of the toe of my boot.”

    “Aw, Malwillllllll… you heard the Condesce: you’re not allowed to hurt me and that would most certainly hurt.  If you’re wondering why I don’t want you to take me to Capitol, that’s why, right there: I think you’re kind of a meanie.”  Mindfang stuck her bottom lip out in a pout for emphasis.

    “Do you know what I think?” Syhale replied, keeping his voice as even as he could, “Every single morning, when my head hits my pillow or I slip into my recupracoon, I think about how my life would have been so much better if the Mother Grub had just eaten you like the reject that you are.”

    “I’ll have you know that the Mother Grub doesn’t eat crippled grubs.  The trials just happen to weed out the ones that aren’t viable, but there are a few that are missing a limb or two that turn out just fine.  And it doesn’t matter if they lost them in the Caves or outside, all that’s needed to thwart a Navy admiral is a capable thinkpan and some encouragement.”  She put her arm around Felida who was all but purring.  “This is my second-in-command, Felida Oceleo, and she’ll be in charge of handing you your nook in my absence.”

    Felida tipped her tricorne hat in a mocking salute.  “You know, the way you two carry on, it’s a wonder you’re not kismesises.”

    “Ha!” the Admiral spat, “That’ll be the night.  I wouldn’t even shit in a bucket she offered me!”

    “Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Mindfang said, “It warms my pusher to know that you still know what NOT to do with a bucket.  I can only speculate how long it’s been since anyone has shared one with you considering how charming a fellow you are.  You lack even Ampora’s skill in that department.”  She flicked the withered fin on the chain around her neck.  

    Syhale grimaced at the sight; even from the deck of his ship he could tell what it was she was sporting as a gruesome necklace.  “Your depravity really knows no bounds, does it?”  

    “Boundaries are for other people.  It must just stick in your craw how a mere blueblood has outclassed you at naval strategy time and time again.  I’ve even defeated you when you didn’t even know it was me defeating you.  What more proof do you need that the bloodcaste system is broken and wrong?  Having fins on your face doesn’t make you any more qualified to be a seaman than if my lusus had wheels would have made her qualified to be a hoverbus.”

    “I’ll have you know I’ve studied naval combat for sweeps before you were even hatched!” he thundered back.  “I didn’t get to be Fleet Admiral for nothing!  If I were incompetent, I would have been nothing more than a Brigadier, commanding nothing more than an armada of garbage scows!”

    “That’s my point!  The worst of you still gets to be Admiralty when you don’t deserve it!  This needs to end, Syhale.  You know it’s true.  Aren’t you tired of dealing with people who have no qualifications to be doing the job they’re doing other than the colour of the blood their veins course?”

    Syhale was about to respond when the Grand Highblood emerged from the bridgeblock; Mindfang could swear she saw him gesture towards Makara as if to suggest that her point may have just been proven.  What put a stop to that train of thought was the sight of what the purpleblood was dragging behind him: a metal cage with another purpleblood contained within.  “Why do you waste your motherfucking breath on this nookstain?” Makara growled.  “Anyone who isn’t a highblood is simply an animal in need of training or a beating.”  He punctuated this by kicking the cage, causing Kaerah Krysli to cry out.  

    It took a split second for Aurana to hit the railing, eyes wide and snarling.  “YOU FUCKING PIECE OF TRASH!  DO THAT AGAIN AND I’LL RIP YOUR FUCKING EYES OUT AND EAT THEM!”

    A slow, terrifying grin slithered into existence on the Grand Highblood’s painted face.  “My motherfucking point is proven.  How do you love something like that, Krysli?  How do you have sex with an animal night after night?  She is so motherfucking far beneath you that you disgrace your wicked self by even speaking to her.”  

    Kaerah glowered at him from her cramped cage and refused to dignify his comments with an answer.

    Mindfang’s hackles were raised just as much as Aurana’s were.   _Can you trust this one to do as you bid, Meenah?  This has bad news written all over it._  “Makara, I’m about to set sail to see your Empress.  Is this the scene you want me to report to her about?  None of mine are to be hurt.”

    “She is not one of yours.  She may belong to one of yours but she is not one of yours.  Then again, she failed so motherfucking spectacularly at her job by letting you and that filthy beast into my Grand Justicehive that she made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t someone who could be trusted.  Her life is mine until yours is.”

    The Gamblignant Captain fixed her gaze directly on the Grand Highblood’s eyes.  “Listen carefully because I’m only going to say this once: you harm her and I’ll do to you what I did to that pathetic statue of yours.  I swear this.  I don’t give a squeakbeast’s ass if you don’t have fins for ears, I’ll put your globes on this chain instead.  See if I don’t.”

    “Awfully hard for you to do a motherfucking thing to me from Her Imperious Condescension’s starship.  I answer to her alone.”  

    Mindfang was almost pleased to see Syhale shoot a foul look at Makara.   _Good.  Nice to know there’s no love lost between you two.  The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy in this case, however._  “Damn right you do.  And just in case your sponge clots are full of facepaint and offal, she just said you are NOT to harm her whatsoever.  That includes mental anguish.  Whatever you do to her, I will do to you eightfold.  And I’m pretty sure you’re going to find even less room to breathe in that cage than she does.”

    “Your boasts mean fuck all to me, wicked sister.  I do as my Empress asks and the rest is left to me.  I do as I motherfucking well please.”

    _Felida, make sure Aurana doesn’t jump ship._

_Got it!_  The oliveblood slipped over to the seething Aurana and placed her metallic left hand on top of Aurana’s right in a sign of reassurance but also as a suggestion of restraint.  

    The Marquise turned her attention back to Syhale.  “Is my ride here yet?  I grow weary of listening to this ridiculous looking windbag prattle on.  It’s like he never shuts up; how do you stand it?”

    “Barely,” the violetblood grumbled.  “And yes, the destroyer is just pulling up to your bow.  Feel free to use a rope to climb down… or tie it around your neck first before you jump.”

    “Awwwwwwww… And I thought we were just starting to get along.  I mean we have so much in common: we both like boats… and yelling… and we both can’t stand Makara.  Maybe Felida was right?  Sure you don’t have time for a hatesnog before I go see the most important troll on the planet while you wait right here?”

    “For one, she’s not ON the planet, technically…”

    “Details, details.”  Mindfang looked over the rail at the Navy destroyer now alongside _Fool’s Gam8it_ and calculated the drop to its deck.  She strode over to where Felida and Aurana were standing and said, “Ladies, it appears my ship has finally come in.  Take good care of this one in my absence, will you?  I do plan to be back.”

    Felida put on the bravest face she could.  “Will do, Captain!  We got this.”

    Aurana tore her hand out from under Felida’s and grabbed Mindfang in one more embrace.  “Please promise me you’ll do what you can,” she whispered into her captain’s ear.  “I’ve never asked anything of you before, but this...”

    “I promise.  You have my word as your friend.”

    “Thank you.”  Aurana let go and tried her best not to let her emotions get away on her.  
  
    Mindfang could once again sense that unpleasant mix of fury and despair but it was also tinged with genuine hope.   _For all our sakes, Aurana, I have hope, too.  Let it not be in vain._  She returned to the front of the ship where the Navy destroyer awaited, made a deep bow, planted one hand on the railing of her flagship and then vaulted over the side to land gracefully on the deck of the vessel below.  “Helloooooooo, all,” she said in greeting the Navy crewmen who rushed to surround her, “So kind of you to give a lady a lift.”

    “Stow it,” grumbled a gruff female voice from behind her, “I’m the captain here and you are officially a prisoner of the Alternian Navy, Gamblignant.”

    “A Gamblignant I may be, Captain, but a prisoner I am not.  There will be no need for restraints; I assure you I’m travelling quite freely and mean you no harm.”

    The indigoblood captain started at Mindfang’s placid, smiling face and tried to decide if it was worth pushing this further.  “Lieutenant,” she called out to a nearby oliveblood, “see our ‘guest’ down to an available respiteblock.  Make certain the door is only able to be opened from the outside.”

    The junior officer approached her warily.  “Er… come with me, then.”  He gestured with his right hand for her to proceed to the stairwell, the other gripped the handle of his pulse rifle quite tightly.  

    “Don’t mind if I do.  Nice to see the Navy still treats its honoured guests with such dignity and decorum.”  Mindfang followed this with a wink to the captain before strutting in the direction she was requested to.  Before she headed down below, she looked up to the deck of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ and tossed a jaunty salute to Felida and Aurana who returned it in kind.   _And so begins an ending.  The only question that remains is for who the ending will be…_


	57. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 56

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Handmaid, Damara Megido, challenges Doc Scratch on the range of his perceived omniscience in her own special way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, yes (boy, two weeks sure snuck up on me this time!), but the next ones are considerably longer, fear not. I'm finally getting going on this story again (starting Ch. 59 tonight and hope to have it done in the next three nights). Hoping all is well with you, Dear Readers!

**56.**  
  
    “Considering the literal bloody mess you’re making on my floor, I’d strongly suggest that you go wash up.”  
  
    “ <…>”  
  
    “Nothing to say?  It matters not.  Your work is complete on that particular project and I have to say that you’ve accomplished it in fine fashion.”  
  
    “<Those people…>”  
  
    “Are now irrelevant.  Because they’re dead.  An unfortunate mishap at that munitions plant will help secure the optimal future for our employer to find his way in this universe.  I’d compliment you but I suspect it would fall on deaf ears, or sponge clots, or whatever vernacular you’d choose to describe your listening apparatus.  Oh, is this the part where you would normally remind me that I happen to lack any visible version thereof and that I would benefit from digging in my also non-existent – nooksphincter, is it? – to try and find a pair?  It would appear that performing good work has the most welcome side effect of reducing your desire to berate me so.”  
  
    “<You just keep telling you ugly green clothed nasty white head self that.>”  
  
    “I’m not telling myself anything.  I’m telling you something and that something is that you are far more successful in your assigned tasks when you focus on them and not attempting to come up with revolting epithets in a feeble attempt to... where did you just go?”  
  
    “<Not your business.>”  
  
    “Impudent whelp.  If you do anything involving time, it is my business.  As far as I can see, you didn’t undo what you just did so that’s acceptable, but this nexus ahead is still unreadable.”  
  
    “<No it not.  I been there.>”  
  
    “Not possible.  It’s not in your scope of abilities.”  
  
    “<If you say so.  You King Shit of Turd Island.  You know everything.>”  
  
    “On this particular subject, yes, I do.  If it makes you feel as though you’re accomplishing something, carry on.  However, the moment you do something that outright jeopardizes our primary function, I will terminate you.  Ask yourself what’s worse: having an existence that may not always mesh with your outdated and primitive sense of morality, or not existing at all?”  
  
    “<Does not matter.  Sometime one must sacrifice for survival of other people.>”  
  
    “I must admit that this is one of the more fatalistic statements I’ve ever heard you utter.  It may surprise you to know that I do understand what you’re getting at and perhaps far better than you do.”  
  
    “<Of course you do.  You always better than me.  You always know more than me.  I just a piece of lusus shit on floor compared to your magnificence.>”  
  
    “If I’m reminding you of your place, you must understand that there is no sense of ego behind it.  It’s merely fact.”  
  
    “<I been around long enough to know what smug sound like.  You not just sound like it, you smell like it, too.  You just wait.  Somenight you get comeuppance.>”  
  
    “I doubt that greatly.  My sole purpose is to be a placeholder in our master’s universe and to see to it that it is ready for his arrival.  I am a being of unimaginable power, Damara.  There is very little that anyone can do to disrupt my existence.”  
  
    “<You think you only being of unimaginable power in this universe?  That very definition of smug.>”  
  
    “Even if something exists that could possibly damage me or harm me, I can assure you that it is not you.  You have shown great skill in wielding what you have been given to wield but remember that gifts can be taken back.”  
  
    “<Every time I ask you to take back your filthy gift you say no.  Why you give me this gift?  Why you not give me useful gift like teapot?  I like tea.>”  
  
    “Such sad and small mortal desires should have long been discarded.  Compared to the power of time manipulation, what is tea?”  
  
    “<Tea warm and make me feel good.  Tea opposite of you.>”  
  
    “And my compliments fail to make you feel good?”  
  
    “<Because I know they only words.  You only feel something when your sick purpose is served.>”  
  
    “And you only seem to find pleasure when you try to vex me or disgust me with some bizarre sexual act or foul language.  Tell me, then, who is the agent of unpleasantness here?  I have done nothing to harm you; I have simply tried my best to be an excellent host and to teach you how to control abilities beyond the wildest imaginings of any member of your species.”  
  
    “<Hurray.  Remind me to smile at your generous offering.  I tell you time and time again I not WANT this!>”  
  
    “When are you going to realize that wants are irrelevant?  You’re in for good or until I decide you are no longer useful.  Give yourself over to this truth and then perhaps we can enjoy a much more functional working relationship.”  
  
    “<Oh, I given myself over to a truth long time ago.  It just might not be truth you like to drone on about.>”  
  
    “There is no truth but time, Damara.”  
  
    “<So why you keep sending me back and forth to change it then?  Feel like I lying to timeline every time I do!>”  
  
    “Because the moment you alter the timeline, it becomes the truth.  That’s the beauty of it.  No matter what you change, it still happened.  Only you and I know what came before.”  
  
    “<It still not right.>”  
  
    “It literally does make it right.  ‘Right’ is only a matter of perspective.  We do what is right by our employer because through him we have the power to do so.  And before you even attempt to suggest otherwise, yes, power does give one the right.  For when one has power, to not use it would be counterproductive.  Surely you must agree?”  
  
    “<Odd enough, I do…>”  
  
    “Then I’m glad we’re on the same page.  Now go clean yourself.  The less reminders you have of your previous missions, the more easily you can carry on with your next one.  I would have thought you’d find this sort of thing quite easy by now.”  
  
    “<That where we differ, shit lord.  Killing never easy for me.  Unless person killed deserve it.  And so far very few have deserved it.>”  
  
    “Be assured that they must have deserved it.  If they were an impediment to Lord English’s arrival, they deserved it.  It’s that simple.  Simple enough that you can understand it.”  
  
    “<And I thought good host not patronize his guest.>”  
  
    “You are far more than a guest.  You live here.  You are my Handmaid.  I will occasionally pander to your feelings simply to assist you in setting aside such unnecessary emotional responses such as pride, guilt, self-pity and the like but understand that I am certainly under no obligation to do so.  You will do the task you are assigned to or else you have no purpose.  Why fight it?  It’s not as though anyone other than us has any true semblance of free will and even then, ours is rather limited.  There is no point in playing dice with the universe, girl; the result of the roll is already set.”  
  
    “<Funny you should say that.>”  
  
    “Why do you think so?”  
  
    “<Oh, nothing.  It just old saying back home in my era.  ‘Gods not play dice with universe.’  Only now do I understand.>”  
  
    “Your ancestors may have had a wisdom that you, until very recently, lacked.  Perhaps you have had a revelation of sorts, then.  Has it occurred to you that with our abilities that you and I would be as gods in this universe?”  
  
    “<No.  Gods immortal.  You not immortal.  You no god.>”  
  
    “I am perhaps the closest thing to immortal this universe knows.”  
  
    “< I say again: you no god.>”  
  
    “Very well, I concede that.”  
  
    “<You just blubbering, gas filled, head-full-of-squirming-shit windbag that need to die in fire while getting fucked in brand new nooksphincter by undead hoofbeast.  Maybe huge hoofbeast bulge push your sponge clots back up to head where they belong?>”  
  
    “And we are back to this yet again.  Go clean up; I had such hope that maybe you’d finally come to your senses.”  
  
    “<Oh, I have, globe head fuck stick.  Believe me, I have…>” 


	58. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 57

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindfang travels to the Battleship Condescension to finally meet with her old matesprit in hopes of convincing her to consider a new approach of governance. The Condesce has other plans...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took an awfully long time to write as I started it before my December breaks and then wrote "Mane Lupus" once I got back to writing. Once it was done, though, the next few flowed quite nicely. I recall thinking as I wrote that doing the formatting for this one on DeviantArt was going to be a bitch with all the italics, so if there IS an error, my apologies! We spend an awful lot of time in Aranea's head in this one.

**57.**  
  
    _My first flight with Rufioh… and now my first space flight?  This has been an interesting perigee to say the least!_  
  
    Mindfang looked out the window of the hovership’s passenger bay and watched the curvature of her world start to appear.   _I’ve always dreamed of seeing this view and yet I can barely find the focus to enjoy it._  The grey sphere and its dark oceans below barely seemed real to her despite having traversed much of its open water during her lifetime; she was able to pick out a few of the landmarks but wished she was more excited about it.   _There’s Southend coming up on daytime… and all I can think about is Porrim and Felida and the night we visited the tattoo parlour.  Seems like a lifetime ago now.  I wonder if that shop is still open?_  
  
    She sighed as she thought, _I wonder if I’ll ever get the chance to find out?  Have I just thrown my life away?  No, Porrim would kick my ass for even suggesting so.  It was a good life that we had but it wasn’t the right one.  That’s why I’m doing this.  Need to keep that in the forefront of my thoughts, no matter what._    
  
    The Alternian sun began to appear over the horizon, setting fire to the twilight and bathing half the world in dangerous heat and blazing red skies.  In response, the window of the hovership automatically tinted itself darker.  Aranea squinted and was able to detect a strange shape on the star.   _Is that a sunspot?  Why is it getting bigger?_    
  
    The spot continued to grow in size until it blotted out the star she originally thought hosted the shape.   _Nope… that’s her starship!  I’m looking right at it but how am I supposed to believe that it’s actually real?  It’s HUGE!_  The hovership approached the red monstrosity; in time, Mindfang could see nothing else but the side of the massive battleship, even from her side-facing window.   _We must be getting close now. How long did they say this thing was?  Twelve kilometers?  Unbelievable.  Have to hand it to you, Meenah; you make the impossible a reality.  Often on the backs of others, granted, but still…_  She remembered seeing the golden trident of Capitol towering over the city for the first time and recalled how awestruck she was at that.   _The word ‘small’ simply isn’t in Meenah’s vocabulary. Or ‘restraint’… at least not in the descriptive sense._    
  
    A memory of the first time she had Porrim place her arms into the restraints that hung from her bed in the makeshift cellblock of their former hive slipped into her thinkpan.   _A test of trust, one she passed with flying colours._  Aranea couldn’t help but smirk at her own double entendre.   _Every now and then she still likes to play with those but it meant a lot more back then, before we knew what we were to become._    
  
    Another memory crept unbidden into her conscious thought, this one of the first time she tried on restraints herself.   _Were Meenah’s intentions any different?  Hard to say.  I was just as scared and nervous as Porrim seemed, perhaps even more so as I didn’t have someone relaxing me empathically.  But then why did I want to replicate it?  I certainly didn’t do this with my other red dalliances over the sweeps; only with Porrim.  Did I already know then that she was matesprit material?  And if I was frightened when it happened to me, why did I repeat it?_  She leaned forward and put her hands to her face.   _It felt right at the time; maybe I was subconsciously aware that she would be my matesprit and this is what I thought matesprits did.  I’ve tied Felida up more times and in more ways than I can count and it was never the same as that.  No wonder people think I tend to blur my quadrants.  I even tried to fuck the ebon desires out of the couple under my auspistism a few hundred sweeps ago and they ended up killing each other over me.  And Felida and Aurana wondered why I refused to auspistice for them!  Some secrets are best left buried._    
  
    Aranea lifted her head and then stood up, returning her attention to the monstrous red dreadnought growing ever closer.   _A part of me wishes I was flying this ship.  I could have easily killed the crew and piloted it in myself but what would have been the point in senseless murder?  These people haven’t harmed me in the least… well, the one who escorted me to this block could have used a shower but an assault on my sniffnodes certainly doesn’t warrant an execution.  To think fifty sweeps ago I probably would have dispatched the lot of them without a second thought.  If I ever needed proof of Porrim’s influence on me, there it is._    
  
    _I do wish they’d left me with my sword, though; I feel more naked without it than I would without my clothes._  The loop of leather on Mindfang’s black longcoat was empty; Spider8ite was up front in the hands of the ship’s captain.   _Taking my sword is grounds for a gruesome death in my books but I’ll wait this one out.  There are much bigger fish to fry here._  Aranea chuffed at her play on words and thought, _Guess I better practice up on those fish puns.  If I can’t mentally convince her of the error of her ways, I best relearn to speak her language.  Perhaps I can talk some sense into her but I have my suspicions that she’ll want to speak… non-verbally at first._  She gently stroked the smooth jade ensconced in the ring on her finger.   _Fear not, dear heart, the only way I will commit to her is black.  My love is ever yours._    
  
  
  
  
    “Let’s go, prisoner!”  
  
    Mindfang turned to face the squat indigoblood that had her sword tucked into his belt.  She could see the ramp that led down and out of this vessel and into the docking bay below.   _I could disassemble him and toss the pieces out the hatch just to see the look on the faces of the troops undoubtedly awaiting my appearance._  “The word you’re looking for is Mindfang.  Marquise Spinneret Mindfang.  I fully expect you’re to announce it as I appear before the crowd, yes?”  
  
    “You’re lucky I don’t tie your hair to your ankles and kick you down the ramp,” he replied.  
  
    _How many pieces COULD I cut him into? That’s the question…_  “First, you couldn’t actually accomplish that if your very existence depended on it.  Secondly, if you even actually thought about such a thing – if the concept did in fact hatch inside of your greasy thinkpan a few moments ago – your life span will be considerably shortened.  The only question that would remain is if it would be me spilling your innards on the deck or the Condesce herself.”  She watched his eyes narrow and wished she could drink his fury in.  “Now the sooner you take me to her, the sooner I can stop being subjected to your awful stench.  Has the Navy relaxed its requirements on regular bathing these nights?”  
  
    His hand went to the fluorite-imbued sword at his hip and she froze him with a stare from her peculiar eyes.  “As stupid as your previous thought was, the idea of threatening me with _my own sword_ is a thousand times stupider.  If your hand actually touches the hilt of it, I swear to you I will tear it off and shove it down your throat.  See if I don’t.”    
  
    He returned her gaze for a few moments before letting his hand fall back to his side.  “If I didn’t have direct orders from the Condesce herself not to harm you in any way, you wouldn’t have a fang left in your face.”  
  
    “So who are you supposed to be now?  Tooth decay?  Good thing I use my fang scraper pretty regularly then.  Now let’s get moving, Captain Gingee Vituss; you’re starting to bore me.”  
  
    The captain didn’t answer her but gestured for the two guards to train their pulse rifles on her and started towards the exit.  Mindfang put on as wide a smile as she could and followed him down the stairs.  She kept that confident grin up even after seeing the sheer enormity of the docking bay below.   _My island can comfortably hold multiple battleships and yet you could fit every single one of them in here._  Rows and rows of single-seat fighters and larger landing craft stood at the ready and there was still plenty of space available for the phalanx of highblood troops that stood waiting to receive her.   _They’re not in a formation that suggests defense; this is the equivalent of a colour guard receiving a high ranking visitor!  Oh I bet this is twisting in the protein chutes of each and every one of them.  Careful, Meenah; you wouldn’t want a messy coup on your hands, would you?  I’m certain what I have to offer would be far more enjoyable for allllllll…_  
  
    They marched her past the assembled crew towards a set of double doors on the opposite end of the hangar bay’s main entrance.   _Not a lowblood to be seen; just a fair number of oliveblood warrant officers but the rest are all bluebloods.  Considering how long she stays away from Alternia, I shouldn’t be surprised.  Once she gets a planet to buy what she’s selling, that’s when she calls for a ship full of lowblood “volunteers” to travel to it and subjugate the locals.  So aside from these few greenbloods, I’ve got no one to call to my aid should I need it.  Not that I should; either I’m going to leave this ship victorious or…_  
  
    Mindfang dropped that course of thought as quickly as she could and opted instead to offer the stiff-backed troops a series of regal waves and a faceful of cheery, fangs-out grins as she passed them by.   _The tealbloods are definitely not impressed but some of the olivebloods are getting a kick out of this.  I hope you’re watching this, Meenah.  In fact, I know you are._  She softly chuckled to herself as they exited the hangar bay and proceeded into a hallway that stretched as far as she could see.    
  
    As they proceeded deeper into the battleship, Mindfang continued to smile and cheekily wave at the crew she encountered; most of them were too terrified to look directly at her and hurried about on their assigned tasks.   _Plenty of lowbloods here.  Most of them must have been recently brought up from the surface to do maintenance… unless she gets a ship full of new recruits sent to her now and then.  These ones certainly aren’t warriors by trade but they’ll have to do if I need them._    
  
    Before long, they arrived at a tube that opened to reveal an elevator-type car.  The indigoblood captain stood aside and grunted an order for Mindfang to get into it.  “Has anyone ever told you that you’ve got all the charm of a dead lusus?” she asked him.  One of her armed escort couldn’t help the snort he made and he earned a slap upside the helmet from the captain for his trouble, which sent him careening off into the hallway.  Additional highblooded troops appeared from around a corner and the captain gestured for them to take over for the other two.  “Well, that’s a neat trick,” Mindfang said with mocking awe, “Are you always able to get fresh soldiers to appear after you smack around the ones you already have?  Frankly, I wouldn’t come within arm’s length of you… and not just because of the stink.”  
  
    “The only reason he got smacked was because I couldn’t smack you.  Now shut your slimehole and get in the lift.”  
  
    “And if I don’t?”  
  
    “Then I will put you in it.  I’m supposed to bring you to the Condesce alive but I’m pretty sure she’ll understand if you don’t arrive awake.”  
  
    Mindfang shrugged.  “I wouldn’t bet on that.  Anyway, this is your lucky night: I happen to be going to the very place you’ve been tasked to take me so I’ll just get on this lift thing here and I’ll let you push the buttons that’ll take me there.  How’s that sound?”  
  
    “The sooner you stop trying to push my buttons, the better,” he grumbled in reply.  “Now get in, will you?”  
  
    “Well, when you ask me so kindly, how could I possibly refuuuuuuuuse?”  With three long steps, she was inside and the two new guards assigned to monitor her followed with the captain bringing up the rear.  He never took his eyes off of Mindfang as he reached behind him to press on a panel.  A moment later, the doors slid shut and she could feel a slight lurch as the lift car made its way up… and then surged laterally in the direction her back was facing.  She managed to stop herself from lurching too terribly in an attempt to belie her surprise.   _No way I let these buffoons see me sweat._  Mindfang checked the captain over in search of something:   _not much in the way of sweat on him.  Say what I will about Sweaty Zahhak, he never reeked like this guy._  A pang of what she took to be hivesickness washed over her and it took renewed effort not to let it show.   _I’ll come home.  I have to._    
  
    The ride took nearly three minutes with no stops; as the lift car was transparent, she could see the blurred lines of crew members and equipment as she zipped past them.   _Good thing I don’t get motion sickness_ , she thought, _Compared to the rising and falling deck of a ship upon the waves, this is grub’s play.  But the sheer size of this thing… what does it use for power?  Did she kidnap a small star or something?_  Mindfang considered asking her odiferous companion but decided it would be a waste of breath.   _And fresh air is at a premium right now._  
  
    The lift car came to a gradual halt; the captain pressed his palm against the black panel and a soft chime was heard as the doors opened.  He stepped out and waited for the guards to flank him and retrain their weapons on Mindfang before beckoning her to exit.  The room was dimly lit save for two spotlights mounted above a large golden door.   _Would she be mad if I chopped him up now and pitched him through the doorway?  All things considered, it would probably be a bit of a moodkill._  “So, thank you all for helping me find my way,” Mindfang said as cheerfully as she could, “You can all go back to marching up and down the hangar bay deck or whatever it is you do here.”   
  
    “Nice try.  Walk up to the doors; they’ll open for you.  Don’t try anything stupid.”  
  
    “Pssssssssh.  You’re far, far too late for that.  I’ve tried all kinds of stupid things in my life already.  Where the hell were you when I was a grub?”   _Porrim, my love, I think you’d be proud of that one…_  
  
    “Less talking, more walking.”    
  
    Mindfang made an exaggerated sigh.  “I’m going to have to tell her she needs to hire some people who actually hatched with a sense of humour.”  She started towards the gilded double doors and was glad they couldn’t see her swallow as she tried to prepare herself for who lay behind them.   _The course is set, the wind is at my back.  No turning tail now._  The doors parted and she entered a room even dimmer than the one behind: only a pale blue and red glow could be seen.   _I can sense someone in here; she mustn’t be alone. Odd…_  
  
    “Who comes here?”  
  
    Despite the echoing reverb, Mindfang knew exactly who the voice belonged to.   _Always a flair for the dramatic, Meenah.  I should talk… and yet, how much of my Mindfang persona came from you?  Time for me to show her what I’ve learned._  “Marq-”  
  
    She was interrupted by the captain.  “The prisoner you sent for is here, Your Highness.  She came armed only with this.”  He withdrew the long blue cutlass from his belt and stepped past Mindfang to place the blade on the floor inside the doorway, making sure he stood between the ceruleanblood and her weapon.    
  
    A few moments of silence lingered.  Finally the Condesce’s voice filled the anteblock again: “I see.”  To the surprise of all assembled, _Spider8ite_ was surrounded by a crackling blue and red energy field and began to float.  Mindfang watched it disappear into the darkness, lighting the block beyond as it went but not revealing much about what lay beyond.  As quickly as the energy field appeared, it flickered out.  “Captain, were you not told that our guest here is not a prisoner?”  
  
    “I… was under the impression that I was to treat her as we would any other potential threat, Your Highn-”  
  
    He never got to finish the sentence: the blue and red energy field reappeared as quickly as it had faded and it carried the sword at such a speed that it pierced through the captain but did not pass through him entirely.  Mindfang took an involuntary step back as her coat was spattered in dark blue spray and watched as her sword, now seemingly with a mind of its own, moved upward violently, stopping only when clear of the captain’s body.  The sword began to float on its cushion of blue and red back into the dark chamber, dripping indigo as it did so; the disembodied voice of the Empress spoke again, “You two can clean that up; I have someone speshell to entertain.  Come in, love; it’s been far too long, hasn’t it?”  
  
    _Love, you say?  And it’s only been eight hundred sweeps, give or take a few._    
Mindfang said nothing but entered the dim block ahead, the tapping of her red boots echoing as she did so.  She opened her eyes as wide as she could to try and make out what lay ahead but only the glow surrounding the retreating sword was visible.   _She’s making me follow it; luring me in, perhaps?  I don’t sense a trap but one never knows with her… she already caught me once before.  But it’s different now; the child has grown and the student has learned much… hopefully enough to teach the master a lesson._  
  
    The door slid shut behind her, leaving Mindfang only the light from the energy field and two other glowing orbs to see by.   _What are those?_ she wondered.  
  
Y0U’LL F1ND 0U7 500N 3N0UGH 4ND PR0B4BLY W15H Y0U H4DN’7  
  
    She stopped and looked around.   _That’s not Meenah’s voice…_  
  
5UR3 15N’7  
  
    _That’s not empathy but direct telepathy…_  
  
W0W Y0UR3 G00D 1 D0N’7 H4V3 70 3XPL41N 17 70 Y0U WH47 4 R3L13F N0W W1LL Y0U K1NDLY D0 WH473V3R 17 15 7H47 Y0U 7H1NK Y0U N33D 70 4ND G37 0FF 0F 7H15 5H1P 1D L1K3 70 G37 B4CK 70 MY R3GUL4RLY 5CH3DUL3D 5UFF3R1NG 7H4NK5  
  
    _Ummmmmmmm… who are you and what are you doing in my thinkpan?_  
  
1’LL 73LL Y0U L473R H3R3 5H3 C0M35 H0P3 Y0U P4CK3D Y0UR FR1LLY UND3R7H1NG5 H33 H33  
  
    Mindfang’s attention turned from the voice in her head to the one coming from just in front of her.  “Shellcome home, Aranea.  I do believe this belongs to you.”    
  
    Her blue sword hovered right beside her, still resting on its crackling cushion of energy.  For a moment she wondered if it would find its way inside of her at a high speed as it did the captain that escorted her there but refocused and knew that there was no way the Condesce would harm her – at least not yet.  Mindfang reached out and grasped her blade by the hilt and then returned it to its familiar place at her side.  “It does indeed.  Soooooooo… what’s with the mood lighting?  Or lack thereof?”  
  
    “Oh, it’s meant to set a mood, dear.”  The energy field that carried the sword winked out of existence, leaving only the two small blue and red lights to illuminate the block.  “One of suspense and anticiperchtion.  Is it working?”  
  
    “Perhaps.”  Mindfang couldn’t help but wonder just how much she did pick up, subconsciously or otherwise, from her early sweeps under Meenah’s command.   _Like I never left.  I’ll need to keep my wits about me._  She could barely see the hint of a silhouette before her, a shape framed by a mass of hair that made her own look tame by comparison, but the long twin crescent horns made the figure unmistakable.  “So where shall we begin, Meenah?”  
  
    Aranea felt arms embrace her around the waist.  “How about at the beginning?”  Cool lips pressed against her own… and then a sharp prick against her neck.    
  
  
  
  
    “She stirs!  I was actually a little scaled that I might have given you too high a dose.  Maybe you just really needed a rest?”  
  
    Aranea blinked and found her vision blurry at best.  “Meenah?” she asked with a voice that didn’t sound like her own.  “What… what did you do to me?”  
  
    “Just gave you a little something to help you relax is all.  Don’t worry; you’re quite safe here.”  
  
    _For now, perhaps… hey!  I can’t move my arms!  What’s going… ohhhhhhhh._  “Is it just me or am I in restraints?”  
  
    A grey blur appeared in her field of vision which began to resolve itself into a familiar face.  “You are indeed.  Remind you of anything?”  
  
    “Maybe.  Is this what you meant by ‘the beginning’?”  
  
    Aranea could feel cool fingers gently caress her face.  “Perchceptive as always, love.  That’s exactly what I was going for.  What do you remember about that night?”  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm… I remember being called to my captain’s officeblock.  I was actually concerned that I might have been given my walking papers, to be honest.  But I recall a poke in the neck and then waking up handcuffed to a bed, naked as my pupation night, and a tall woman with the most incredibly long hair and horns standing beside me, stroking my face as I woke up.”  
  
    A soft chuckle followed.  “Your memory serves you well, as I thought it would.  Do you also remember what happened after?”  
  
    _I’ve never met anyone who could be so subtle and blatant at the same time.  She was always so good at manipulation that she didn’t need my gifts at all._  “Of course.  Conversation followed by seduction.  A young ensign who was still naïve and innocent received her first taste of power and pleasure at the hands of royalty.  Who could possibly forget?”  
  
    Meenah’s fingers moved to brush against Aranea’s left horn, causing the blueblood to involuntarily shiver.  “That’s what I like to hear.  I was hoping you hadn’t forgotten.”    
  
    “Be assured the marks you left on me were indelible. Meenah.  I couldn’t forget if I even wanted to.”   _That may have come out harsher than I wanted it to but it’s the truth._  “I must admit that I’m a little surprised by your renewed interest in me after all these sweeps.”  
  
    “Contrary to popular belief, I never lost interest in you, Aranea.  I just wanted to see if you’d sink or swim on your own and the only way to do that was to encourage you to set your own course.”  
  
    Aranea wasn’t sure what to make of that piece of information.   _If what she’s saying is true, then her indifference towards me was intentional?  A setup?  I don’t know whether to be amazed or angry.  Just another manipulation?_  
  
0H PR0B4BLY 5H35 4B0U7 45 G00D 47 17 45 4NY 4L7H0UGH 1 H34R Y0UR3 N07 B4D 47 17 317H3R  
  
    _You again… who ARE you?_  
  
1LL 73LL Y0U 1N 4 B17 F0R N0W JU57 74K3 3V3RY7H1NG 5H3 54Y5 W17H 4 BUCK37FUL 0F 54L7  
  
    _She salted our bucket many sweeps ago… and yet here we are._  Aranea blinked a few times and found her focus starting to return at last; the face framed in thick black hair began to take on an all-too familiar shape.  ”I don’t quite know what to say about that, Meenah, other than to ask if I met your expectations?”  
  
    “Are you kidding?  You exceeded them!  But then, I always expected you to; the only question was how long it would take for you to do so.  All that matters is that you did and you’re finally back where you belong: at my side.”  
  
    “You’ll pardon me if I’m a little… overwhelmed at all of this, but I have to admit I’m not entirely surprised.  I did recently find out that you’ve been keeping an eye on me.”  
  
    Meenah made a sound somewhere between a snort and a laugh.  “Oh I’ve never stopped.  I heard all about your latest escapade at the Grand Justicehive; Kurloz was less than amused but I insisted he not harm you.  It took some serious courage to pull off what you did there.”  
  
    “Thank you.  I should take this opportunity to tell you, though, that Kurloz Makara is as crazy as a shithive squeakbeast.  What passes for justice on Alternia these nights is not exactly what it should be.”  
  
    Aranea now felt a fingernail being dragged slowly down her chest, over her breast and to her stomach.  “Don’t be so hard on him.  After all, Gamblignants aren’t tried too harshly; I find they serve a porpoise. I must admit that I never thought I’d see the night where you’d become one yourself and yet here you are, the most famous of them all.  You’ve made quite a name for yourself, ‘Mindfang’.”  
  
    “So my reputation precedes me even here?  I must have done something right then.”  
  
    “If by ‘right’ you mean terrorizing my Navy for the last few centuries then yes.  Syhale speaks of almost nothing but how badly he wants to blow you to pieces but he’s not allowed to.  You’re what keeps him in check, after all.  He likes to strut around like he owns the planet but you’ve managed to hand him more than a few defeats.  Some things never change, do they?”  
  
    “Only you know the truth about that.  I wonder what he’d say if he had any idea how badly I owned him in the Academy Simulations?”  
  
    “He’s certainly not the only admiral you’ve defeated over the sweeps, is he?”  
  
    Aranea’s vision had almost completely returned to normal; the Condesce was standing beside her, golden tiara around her brow and the large fuchsia stone set inside twinkling in the pale light, twirling a leathery grey object on a chain around her finger.  “I see you found that.  Please tell me you’re not going to use it to clone a new Ampora?”  
  
    “Another Cronus?  Not a chance.  You might be curious to know that his lusus did take on another violetblood, though: Orbius Ampora recently graduated from the Academy and is now serving as a Brigadier Admiral on board a patrol ship.”  
  
    “Oh good.  Just let me know which one and I’ll add his fin to my collection.”  
  
    Meenah smirked and brushed her fingers through Aranea’s hair.  “Now, now.  Maybe he’s actually relatively conchpetent unlike his namesake.  Cronus had such a problem keeping his quadrants straight; one night he’s black with you and chasing me red, the next he’s all red for you on top of the kismesissitude…”  
  
    “And the next one he’s dead for being a fucking imbecile.  He deserved what he got.”  
  
    “I’m hard pressed to disagree with you.  That said, I gather he’s not the only one who let his quads bleed into one another.”  
  
    _No sense lying about it._  “Perhaps I have been known to let it happen from time to time.”  
  
    “Well, from what I’ve heard, that oliveblood you’ve been running around with the last eighty sweeps or so certainly enjoys your company in a far redder fashion than most palemates would.  She does have a penchant for rough play, doesn’t she?”  
  
    _Okay, how do you know that?  I need to find out just how much you DO know. A little flattery goes a long way…_ “She learned it from me and I learned it from the best.  I don’t suppose you’d care to share how you know that?”  
  
    “You two carried on in front of the cameras in various points of call, Aranea.  There were times it was so blatant when I wondered if you were intentionally showing off for me.”  
  
    “You mean you were spying on me?  For shame.”  Aranea knew full well the capability of the Condesce’s surveillance network.   _And this is why I spend most of my time at sea._  
  
    Meenah raised an eyebrow.  “Like you know anything about shame.  That woman was a prisoner, a criminal bound for due punishment as I’m sure you’re well aware.  You certainly seem to have a penchant for them, don’t you?”  
  
    _Here we go…_ “Maybe I have a thing for damsels in distress?  Or perhaps I just like starting my red relationships with people who have unrealized talents?  Sound familiar?”  
  
    “In a way.  Thing is, when I discovered you, you weren’t one of the planet’s most wanted subversives… yet.”  
  
    “It doesn’t matter what she was; I got her fair and square from Cronus himself.  Yes, there were a couple of strings attached but those became irrelevant when he started making unwanted advances.  He lost his mind and he lost his life.  The end,” Aranea said evenly.  “I already had a matesprit and he threatened her.  Kismesis or not, my response was more than warranted.”  
  
    “Already had a matesprit.  Hm.  Yes, you did.  And last time I checked, having more than one was frowned upon.”  
  
    _Wait, what?_  “Ummmmmmmm… what are you talking about?”  
  
    Without warning, Meenah leaned in and kissed her.   _I can count the number of times I’ve been surprised in my life on the fingers of both hands and this is one of them.  I think I know where she’s going here but if I allow it, I might have a shot at convincing her to change the colour of this relationship in her mind.  Maybe if I let a little bit of fang slip in…_  
  
    The Condesce jerked back in surprise.  “Ow!  That was a bit nippy, don’t you think?”  She put her fingers to her mouth and withdrew it to find her fingers tinged with fuchsia.  “Hm.  Haven’t seen my own blood in quite some time.  Are you trying to muddle quads with me now?”  Meenah brought her face close to Aranea’s again.  “Or do you just need it a bit rougher these nights?”    
  
    Meenah leaned in and kissed her again but with more vigor this time; Aranea met her with equal fervor but felt her lip get poked by one of Meenah’s sharp teeth.  What she found more peculiar was that the Condesce gave her bitten bottom lip and hard sucking on afterward.   _That was weird… kinda hot but still strange.  Porrim would do that now and then but never intentionally._  “I have no problem with that.  Especially in an ebon situation…”  
  
    “See?  This is the very thing that got you and Cronus into trouble.  Frankly, I thought it was him responsible for the vacillation but then again, maybe it was you.”  
  
    “How am I vacillating?”  
  
    “Because last time I checked, I was your matesprit, Aranea, not your kismesis.”  
  
    Aranea blinked a few times as she tried to process this.  “Um… that ended an awfully long time ago, Meenah.”  
  
    “Did it?”  Meenah put two of her fingers back to her mouth and wet them before reaching out and gently squeezing Aranea’s exposed blue nipple; she blew on it and it stiffened immediately, causing Aranea to gasp.  “Funny, I don’t remember saying it was over.  You just sort of… vanished.”  
  
    “Because I thought you were bored with me!  You wanted to take to the stars and I wanted to take the seas we used to share.  That was the end of it, wasn’t it?”  
  
    Meenah bared her teeth in a harsh smile.  “Well, now you know the truth!  I must admit I was a little fishappointed to find out you started calling that jadeblooded criminal your matesprit, but it really doesn’t matter.  You came back to me at last, now worthy of being called the Empress’s Consort.”  
  
    “And I wasn’t before?” Aranea asked, incredulous.  “And you wonder why I left?”  
  
    “Shhh… Think about who you were before you met me and then about who you are now.  You blossomed into something far more than you could have been stuck to my side like some kind of remora.  You’ve got the Imperial Navy either hunting for you or cowering from you, you have no fear of the Grand Highblood whatsoever, what’s left for you to do but take your rightful place at my side?”  
  
    _I can’t deny a lot of what she’s saying but I need to try and shift her mindset._  “I’m certainly willing to in a way, Meenah.  Really I am.  But my red belongs to another now.  Think about this: when was the last time you had a true rival?  Someone who could genuinely challenge you?  There’s no one left on the planet that gets my black juices flowing anymore; that’s why I came to you.  Maybe we’re better suited to be kismesises instead?  I have to admit, I was hoping we could chat about a few things before we got to discussing this but you’ve never been one to mince words.”  
  
    “Nope.  Words get in the way of what I want sometimes and I’m starting to think this is one of those times.  There’ll be plenty of time for parley later, Aranea; we can sort out which pail goes where soon enough.  For now, I think we really need to get reacquainted.”  This time, Meenah’s finger traced down from Aranea’s sponge clot to her jawline.  “If I trust you enough to let you out of these restraints, will you trust me enough that I won’t hurt you?  I won’t rule out a spank or possibly another nip or some scratches but be assured I’m very happy to see you, all of this talk of false matesprits aside.”  
  
    Aranea looked to her wrists.   _These are the strangest looking restraints I’ve ever seen.  Are they…_ “I came all this way to see you for a reason, Meenah.  I can behave myself… mostly.  I have to ask you, though… are these tentacles?”  
  
    Meenah chuckled.  “They most certainly are.  Now that your sight is coming back, take a look around.  You see the walls?  Tentacles.  This entire beautiful ship is built around a biological engine – a seed from my lusus, if you gill.  It permits me communication with Gl’bgolyb no matter where I go as well as a conduit to draw power from her.  Needless to say, something has interfered with that and I’d like to get to the bottom of it.  Maybe if I get to your bottom first, perchaps I can persuade you to fix that?”  She reached underneath Aranea and gave her backside a pinch for emphasis.  
  
    _These things are actually holding me up off of the floor.  This is really creepy, even by her standards._  “I’d be far more willing to entertain the idea if you would persuade these tentacles to go away?”  
  
    “Aww… you hurt their feelings,” Meenah said with a mock pout.  A moment later, the tentacles moved to set Aranea on her feet and then unfurled themselves from around her limbs before retreating into panels in the metal floor.  “Just kidding.  They don’t have feelings.   You, on the other hand, have all kinds of them.”  She embraced Aranea around the waist and kissed her again, this time with less force.  “My, how far you’ve come.  But when it’s all stripped away, you’re still the beautiful blueblood I remember.”  
  
    Aranea couldn’t help but smile.  “With a few more scars and tattoos, mind you.  So, speaking of stripped away, where are my clothes?  Those boots and coat are rather special to me, you know.”  
  
    “Of course I know; everything you came with is in my respiteblock, including your lovely sword.”  Meenah smiled, took Aranea’s hand and gave it a squeeze.  “I still remember the night you got those gorgeous boots in that trading shop in Sikarra.  They were so expensive; the proprietor wanted every speck of spice and gold on our ship but since we had no useful amount of either on board the time, you chose to pay him with the only currency you had on you.  I was so proud of you; it was the first time you’d ever seduced someone to get what you wanted.”  
  
    “Yeah,” Aranea snorted, “And then you paid him again with the sharp steel in your hand immediately afterwards for daring to make demands of the Condesce’s consort.  He had no idea what – or who – he was getting into.”  
  
    “Oh well,” Meenah shrugged.  “Sucked to be him.  But at least you got what you wanted right?  Those became such a big part of who you grew into:  ‘Marquise Spinneret Mindfang’, Gamblignant queen and sex in red boots!  Damn, gill, you made that shit WORK.  Maybe you should put those back on once we get into my respiteblock?”    
  
    Mindfang smiled both at the compliment and at the teasing her ear was now receiving from Peixes’ fingers.   _Subtle as a kick in the seedflap._  “I could be convinced.”  
  
    “Exshellent.  Tuna, dear, be sure to let me know if anything interesting happens, okay?  Aranea and I need to get… reacquainted.”  
  
1 B37 Y0U D0 NUDG3 NUDG3 W1NK W1NK S4Y N0 M0R3  
  
    Aranea wondered who she was talking to at first but recognized that strange voice in her head from earlier.  “Ummmmmmmm… who’s ‘Tuna’?”  
  
    “You mean you haven’t my My Tuna yet?  Where are my manners?”  She turned around and Aranea followed suit.  “Aranea, I’d like you to meet Mituna Captor, my pilot and power source.  Careful, he’s got a silver tongue, although I’m pretty sure he hasn’t actually used it in a few decasweeps.”  
  
    Her eyes couldn’t have widened any more than they were at the sight before her of a goldblooded man at the other end of the room, suspended as she was by an assortment of purple tentacles, some thick, some thin, but unlike the ones that wrapped around her limbs, these appeared to be all but attached to his frail body in some places.  His eyes glowed blue and red and she realized that this was the source of the small lights she noticed when she entered a short time ago.  His mouth hung open, his face expressionless but the energy that radiated from his eyes suggested he was quite alive, but in some strange manner in which she couldn’t hope to comprehend.  “You… you’re Mituna Captor?”  
  
7H3 0N3 4ND 0NLY 1 KN0W W3LL WH0 Y0U 4R3 700 WH1CH 15 WHY 1M G0NN4 D0 MY D4MN3D357 70 G37 Y0U 7H3 H3LL 0U7 0F H3R3 4ND N0 D0N7 W0RRY 5H3 D1DN7 H34R 7H47  
  
    _You answered my question as soon as it popped into my thinkpan.  You’re obviously… psionic.  THE Psiionic Porrim knows!_  
  
4ND 5H35 WHY 1 W4N7 70 G37 Y0U 7H3 FUCK 0U774 H3R3 B3F0R3 M33N4H 51NK5 H3R CL4W5 1N70 Y0U 1 H4V3 N0 1D34 WH47 P055353D Y0U 70 DR4G H3R B4CK H0M3 BU7 7H3R35 N0 CH4NG1NG H3R M1ND 4B0U7 MUCH 0F 4NY7H1NG 7H3 0NLY R3450N Y0UR3 5T1LL 4L1V3 15 B3C4U53 Y0UR3 H3R F4V0UR173 70Y Y35 3V3N M0R3 7H4N M3  BU7 JU57 R3M3MB3R 7H47 Y0U 4R3 571LL 4 70Y 1F Y0U 4C7U4LLY 7H1NK Y0U C4N CH4NG3 H3R DR34M 0N  
  
    “I’ll take it from your silence that you two are getting acquainted,” Meenah said, a hint of chill in her voice.  “While I’m certain you two would have much to discuss, we have much more pressing matters to attend to, don’t we, love?”  
  
    _I have to try, she thought back to Mituna, for Porrim and Meulin’s sake.  To finish what Kankri started._  
  
    The response was the psychic equivalent of a shiver.  1 UND3R574ND 1 W1LL D0 WH473V3R 1 C4N JU57 PL3453 PL3453 B3 C4R3FUL 1F Y0U 24N7 70 533 P0RR1M 4G41N  
  
    “I suppose so,” Aranea said aloud but responded silently to Mituna, _Thank you.  I’ll take all of the help I can get.  I’m sure you and I have much to talk about._  
  
    Meenah grabbed Aranea’s hand again and all but dragged her towards her respiteblock doors.  “Glad you agree.  No time like the present!  I want you to show me everything you’ve learned out there, Aranea.  Everything.”  
  
    Aranea laughed in spite of herself.  “I can certainly oblige you but I can’t help but think either I’m either quite underdressed for the occasion… or you’re rather overdressed.”  
  
    “Hmm.  Good point.”  Meenah stopped and turned her back to Aranea and then gathered the thick mass of her wavy hair so she could throw it forward over her shoulder and give her guest unfettered access.  “Would you do the honours?”  
  
    “With pleasure,” Aranea said as she found the zipper in the back of the Condesce’s skintight jumpsuit and slipped it down to the small of her back.  As she pulled the material apart so that Meenah could slip her arms out, she was given a full view of the massive tattoo that covered the Condesce’s back:  the golden bitrident vertically piercing the grey sphere of Alternia, with five tentacles on each side of the planet preparing to wrap around and ensnare it.   _Including the bitrident, that’s twelve arms.  She always had a thing for that number._  Aranea was there the night the same maroonblooded artist who put the spider web on her own back inked this onto Meenah in a port just outside of Southend; they were both amazed to see such talent in someone who had hardly lived and who wouldn’t live much longer by their standards.  Aesthetically, it always bugged her that there was no way that bitrident could’ve actually penetrated the planet without destroying it, but this was art after all.   _Creativity is important, and that being said, when the Empress wants something, who in their right mind would argue the design?  She’d be the only one who would even think of getting something like this done.  Oh, the poems we write upon our skin..._  “Wow... Still looks sharp as ever!”  
  
    “Does it?” Peixes asked.  “I don’t get much of a chance to look at it these days with all this damn gorgeous hair in the way.  That being said, I’m thinking you can help me with that later.”    
  
    Aranea’s hands ached at the thought of brushing or braiding that hair again.   _Felida actually likes to do that but I was never really a fan.  One does what one must, I suppose._  “Mayhap.”  She grasped the bunched fabric at Meenah’s shapely waist and with some effort tugged it over her hips and down to the floor, giving way so she could step out of it.    
  
    “Ahhhhh.  I’m never happier than when I’m wearing nothing but my own skin.  Isn’t that right, Tuna?”  She shook her chest in his direction, making the light reflect off of the iridescent scales that ran alongside and under her breasts before trailing down her abdomen to the soft delta of her seedflap.  She then looked over to Aranea and added, “This is a man who appreciates a great set of rumblespheres.  Just ask him!”  
  
B0Y D0 1  
  
    For the first time in as long as she could recall, Aranea almost felt self-conscious.   _At least we’re going to her respiteblock so he doesn’t have to see this._  
  
N4H 1 H4V3 70 533 17 1 H4V3 4CC355 70 4LL 0F 7H3 5H1P5 C4M3R45 51MUL74N30U5LY 1NCLUD1NG 7H3 0N35 B3H1ND 7H053 D00R5 D0N7 W0RRY 175 4C7U4LLY K1ND4 N1C3 70 533 4 N3W P41R 0F 5PH3R35 Y0UR5 4R3 R34LLY GR347 BY 7H3 W4Y  
  
    _Yes well!  I’m glad you enjoy them!_  
  
    “Okay, Tuna, do keep an eye on things other than just us, will you?  My matesprit and I have much to catch up on.”  
  
    _She’s not my matesprit_ , she thought to the immobilized goldblood.  
  
1 KN0W D0 WH47 Y0U MU57  
  
    Aranea accepted Meenah’s offered hand and noticed her jade token was also absent.  She opted not to say anything but hoped that it was waiting along with the rest of her clothing and accouterments where Meenah said they’d be.   _I know you can’t hear me from here, dear heart, but I love you.  What I do next, I do for you and for all of us._  “Lead onnnnnnnn…” 


	59. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 58

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meulin finds herself unable to sleep with the looming battle ahead and seeks comfort from her moirail. She also finds she's not the only one dealing with stress-induced insomnia..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun chapter to write and one that gives us some time in the heads of the main characters as they deal with the stress of waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. Enjoy this; things get seriously intense from here...

**58.**  
  
    “Horuss?  Are you awake?”  
  
    The rustling from the makeshift mattress on the floor answered her question before his voice did.  “I am, Meulin.  What can I do for you?”  
  
    “I can’t sleep.  Guess I’m too nervous about what’s to come.”  
  
    The massive indigoblood below her sighed.  “I understand.  I’m concerned as well.  There are a lot of moving parts I need to keep my eyes on.”  
  
    Meulin flipped over in her mesh hammock so that she could look down to where he was, even though she couldn’t see him in the dark of their shared respiteblock.  “I bet.  Even after watching you work all these sweeps, I still don’t entirely understand how you do what you do but I’m sure glad you do it.  On the bright side, you at least have something to do.”  
  
    “You do as well.  It’s important that the herd be fed well.  And when the time comes to fight, I’m certain you’ll be ready to meet any foe.”  
  
    “Thanks.  Thing is, I’m not sure I’m going to get to.  What if they just decide to start firing away from where they are and sink us?  I’m having a hard enough time just being out here on the ocean; never been a big fan of water.  I feel cooped up here; nothing to hunt and nothing to do but wait.”  
  
    “I, too, am uncomfortable being away from the island.  I feel safe there.  I know that no one there would try to harm me.  And yet, this is where we are.  I’m not enjoying being corralled on a ship either but at least we haven’t been shot at yet!”  
  
    Meulin shifted around in an effort to get comfortable again; the ropes were digging into her elbows and forearms.  “It’s only a matter of time.  I almost wish they’d get it over with already.  I haven’t been this tense since… well, you know.”  
  
    Horuss nodded, even though he knew she probably couldn’t see it.  “I do.  It won’t come to that.  I swear it.  Besides, the Marquise’s plan has strong legs.  We have most of the fleet cloaked in case the Navy makes any sudden advances.”  He stopped for a moment and considered whether or not to share his next thought.  “Besides, unless they plan to board us, there aren’t usually a whole lot of prisoners left after large naval battles.”  
  
    “Yeah, I’ve thought about that, too.  I’d rather die than be captured again.  I know they’d still kill me eventually but…”  The lump in her throat kept her from finishing the sentence right away.  When she was finally able to continue, she added, “The only reason I’m still alive is because of your kindness.  I doubt I’d be so lucky twice.”  
  
    “Meulin, this situation is much different.  You aren’t part of a small band of rebels on the run anymore.  We’ve built a mighty fleet with access to technology that not even they have at their disposal.  We have a fighting chance; a chance to make the changes you believe in come to pass.  We should be excited, not frightened, no?”  
  
    She considered this and allowed herself to think back to her nights on the run, her days spent curled up beside Kankri, listening to his dreams of how the world needed to free itself from the shackles of the hemohierarchy.  “You’re right.  We were willing to take risks back then to try and make a better world.  I’ve been playing it too safe by staying on the island.  I’m actually glad I’m here, you know?  And I’m glad you’re here, too.  With us this time.”  
  
    “I would be nowhere else but by your side.  So long as I breathe, no harm will come to you and should anyone try to harm you, they will answer to me.”  
  
    “That sounds a bit contrary to your pacifist mindset, Horuss.  Are you sure that’s something you’re prepared to do?”  
  
    “For you, always.  It would behoof anyone who wanted to harm you to reconsider that plan!”  
  
    Meulin giggled at Horuss’s display of bravado.  “Thank you for that.  You know, I do feel a lot better.”  Despite the strange sense of off-balance that hammocks can create, she gracefully hopped off of it and down to the floor where her moirail was laying on an old mattress.  She gave him a tight hug and sighed contentedly.    
  
    “It’s what I do.  I fix things.  Or at least I try.”  
  
    “You succeed more often than not.  We’re in your debt, not the other way around.  I’m sure Spinneret would agre-oh!”  A bright light filled the respiteblock and both of them turned their attention to it.  “The commpadd!  But who would be calling now?”  Meulin rolled over to it.  “It’s Porrim!”  She pressed the button to open the link.  “Hey you!  What are you doing up?”  
  
    “Can’t sleep.  I really need to talk with you if that’s all right?”  
  
    “Sure thing!  Horuss, you don’t mind if I take this in the hallway?”  
  
    “Not at all.  Give her my best and if she has any questions about the equipment, remind her I’m always available.”  
  
    “Thanks, Horuss,” came Porrim’s voice from the padd, “So far, so good.  Alyssm and Squish seem to be getting the hang of your systems as well.  The only complaint they’ve had so far is that the buttons seem rather hard to move, like they’re almost overly reinforced.  I can’t imagine why.”  
  
    Horuss laughed at the thought.  “All for a good reason, trust me.”  He gently touched Meulin on the shoulder.  “Go on and speak with her.  I’ll try my best to get some rest.”  
  
    “Thanks, big guy.”  Meulin hopped to her feet and slipped out the door and into the hallway of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ ’s sleeping quarters.  “So what’s up, Porrim?  Aside from you, me and my big sweaty stablemate?”  
  
    Porrim grinned at Meu’s description of their indigoblooded friend.  “Just trying to shake this ominous feeling.  I mean, I know how we think all of this is supposed to take place, but what if something goes horribly wrong?  Like something that we couldn’t possibly imagine?  When it comes to the Condesce, both you and I know the consequences of failure.”  
  
    Meulin wished she could comfort her friend in person but knew she’d have to try to do so from afar.   _Horuss actually managed to cheer me up a bit; let’s see if I can carry that forward_.  “Porrim, listen to me: yes, we lost that battle but look at us!  We’re alive!  We lived through that and came out on the other side!  There were some moments that may have been… more than difficult to endure, yes, but we got to keep going.  We get another chance to make Kankri’s dream come to pass.  And this time, we’ve got a lot more friends at our side, right?”  
  
    “Admittedly, we certainly do have that.”  Porrim closed her eyes for a moment.  “I find myself missing Mituna today, actually.  He was always good for a joke or some off-colour comment that would make us laugh and take the edge off.”  
  
    “Ha!  If you want off-colour comments, you could just call your kismesis.  I’m sure she’s knows a few.”   
  
    “True enough.  You know, there are some nights I wonder if you two wouldn’t have made a fine ebon pair.”  
  
    “And I thought I was the matchmaker here?  Besides, you know how I feel about my own quads now, Mom.  It never ceases to amaze me that I have a moirail, never mind who it is.  And yet, we fit.  As for Felida, you might be right but you two seem to get along just fine.  I gotta admit I never thought I’d ever see you in a black relationship.”  
Porrim chuckled in spite of her mood.  “Some nights it surprises me as well.  I don’t think I could have handled anything more blatantly competitive which I suspect you two might have become.”  
  
    Meulin offered a knowing smirk in response.  “Possibly.  You ever meet someone that just felt like a raunchier version of yourself?  That’s the vibe I get from her.”  
  
    “You may not be far off on that assessment,” Porrim allowed.  “And yet I know she feels the way you do about a lot of things, particularly the important ones.  You have to admit there’s plenty to like about her.”  
  
    “I will admit that I’m a bit jealous of that tail of hers.  It’s super cute…”  
  
    “So why don’t you ask Horuss to make you one?”  
  
    “Not sure if I’m comfortable with cybernetics.  I’d rather avoid it unless I had to.  I’m worried my prey might sense it or hear it somehow and it would give me away.”  
  
    “Fair enough.”  Porrim sighed and weighted her words.  “Meulin, I have to ask you something.  Something no one else would be able to answer.”  
  
    “Sure thing, Mom.  Go for it!”  
  
    Porrim closed her eyes and took a breath before speaking again.  “Are we actually going to be able to do this?  I know Kankri believed that we should all be equal and I agree, but there are going to be people who will never be able to accept that.  Most of them would be highbloods but the distrust that they’ve sown over the sweeps may be tough to shake from the current generation of lowbloods, too.  Can we ever really see this through?”   
  
    “Porrim, listen: all of our lives will benefit if the fuchsia rule is finally broken.  We all deserve a seat at the table and a chance to have our voices heard.  The benefits greatly outweigh the risks.  No, the change in attitudes won’t happen overday but they will happen.  It’s something we’ll have to address if we can pull this off but let’s worry about pulling this off first.  I trust in the Captain’s plan; I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.  I know what’s at stake for you goes far beyond that but no matter what, we’ll be here for you and we’ll do whatever it takes.  Kankri’s dream has never been closer to reality than right now and I know he’d be so proud of you.  Never forget that, okay?”  
  
    “That’s… yeah.   That.  Thank you.”  Porrim quickly wiped away a tear that was forming in the corner of her eye.    
  
    “Hey, that’s what I’m here for.  I couldn’t imagine not having you around to give me advice and a boost when I need one; it’s the least I can do for you.”  
  
    “I wish I was there with you, believe me.  This will have to do for now, I suppose.  Make sure you come back in one piece, okay, Meu?”  
  
    “I wouldn’t have it any other way.  My lusus told me cats have nine lives but I don’t want to put that theory to the test.  I’m already on number two as it is.  Well, technically number three: there was that time Horuss’s dishwasher droid almost kicked me in the head when I slammed the door too hard…”  
  
    Porrim was about to reply when a yellow light appeared on her own padd.  “Someone must have heard you talking to me down the hall and decided to call me herself.  Listen, thanks for giving me the answers I needed to hear.  I do feel considerably better now.”  
  
    “Like I said, no problem.  I’m gonna go back in and curl up with Horuss; might as well make another attempt to get a couple of hours of sleep.  And I certainly don’t want to disturb the new Captain any further lest she tie me up or something.”  
  
    “Ha!  She just might!  Good luck with the sleep; see you soon.”  
  
    “You bet!”  
  
    As Meulin’s face winked out of Porrim’s commpadd, Porrim pressed the flashing yellow icon to accept the call.  “Don’t tell me Meulin woke you up?”  
  
    “I wish!  Why, was that her I heard mumbling away down the hall?” Felida replied from her bed in the Captain’s respiteblock.    
  
    “It was.  You were already up, then?”  
  
    “Yeah.  Can’t sleep.  I was just chatting with Kayolo for a while.  Such a sweetheart but she also sent me some really naughty pics!  Wanna see?  That girl is fucking flexible!”  
  
    Porrim rolled her eyes.  “I’ll pass, thanks.  I’ve seen Kayolo undressed more than enough times.”  
  
    Felida couldn’t resist pushing her kismesis’s buttons.  “Aw, c’mon… you wouldn’t be up for a little jade-on-jade action?  Tell me that wouldn’t be insanely hot?  Never mind a grubcake; that’s what you can get me for my next pupation night party.”  
  
    “No, Felida.”  
  
    “Pbbbbbth.  You’re no fun.  I’m sure Kayolo would totally do it, too.  I could ask her right now if you want?”  
  
    “No, Felida.”  
  
    “Fiiiiine.”  
  
    Porrim chortled at this.  “You know you’re starting to sound like her now.  You just need to hold your vowels a bit longer.”  
  
    There was no need to explain who the “her” referred to.  “I wasn’t doing it intentionally but maybe I’m trying to fill those big red boots of hers subconsciously.  I know it’s just a temporary thing… right?”  
  
    “Yes.  She’ll be back.  I would say that’s what lets me sleep at day, but…”  
  
    “You’re not sleeping for shit at day either.  I hear you.  What do we do if she doesn’t come back, Porrim?  I can’t even bear the idea… it just makes me sick inside!”  
  
    “I understand.  The funny thing is, though, after talking to Meu, I do feel quite a bit better about our chances.”  
  
    Felida was skeptical.  “Oh?  What did she have to say?”  
  
    “That she’s jealous of your tail.”  
  
    “Did she now!  Can’t blame her.”  Felida brought the fuzzy green object into the camera’s view and wiggled it around before brushing it up against her face.  
  
    “I can’t believe you do that when you know where it’s been,” Porrim quipped.  
  
    “I wash it, Jadebutt, you know this.”  
  
    “It’s about the only thing you wash.  I have to pick up your shirts just to find the respiteblock floor half of the time.”  
  
    “You’re just saying that because it’s true,” Felida huffed.  “You wanna know what’s on my pan?”  
  
    Porrim lay back on her bed and contemplated opening the window to let some of the sunlight in.   _Not sure I know how to override Horuss’s program to do so anyway._  “Aside from thoughts about Kayolo and me making out over your naked body?”  
  
    “Yeah, besides that.  Can I be serious for once?  And don’t say ‘First time for everything’, either. I know you, Porrim.”  
  
    _Drat._  “So you do.  Go ahead, I’m listening.”  
  
    Felida tried to shake off the shallow haze that fatigue produced in the mind and attempted to put her concerns into words.  “It’s… I’m trying to figure out how to put this… I know I’ve been doing the whole Gamblignant thing now for damn near eighty sweeps.  I’ve run my own ship for plenty of those and now here I am, in charge of a fleet I feel like I have no business being in charge of.  What if I fuck this up so spectacularly that Aranea has nothing left to come home to?”  
  
    “You don’t strike me as the triggerhappy type.  I have my doubts we fire the first shot.  I trust our captains to follow their orders; don’t you?”  
  
    “Well, yeah, but what if all of our successes came from her ability to command not just her ships but the crew themselves when she needed to?  I know there have more than a few times when I suddenly leapt out of the way of either a sword or a pulse rifle blast without even thinking about it because she thought about it for me.  I can’t do that, Porrim!  My natural gift is that I’m a quick learner.  I can’t read minds or fly on pretty wings or come back from the dea…er, d-disaster of having my limbs cut off by growing new ones!  That sure would have been handy.”  
  
    Porrim frowned at Felida’s peculiar stutter.  “I know we shouldn’t be using the recupracoons because it’ll take to long to shake off the sopor slime both physically and mentally should we be attacked but even an hour or two might do you some good.  If there’s anyone there who needs to be fresh, it’s you.”  
  
    “Nah, the sun’s gonna set here soon anyway.  A strong cup of tea oughta do the trick.  I think we still have some Earl Grey unless you drank it all.  The last thing I want is a cup of Constant Crabmeat this evening.”  
  
    “I’m reasonably certain I left you some of the good stuff.  Now listen: there’s a reason Aranea left you in charge.  It’s because you know what you’re doing and she trusts you.  More than anyone else.”  
  
    “Except you…”  
  
    “Right.  That’s why I’m here on the island and you’re out there.  Felida, we all have a different skill set.  Even though I’ve been on a ship a good chunk of the last fifty sweeps, I trained as a healthtender; it’s only the last couple that I’ve really learned what it takes to run a ship and even then I’m not half the commander you are.  You made first officer under her in a single sweep; I dare say you know what you’re doing.”  
  
    Felida snorted.  “Sleeping with the boss has its privileges.”  
  
    “If there’s one thing Aranea doesn’t mix, it’s business and pleasure.  She surrounds herself with the most capable people she can find and if that’s not the mark of a good leader, I don’t know what is.  Just do what you do best.”  
  
    “Masturbate furiously to pictures of my matesprit’s seedflap?”  
  
    Porrim put a hand to her face.  “How long has it been since someone told you that you’re a brat?  Let me remind you that you are, in fact, a brat.  And as your healthtender, I suggest you shouldn’t do it so furiously.  Nobody wants a sprained nub.”  
  
    “Thanks, Mom.”  Felida knew she’d get a rise out of Porrim by using Meulin’s nickname for her.    
  
    “But seriously, you’re the one in charge because you’ve been training for this for a very long time.  We have a solid plan; you know how to execute it and you know how to improvise if need be.  There isn’t a single member of the crew who doesn’t think you can handle it.  Don’t worry about being another ‘Mindfang’.  Just be Captain Oceleo and everything will unfold as it should.”  
  
    Felida smiled as she let Porrim’s words sink in.  “Thanks, Jadebutt.  You’re the best.  I mean that.”  She pulled her padd to her face and kissed the screen.  
  
    “Sometimes you just need to hear the truth from someone else’s lips before you believe it.  Believe it or not, it took me long time to start believing Aranea when she told me I was beautiful or had talents.”  
  
    “You said it yourself: she surrounds herself with good people and you’re one of the best she's got.  I know you want to be either here or with her but remember what you’re doing is important, too.  You’re our eyes in the skies, Porrim.  And beyond that, we need you more than you know; sometimes you just know exactly what to say.  Thanks a lot for the pep talk.”  
  
    “Sometimes being a healthtender means looking after the mind as well as the body.”  
Porrim could tell by the mischievous grin on Felida’s face what was coming next.  “Speaking of ‘body’, I don’t suppose you could send me a pic or two of yours?  I could really go for a shot of that choice ass of yours right now.”  
  
    “You really are starting to sound like her.  I’ll see, maybe later.  Take care of yourself, okay?  And I mean in more than just that way!”  
  
    Felida moved her padd down between her thighs, took a photo and then hit the Send button.  “Here you go!  Just in case you need something to remember me by.”  
  
    “Felida!”  
  
    “Just kidding.  But it is your turn now…”  
  
    “Later.  Get some rest if you can and if you can’t… there’s always tea.”  
  
    “Mmmmm… tea.  Thanks a lot for this, though.  I mean it.”  
  
    “I know.  You’re doing what you’re meant to do.  Never forget that.”  
  
    “Wilco, Jadebutt.  More in a couple of hours.”  Felida closed the channel and let the hand holding the padd flop back onto the bed.   _Maybe three hours sleep, tops.  Ugh.  Might as well set about that tea._  She rolled out and picked her crumpled clothes up off of the floor.   _Should at least change the shirt; gotta look good for the crew.  Hmmmm… maybe I should get myself a jacket?  Nah… I’d definitely be stepping on Mistress’s feet then._    
  
    Once she was dressed, tricorne cap in place atop her head, Felida made her tea and decided to head up to the bridge.   _I doubt much has moved but best to get as clear a picture as I can._  As she made the topdeck, she squinted in the sunlight and was about to head to her right where the bridge door was but something caught her cybernetic eye to her left.   _Huh?  Someone else is out here?_    
  
    Standing in the shade the bridge bulkhead made was Aurana, staring at the Navy ships in the distance.  Felida approached her and stood beside the turquoiseblood in silence for a few moments before finally asking, “Can’t sleep either, eh?”  
  
    “Not a chance.  I’m too wound up.”  Aurana hung her head for a moment and watched the water lap up against the side of the ship.  “I feel so powerless right now and that’s so hard for me to deal with.  Pacing helps a bit but there’s only so long you can do that.”  
  
    “I don’t know about that; Porrim can pace for hours on end.  It’s kinda spooky to watch.  But I know where you’re coming from.  I want to do something, too, and I know I can’t.  All we can do is watch and wait.”  She pulled the Handroid from her shorts pocket and looked at it, hoping for a signal that wasn’t there.  “I haven’t heard from the Captain yet but I’m sure I will.”  
  
    Aurana nodded.  “She knows what she’s doing.  My trust in her is what keeps me going.”  
  
    Felida placed her hand on Aurana’s again, this time not as a suggestion of restraint but of understanding.   “I hear you.  Honestly, same here.  It hasn’t failed me yet.”  She looked down at the silvery hand that covered Zashyl’s.  “I wouldn’t be alive if it had.”  
  
    Despite her mood, Aurana smiled at this.  “Neither of us would be.  But how can I not go rescue my matesprit?  It’s going against everything I stand for not to try!  She’s right there!”  She gestured to the ornate battleship that drifted past a couple of kilometers away.  “All I’d have to do is paddle over there and-”  
  
    “And get eviscerated as soon as you set foot on the deck.  Aurana, there’s just no way you can do this without help and only when the time is right.  If there’s one thing the Captain understands, it’s timing.  I don’t know if it’s eight hundred sweeps of experience or just her luck or what, but she gets when it’s time to act and, more often than not, when it’s time to stand back.  She just makes it look like things bend to her will because she acts when it’s time to and not a second sooner.”  She raised her mug and added, “Take this tea, for example.  If I take a sip before it’s cool enough to drink, I burn my lips and mouth and all I can do about it is swear and curse my own stupidity.  If I wait too long, it tastes like cold wet socks, I won’t enjoy it and I’m better off to just pitch it overboard.  There’s that sweet spot, though, where the temperature is just right, the scents and flavours are perfectly in balance and there’s nothing like it.”  
  
    “Are you actually using your tea as a metaphor?” Aurana asked with a chuckle.   
  
    “More like an allegory, I think.  But did you notice that the worst things happen when you move too soon?  I fucking HATE having a burnt mouth.  I’d ask Horuss to make me a metal plate for the roof of my mouth if it wouldn’t annoy the hell out of me.  Anyway, waiting too long produces an… unpleasant result, too.  But you’d still be alive.”  
  
    “I wouldn’t want to live with myself, though!”  
  
    “But which is worse: her dying or you both dying?”  
  
    “If I’m dead, it wouldn’t matter anymore…” Aurana grumbled.  
  
    “It sure would to those of us who are still alive!  How awful do you think Kaerah would feel if she saw you cut down on the deck of that ship?  How do you think Aranea would feel knowing you disobeyed her orders and everything fell apart?”  Felida looked at Aurana’s face, one that had been a part of her life almost as long as she could remember.  “How do you think I’d feel if I watched my friend being torn to bloody pieces by the likes of them?”  
  
    Aurana looked back to the sea for a moment, torn.  “Come with me, then!” she finally replied.  “Come with me and let’s take the fight to them!”  
  
    “I will, Aurana,” Felida answered, “but only when the time is right!  If I had to pick the most important lesson that Aranea ever taught me, it was that timing is everything.  I want that victory where we all come back alive and we can damn well have it!  I just need you to be on board – in both senses of the term, okay?”  
  
    “I… yeah.  I hear you,” Aurana said softly.  “I give you my word.  I’ll trust you and… did you just call her ‘Aranea’?”  
  
    Felida’s eyes widened.  “Oh shit.”  
  
    Aurana put her hand on Felida’s shoulder.  “It’s okay.  You know I won’t spread it around.  I was always curious, actually.”  
  
    “It was hers to tell you…”  Felida wasn’t sure she should add the rest of what she was thinking but let it slip out as well.  “I’m surprised to hear that she hadn’t.”  
  
    “She said it was because she didn’t want me to know it if anyone captured me.  I was fine with that.”  
  
    “Sounds familiar.  Don’t feel bad, though; at least she could make Porrim or I forget it again.  You, not so much.  In fact, if you just wait here, I can run below deck and find a hammer to bop you over the head with.”  
  
    “I’d like to not forget my own name as well, thanks!”  Aurana smiled and gave Felida a hug.  “You’re doing fine, you know.  Thanks for helping me stay on the right trail.”  
  
    “Don’t worry about it.  You did the same for me where Porrim was concerned way back when.  I owed you one.”  
  
    “Actually, you owe me three…about to be four!”  Aurana kept Felida in her embrace but squeezed a bit harder and lifted her off the deck, moving her closer to the ship’s railing.  
  
    “Dammit, Poochie, not right now!  It wouldn’t do for the crew to see their captain getting tossed overboard!  And I really don’t want to spill my tea before it’s ready to drink!”  
  
    Aurana reluctantly placed the squirming oliveblood back down.  “I suppose not.  Just watch your back once… Aranea gets home.”  
  
    Felida stuck her tongue out in reply.  “We’ll see who needs to be watching whose back, lady.  See you on the bridge.”  
  
    “I’ll be there in a bit.”  Aurana gave her a salute and then went back to watching the battleships drift by.    
  
    She was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching.   _Who now?_  She turned to see the hulking form of Horuss Zahhak making his way towards her and then stopping short.  “Hey, Horuss.  You look lost…”  
  
    “Err… just got confused which side of the bulkhead the door was on.  I came up on the opposite side than I usually do and the sun is bright and...”  
  
    “And?” she asked but not unkindly.  
  
    “And I’m tired.  I couldn’t sleep a moment longer.  My moirail finally moseyed off to dreamland but alas, I could not.  Too much on my mind, perhaps.”  
  
    Aurana offered a warm smile and patted the rail for him to join her.  “Sounds like a common problem this morning.  Why don’t you… canter on over here and tell me all about it?  Least I can do for a friend!” 


	60. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 59

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea awakens to find she's the on the Condesce's menu, so to speak. Aranea learns much from her discussions with both Meenah and Mituna but finds that only one of them is fruitful. An act of rebellion ensues...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I actually wondered who was going to finish their story first: me or Hussie? Looks like he's going to beat me but I'm MORE than okay with that! The good news is that we're about to begin the end soon; pretty much every chapter I've written so far that starts with a "6" has SERIOUS BUSINESS going down. Hopefully the end of my tale can hold a candle to the Real Thing. Hang on tight, Dear Readers... 
> 
> **Author's Note: I wasn't planning to write anything involving sexy tentacles whatsoever but for those of you who aren't into such things, note that what I set out to do was come up with a toy the Condesce would likely own. So, not real tentacles, just a toy that has some. Hope you're okay with this; thought I'd give a heads up just in case.**

**59.**  
  
    “Good evening, you sexy beach, you!  I brought you something to eat; take a wild guess what it is!”  
  
    Aranea blinked a few times and did her best to focus on the blur before her.  After a few moments, it resolved into a shimmering grey and fuchsia shape – one she had become reacquainted with over the previous night and day.  “Mmmmmmmm… something tells me this menu has only one item on it.”  
  
    “Yep!  Here’s a hint:  it’s me.  Sure hope that sleep gave you an appetite.”  
  
    All Aranea could think of was how much she enjoyed what sleep she got; she had no idea how long it was but she was certainly glad for the reprieve.  Their first encounter began as soon as they entered the Condesce’s respiteblock and was a decidedly vigorous romp on the largest bed she had ever seen.  Shortly after, they went for a swim in the full-size pools in the adjoining room and they fell together again; Aranea still had memories of times early in their matespritship when Meenah, being fully capable of breathing underwater, would slip below the water’s surface and part her seedflap with her tongue.   _Getting to experience that again was incredible_ , she thought, _Nothing else is quite like it: she could either touch my nub with her tongue or drag it through the water and let the current it created do the work._  But by the third time they engaged each other just after exiting the pool and returning to the respiteblock (more accurately, its carpeted floor), Aranea was surprised to find herself weary in a way she hadn’t before.   _This still feels far too red for my liking.  Sex with the love that Porrim provides is far more satisfying.  It certainly isn’t the first time I’ve taken part without any emotional attachment but it just seems so… hollow now.  
  
    But then, this isn’t ‘no emotional attachment’ really, is it?  We have a history, she and I._  Aranea had almost expected to be excited about wanting to show her former matesprit what she had learned and what she was capable of now, but once she discovered that Meenah wasn’t all that interested and generally took the reins throughout their sessions, it left her feeling unfulfilled.   _Maybe it’s also because I came here seeking black but she still insists on treating it like a matespritship.  That’s something that I reserve for someone else now and it feels rather like… infidelity to me.  But I need to remember this is about the greater good._  
  
    She was disrupted from this train of thought by a tickle of hair at the end of a thick braid underneath her nose.  “Hey, now!  No going back to sleep!  We have lots to do tonight and your to-do list starts with me!”  
  
    The joints in Aranea’s fingers ached at the thought of what she put them through after their last bout of activity: Meenah had asked her to braid that mass of long, thick hair just like she used to do when she was the Condesce’s aide and lover and she swore that Peixes’s hair was twice as thick now than it was back then.   _Four giant braids instead of two now.  I haven’t braided anyone’s hair in centuries.  Porrim’s may be longer again but certainly not long enough to do that with.  At least that job’s done._  “Not sleeping; just getting my bearings.”  
  
    “You’re not at sea anymore so I can understand that, but you really don’t need to see to do this, do you?”  Meenah shuffled her knees slightly forward to as to bring her all-but-glowing fuchsia bits that much closer to Aranea’s face.    
  
    “I suppose not.” Aranea raised her head, adjusted the pillow beneath it for extra support and placed her grey lips to Meenah’s bright engorged ones.  She found that the sounds that followed still excited her; the strangely sweet scent and taste of the Condesce was quite pleasant and she loved the texture of the soft, ever so slightly raised scales that populated Meenah’s labia as she brushed her top lip up against them.   _No one else has these… well, not in such numbers.  Cronus had a few on his globes but nothing to this degree._    
  
    In response, Meenah pressed herself even harder against Aranea’s face, seeking greater intensity.  “Fuck yeah… that’s it… no one does this betta than you!  No one!  How’s it feel to hear that, hmm?”  
  
    “Mmmmmbmbmmmbmm.”  
  
    “What’s that?  Didn’t… mmm, yeah… catch that…”  
  
    Aranea started rapidly tapping her thigh and repeated her muffled sound.  
  
    “Oh shit, you can’t breathe.  Oops.”  Meenah pulled back and Aranea gasped.  
  
    “Yeah,” Aranea wheezed, “Kinda important.”  
  
    “But it felt SO good!  If you were anyone else, I might not have stopped.”  When Aranea offered no reply save for an odd look, Meenah opted to turn around and lowered her backside for the blueblood’s attention instead.  “How bout you work your magic this way instead?  You’re not gonna find a nicer ass than this down there, above the waves or below!”  
  
    _That’s what makes you so hard to deal with, Meenah.  You’re stunningly beautiful on the outside but…_   
  
    “Oh, I’m beautiful inside, too.  Need a better look?”  Meenah used her left hand to clutch onto her cheek and pull it open to give Aranea better access to what lay within, as well as a better view of it.    
  
    _How did she..?_ Aranea thought, _Did I say that out loud?_  
  
D0N7 W0RRY 1 G07 7H15 Y0U JU57 L1CK 7H3 PR0BL3M 1N FR0N7 0F Y0U 4ND 1LL K33P 7H47 FR0M H4PP3N1NG 4G41N 1 H0P3  
  
    _All right, if you… er… think so…_  “I do like what I seeeeeeee!”  Aranea placed a hand on the other side of Meenah’s rear and pulled herself closer so that she could let her tongue explore every single fold and space of Meenah’s flap and nook, which she did with all the fervor she could muster.  She closed her eyes and licked between the Condesce’s full, pink lips, taking her swollen nub into her mouth and kissing it, gently stroking beside it and making whorls with her tongue, drinking in the sounds Meenah made as she did so.  She could feel Meenah’s right hand closing around her ankle, the nails digging into her skin.   _That’s a bit blacker but with her, even red love could be a bit rough._  Aranea’s thoughts drifted to Felida for a moment.   _Funny how I carried that forward, too._  
  
    “FUCK YES!  SHOVE THAT TONGUE INSIDE ME!”  Meenah again pressed herself to Aranea’s face but this time her partner had enough space to draw breath and she was rewarded with the sensation of that tongue doing so, alternating between those two spaces, plunging in as deeply as it could while also tracing the skin that lay between them.  “Fuck, you’re the best, Serket!  Filthy as ever!”  
  
    _You made me this way, Meenah, but then, who am I to complain?_  Aranea said nothing but let her tongue speak for her; she returned it to Meenah’s nub and then used the fingers of her left hand to penetrate the spaces her tongue had just moistened, stroking them against the walls of her seedflap.  She could feel the tight squeeze in response, the extra wetness flowing down her hand and wrist.   _There’s about to be a lot more of that in a moment, I think…_  
  
    Aranea’s thought proved to be right; another minute of sucking and fingering and wailing from Meenah was followed by a burst of fuchsia-tinged release and a screech of sheer pleasure.  She felt Meenah collapse onto her and almost bit her tongue as she was trying to clear her mouth of the sweet, sticky fluid that now covered her face and chest.   _My ankle is burning as well; wonder if she grabbed a bit too hard?  Wouldn’t be the first time._  
  
    “That… is the way… to start a night!” the Condesce panted.  “If I was… thinking… I should have got you… to tickle my nook… with a braid!”  
  
    “I would’ve tried had you mentioned it, but then I would’ve needed to grow a third arm to do it.”  
  
    “Maybe we can get you fitted with one?  It would go great with the tattoo version you have on your left arm.  It’s amazing what they can do with cybernetics these nights.”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.  “Oh, I know all about it.”  She let go of Meenah’s rear and started to clean off her face.  “Besides, I wouldn’t know where to put it.”  
  
    “Lots of room on your sides; not like your grubleg spaces are used for anything anyway.  Hell, you want to play up the whole ‘Spider Bitch’ thing, I can give you four extra arms!  How’s that tickle your web?”  
  
    “I’m good, thanks… although I could think of something else I’d like tickled.”  
  
    Meenah rolled to the side and sat up, sharp grin on full display.  “Really?  I may have just the thing to tickle you with!”  She stood up from the bed and then moved away from it as four tentacles rose from holes in the floor, each wrapping itself around one of Aranea’s limbs.    
  
    “This again?” Aranea inquired.  “Be assured I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
    “Oh, I’m well ashored of that.”  The Condesce opened the drawer of the daystand beside the bed and retrieved an object that resembled a number of smaller purple tentacles attached to a gold metal handle.  She touched a couple of buttons on the handle and two of the rubbery appendages stiffened while the remainder perked up but didn’t stand firm like the other two.  “Wait till you see this thing in action,” she said, returning to the bed and taking a seat between Aranea’s splayed legs.  “I made it using some crazy biotech we found on Giedi Prime.  They had all kinds of weird shit there but this… this alone was worth conquering that festering sore of a planet for!  It’s given me hours and hours of pleasure – many of which I spent thinking about you and this pretty little seedflap of yours right here.  Only fitting that I should finally put both of them together, I think.”    
  
    Aranea raised her head as best she could to get a good look at it.  “That’s… interesting.  And where does that go?”  
  
    “Everywhere.”  Meenah traced her finger from the top of Aranea’s seedflap down to its opening and slid it in and out until it came back sporting a blue sheen, which she then spread gently on her tight nooksphincter.  “Thing is, I probably didn’t even need to do that.”  
  
    “Yes, you did; you know as well as I do that there’s ALWAYS time for lubrication.”  
  
    “Ah, but these tendrils produce their own!  That’s the amazing part of it.”  The Condesce lined up the firm tentacles to Aranea’s openings and she pushed the toy forward; both slid into their intended hole with slippery ease. “How’s that feel?”  
  
    Aranea was surprised by the sensations.  “Wet and surprisingly warm.  Are they moving a bit as well?”  
  
    Meenah’s smile grew that much wider.  “They are.  You just wait; it gets even better!”  Another touch of a button and the rest of the smaller purple tubes took up positions on the outside of Aranea’s seedflap lips, under her bottom, alongside her erect nub.  Those last two started to move, creating a sensation not unlike two tongues lapping away at the engorged blue nub beneath.    
  
    “I… oh… well, this is…"  
  
    “Good?  I believe that’s the word you’re looking for?  Oh, most definitely yes!  I want to hear you tell me all about how good it is... as loudly as you can!”  Meenah pressed another button and the tentacle-like appendages began to move faster, almost with a mind of their own.  She let the handle go and sat back against the footboard of the bed, parting her thighs and sending her fingers towards her own still tingling nub.  
  
   Aranea started to press her hips towards the sensations that this toy was creating and then tried to pull back but there was no escape from the nearly overwhelming sense of pleasure that came from everywhere at once.  “Ohhhhhhhh… how…”  
  
    “It doesn’t manta how, all that mantas is that is does.  It’s probably been a long time since you weren’t in control of your own orgasms, I’d bet.  Just let go and let it happen, Aranea.  I want to watch you come all over the place.”  Meenah’s fingertips sat over the top part of her seedflap and they began to make slow circles over the pearlescent skin of her outer lips.  
  
    _It’s like it’s hitting everything at the same time; I can barely catch my breath!  I really want one of these but at the same time it’s…_ Aranea’s breathing became more erratic and shallow.  ”It’s… so…”  
  
    “Awesome,” Meenah all but whispered.  “That’s what it is.  Fuck, is this hot!”  She quickly brought her fingers to her mouth, wetted them and resumed rubbing herself, much faster this time; the sight of the toy undulating between her partner’s legs and driving her crazy was more than enough to excite her again.  “I’ve missed the hell out of you, you know!”  
  
    Aranea opted not to answer but wasn’t convinced she could have made a coherent sound if her life depended on it. Her nerve endings screamed overload and yet the peculiar device that was stimulating her pressed through that in an unending wave of touch.  Her legs shook even in the grasp of the thick tentacles that bound her and she tried to wrestle away from it, even though she wanted nothing more than for it to overtake her completely.  She looked up to watch Meenah pleasuring herself and the sight of it was enough to send her over the precipice; she could feel her own squeezing on the warm, firmness inside of her again and again but when she thought she had finished, the movements it made caused her to climax again and again in a steady roll.   _What IS this thing?  I’m… oh… again!!!!!!!!_  Despite her legs calling for release from their bonds, the pleasure overrode it and she could barely draw a breath until a hazy darkness overtook her…  
  
  
  
  
    “And I thought you said you weren’t going back to sleep?”  
  
    Aranea’s eyelids felt like they were weighed down with rocks but she managed to force them open.  “I haven’t passed out like that in ages.  Where…”  
  
    “Same place as before.  Don’t worry, I put all the tentacles away.  All of them.”  
  
    “Heh.  Where’d you hear that phrase?”  
  
    Meenah’s reply helped jar Aranea all the way into wakefulness.  “From my matesprit.”  
  
    Aranea tried to move her arms and was successful; a quick inspection confirmed that she was still in the same gigantic, ornate bed in the same huge respiteblock.  Her nether regions ached but she was quite certain the toy that was within her earlier no longer was.  She sat up and Meenah rolled over so that she had some room.  “Meenah, we really need to talk.”  
  
    “Of course.  Talking is what Serkets do best!”  
  
    “I’m being serious.”  
  
    Meenah frowned.  “Something tells me I’m not going to like what you’re going to say.  Why can’t you just accept that this is where you are and where you belong?”  
  
    “Because my heart belongs to another.  You’ve been watching me, you should know this.”  
  
    “That’s finny… so how come you’re still wearing my tokens, then?”  A fuchsia-tipped fingernail flicked one of the large gold hoops that resided in Aranea’s earlobes.   
  
    Aranea’s mouth opened to answer… and then closed again while she rethought her response.  
  
    “Not only are you still wearing them, but I know you gave one to your so-called matesprit as well!  I can tell that one of these isn’t original.”  
  
    “You can?”  
  
    “If there’s one thing I know, Aranea, it’s jewelry.  Especially my own.  This one is newer by a few hundred sweeps.”  The Condesce flicked the other earring; it glinted brightly with light reflected from a nearby lamp.    
  
    “Why did you want to call these our tokens, anyway?  You had me scourged for stealing them from you!”  
  
    “Because that was the first time you showed the guts to take what you wanted!  I couldn’t let you get away with it, of course, or else you would have kept helping yourself, but I wanted you to wear them as a reminder of what mattered to you.”  
  
    Aranea threw a sideways look at the fuchsiablooded woman.  “I wear the scars on my back as a reminder of what you’re capable of, too.”  
  
    “Look at you, so bold now.  You never had the temerity to talk this way to me before you left.”  Meenah rose and then sat back down on the bed behind Aranea; she moved her guest’s long hair out of the way to study the scars she spoke of.   
  
    “Because you would have added a few more to the collection?”  
  
    “Yeah, probably.  And yet, look at what you’ve done with them!”  Meenah’s nail now traced along one of the strings of the web tattoo that made the lash marks that crisscrossed Aranea’s back into a picture that hid their original nature.  “She did such a good job on both of our backs.”  She brought that sharp nail up along the string that connected to the scar on her neck and the jade spider tattoo that resided there.  “So, what happened here?”  
  
    Aranea snorted.  “I don’t suppose you had anything to do with the sorry excuse for a legislacerator your clown buddy inflicted on me?”  
  
    “I wasn’t the one who chose her, no, but I do know of her and her subsequent failure to bring you to justice.  Kurloz seemed particularly pusherbroken by her death at your hand.”  
  
    “It wasn’t my hand, exactly; let’s just say it was a group effort.  That tealblooded prig decided to bait me in for a hatefuck and opened my neck instead of my flap.  She got what was coming to her.”  
  
    “And I gather it was your jadeblooded friend who stitched you back up again?  Hence the artwork?”  
  
    “It was indeed.”  
  
    “It looks like it could have been done by the same artist; it’s seamless.”  
  
    Aranea smiled as she thought of the night that she received those three tattoos.  “We went to the same shop in Southend.  It was another maroonblood who did them but her stylings were eerily similar.  I gather the guy who ran the place must have preferred artists who favoured a particular style.  She did my arm, too.”  
  
    Meenah seized Aranea’s right wrist and inspected the intersecting symbols tattooed there.  “I suppose she did this, too.”  
  
    “Of course.  That one means a lot to me.”  She felt Meenah’s sharp nails dig into her wrist as they did her ankle earlier but made sure she didn’t cry out or pull away.    
A moment later, Meenah let go and got up from the bed.  She put her hands behind her back and marched over to a gold-filigree covered mirror.  “So why her?  At least tell me that much.  Did you pity her?  Feel sorry for her?  That certainly doesn’t sound like your way.”  
  
    Aranea inhaled deeply and steeled herself.   _Here goes nothing…_  “Let’s just say I was inspired by her tale.  Did you ever understand why the Signless’s message led to a revolt?”  
  
    “What’s to understand,” Meenah spat, “Some upstart shitblood didn’t care for his place in society and tried to upset the natural ray of things.  Wouldn’t you have responded if you were in my shoes?  I simply couldn’t tolerate their obstruction; a harsh reply was warranted.  You’re a ship’s captain now; what would you do with a crew member who was outright leading a revolt?”  
  
    “Honestly?  A century ago, I probably would have done what you would have.  Now, I’d either try to address their concerns or drop them off at the nearest shore.  I’ve discovered there are alternatives to execution.  A little mercy can go a long way, especially in the eyes of the rest of the crew.”  
  
    “Frankly, I thought I was being merciful letting the rest of his little band live.”  
  
    _I have no idea how you can call what you’ve done to that fellow in the other block ‘mercy’_ , Aranea thought but opted to keep that to herself.  “And you were.  There’s nothing wrong with a little mercy now and then.  My moirail is a result of a merciful action.  But did it ever occur to you that maybe these sorts of uprisings wouldn’t happen if the average Alternian had a say in how their world was run?  Maybe you need to hear what life is like down there these nights from a voice that doesn’t come from the Violet Aristocracy.”  
  
    Meenah fixed her with a scowl at first but then it quickly softened.  “Conchtinue.”  
  
    “To be honest, most people have come to see you as an absentee Empress.  They view the violetbloods and purplebloods as tormentors who do as they please to whomever they please.  The guiding hand of the Fuchsia Ruler is soon only on their viewscreens and that creates a more serious disconnect than you know.  Believe it or not, I do understand your interest in the stars; I’ve always dreamed of seeing them, but if you want to spread our society out into the galaxy, then maybe you need to let the people back home be a bit more involved.  Let the lower bloodcastes have a voice and I bet most of the problems go away.”  
  
    “Again, would you tolerate that on your ship?”  
  
    “Meenah, I’ve even had a couple of bluebloods serve with or under me.  I treat every member of my crew equally; blood colour really doesn’t matter.  I’ve found capable commanders in maroonbloods and orangebloods, exceptional navigators in goldbloods.”  
  
    “Hey, me too!” the Condesce laughed, “How about that?”  
  
    “But does he get a say in anything that goes on around here?” Aranea asked.  
  
    “Does yours?  You’re still the captain, correct?”  
  
    “Of course.”  
  
    “Well, that’s what captains do, Aranea: they make the decisions.  It’s not called ‘captain’s prerogative’ for nothing.  The captain leads, the crew follows.  It’s the simplest and most effective power structure out there.  Without a firm guiding hand on the wheel, the ship flounders.  It’s that simple.”  
  
    Aranea nodded.  “I can’t disagree with you there.  What I’m suggesting is maybe not let blood colour dictate who the captains get to be.  I’ve run into some incredibly incompetent violetbloods over the sweeps; if that’s the best they’ve got, I’m forced to ask myself some nights whether I’m that good or whether they’re really that bad.”  
  
    “And when you ask yourself that, what answer to you come up with?”  
  
    “Both, of course.  But consider the idea of letting the best person for the job do that job.  Even on your starships, I’ll bet you’ll see a vast improvement, particularly where morale is concerned.”  
  
    “Morale is really only important if you fear a mutiny.  Even if every single crew member on my ship decided that they would take a run at me, only I would remain and Mituna and I can run every aspect of this ship just fine by ourselves from here.  So, as far as I’m concerned, morale really isn’t that important.  But I must admit,” Meenah added, looking over her shoulder to where Aranea was in the process of flipping her hair back over her shoulders.   “I am starting to think you might be on to somefin.”  
  
    Aranea’s face belied the hint of excitement she felt at hearing this.  “Oh?  How so?”  
  
    “Well, first of all,” Meenah began as she approached the bed and sat beside her guest, “I’m going to need you to take these braids out.  I have somewhere to be in a bit and I can’t go running around the place with my hair all braided up like this.”  
  
    “Okayyyyyyyy…”   _My hands already ache…_  
  
    As Aranea began undoing the thick knots, Meenah added, “As for the rest, I have an idea: maybe someone other than violetbloods should run the show down there in my absence.”  
  
    “I couldn’t agree more.  So would you think an elected council of some sort would work best?  Maybe a series of representatives from…”  
  
    Aranea’s sentence was ended abruptly thanks to Meenah’s laughter.  “You know, Serket, sometimes I wonder if you’re still the same naïve girl I took under my fins eight hundred sweeps ago.  That’s so not happening.  Ever.”  
  
    “Um… then what did you have in mind?”  
  
    “I was thinking about naming a viceroy; someone to rule in my absence.  And it sure as fuck won’t be a violetblood!”  
  
    _I don’t like the sound of this…_  “Soooooooo… who then?  A rotating series of different yet capable people?”  
  
    “Nope.  The list of candidates has one name on it and yours is at the top.”  
  
    “You mean… you want me…”  
  
    “To run the damn planet while I’m away.  Yep, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”  
  
    Aranea wasn’t able to entirely hide her shock at this.  “Why me?”  
  
    Meenah placed a hand on the blueblood’s bare knee.  “This was the plan all along, you know.  You’re the only person I’ve ever met that I would trust with the job.  You’re right about violetbloods not being up to snuff these nights; they’re too busy falling all over each other trying to prove themselves worthy of my attention and yet you’re then only one I’ve been thinking about all these sweeps.  I wanted you to go out there and stand on your own two feet and you did just that.  You’re the only person on the planet worthy of being my consort and now you can be!”  
  
    “Wait… who said anything about consort?”  
  
    “That’s part of the deal, lady.  This is your chance to put all of this Dolorosa foolishness aside and take your rightful place at my side once and for all!  I’m your matesprit, Aranea, not her.”  
  
    Aranea gave the braid in her hand a bit of a tug.  “I’m flattered but are you sure I can’t convince you to give kismesissitude a go instead?”  
  
    “Really, Aranea?  Let me ask you something: how close are you to having your own starship?”  
  
    “Not terribly, I have to admit.  We do have some hoverships that are space-capable, I gather, but we’ve never tried to, you know, invade another planet with them?”  
  
    “Exactly.  How can you possibly be a rival to me?  You’ve come such a long way, lover.  You dominate the seas of Alternia, no question.  But what are you to me in terms of competition?  Not even close.  You’re far better off as my matesprit.  I know you like a little rough sex now and then – hey, so do I – but that’s as black as we could possibly get.”  
  
    “Oh.  I see.”  
  
    Meenah shifted to face Aranea.  “Don’t feel bad about it, though.  Matespritship suits us far better.  Don’t you get it?  You WON!  You made it back to me and you get everything your little pusher desires!  You think you’re rich now?  Aranea, you’ll never need to do any hard work again a night in your life!  YOU get to tell the violets and the purples what to do!  And if any of them even thinks about trying to usurp you, they’ll have me to deal with!  Not that I think any of them would be able to outwit you as it is; you’ve shown them all up time and again.   Even the Grand Highblood would report directly to you; I know how you feel about him but if he even thinks about harming so much as one hair on your lovely head, I’ll blow his horns clean off.  You want to stop him from making disgusting displays on Condyvision?  You tell him to stop.  Problem solved, no?”  
  
    “I suppose it would be…”  
  
    “And I swear I won’t kill that meddling jadeblood of yours, either.  You can put her in charge of… I don’t know, grub wrangling or whatever it is that jadebloods do these nights.  The drones bring them the buckets; as far as I’m concerned they should all just stay the fuck underground and not incite rebellions if they know what’s good for them.”  
  
    Aranea wasn’t terribly thrilled with the vengeful look on the Condesce’s face.  “And how often would I even see you?  You tend to disappear for forty or fifty sweeps at a time, I gather.”  
  
    “Hey, I’d be here a shell of a lot more often if I knew I had you to come home to!  I wouldn’t be an ‘absentee Empress’ anymore, would I?”  Meenah placed her hand on Aranea’s cheek.  “You see, Aranea, it all works out perchfectly.  You get everything you want; all you have to do is be my matesprit again and we rule together!”  
  
    “Everything I want… except equality among the bloodcastes.”  
  
    “Oh, come on.  Like that’s really a big deal.  People need leaders to follow, remember?  I suppose if you wanted to make some lowblood Chief Bottle Washer at Capitol, I could let that slide, but people not only need to know their place, they need to not be given any reason to leave it.  Who would do the menial tasks on Alternia?  Highbloods?  Not a chance.”  
  
    “I’m not saying they wouldn’t do those menial tasks anyway, but at least they should be given the opportunity to rise above that.  I’ve seen maroonbloods command a ship and earn the respect of their crew, midbloods included.  Like I said, people deserve a chance to achieve beyond what our society allows right now.”  
  
    Meenah grabbed one of her braids and passed it to Aranea to suggest she hurry up on that particular task.  “And can you imagine what that would lead to?  Why should people with such short life spans dictate to those who would have to live with the conchsequences for the next few hundred sweeps?  It just doesn’t work that way, Aranea.  Now drop this ridiculousness and say yes already.  You do realize I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, right?”  
  
    Aranea looked glumly at the hair she had set to untangle.  “I really need to think about this.  I mean, it does have its appeal but…”  
  
    “But what?”  
  
    “Did you not see the tattoo on my arm?  You did look directly at it.  My heart belongs to another!  You didn’t tell me what you were up to or why you treated me with such indifference to drive me away!  That hurt, Meenah!”  
  
    “Well, now I’m making it better, aren’t I?  Yeesh.  Look, I said I’d let the jadeblood live.  And that little oliveblooded weirdo can run your fleet just fine, I’m sure; you must have left her in charge when you came up here, no?  You can make some changes and I’m fine with that, but you have to understand that without order, there’d be chaos.  It’s up to us fuchsiabloods to maintain that order or else our race would tear itself apart!”  
  
    “So you’re saying I really wouldn’t get much of a say and that I’d still have to run any changes by you first?”  
  
    “Of course!  That’s what the ‘vice’ in viceroy means: you still have to answer to someone – me.  But beyond that, the world’s your oyster, love!  How could you possibly not jump at this?”  
  
    “Because one doesn’t just throw love away!” Aranea exclaimed as she tossed the handful of hair she had just finished unbraiding.  “I can’t just push Porrim away like you did to me.  She saved my life just as I saved hers and we love one another!  Love isn’t disposable!  She taught me that.”  
  
    The Condesce looked at Aranea and sighed with exasperation.  “She also taught you that order isn’t all that necessary either, apparently.”  Meenah abruptly stood up and used her fingers to fluff her hair out now that it was set free.  “I thought you were smarter than this.  One doesn’t turn down a chance to shape a world because of something so transient as love.”  
  
    “How would I get to shape our world when you’re the one telling me how to shape it?”  
  
    “That’s still shaping it, isn’t it?  I’ve always listened to your suggestions, haven’t I?  I didn’t necessarily act on them – remember, a leader still gets to make the final decision – but I did listen.  Most of what you had to say made sense back then; finny how you seemed to have lost your perchspective of what’s important in the grand scheme somewhere along the way.”  
  
    _I was thinking quite the opposite, Meenah.  We may have a serious problem here._  “I’m still making sense.  Maybe more so now than ever.  We need to grow as a species and the only way we can do that it to put aside outdated views of ourselves.  There’s nothing wrong with letting those below us on the hemospectrum achieve whatever they can.  I mean, look at me!  I’m barely a highblood and you’re offering me a chance to be the second most powerful person on Alternia!”  
  
    “That’s different and you know it.”  
  
    “Is it?  The worst part of it is who is going to respect me?  The highbloods would rather murder me than listen to me and the lowbloods will treat me with nothing but distrust.”  
  
    Meenah snorted and picked up her black and fuchsia jumpsuit from the floor.  “There’s a simple solution to that: make a few examples of those who would disobey.”  
  
    “I thought I mentioned something about mercy a few minutes ago?”  
  
    “Look, sometimes a little blood has to be spilled now and then in the name of establishing power.  Do you think Kurloz does what he does entirely because he’s deranged?”  
  
    “Yes!” Aranea said with no hesitation.  
  
    “Okay, maybe he enjoys it a little too much.  But if he gives you any grief, you can publicly execute him and add the title of Grand Highblood to Viceroy!  Two screechbirds, one stone.”  
  
    Aranea knew someone back on her ship who would support this plan wholeheartedly.  “Ruling by respect is preferable to ruling by fear.”  
  
    The Condesce pulled the skintight garment over her legs and then up to her waist.  “Please.  They’re really one and the same.  Trust me, I’ve been doing this ruling gig for quite some time now; if they’re not scared of you, even a little bit, you don’t really have their respect.  Tell me your crew wasn’t a little bit scared of what you represented; if they fell out of line, you had the option to make them walk the plank or whatever it is you Gamblignant types do these nights with mutineers.”  
  
    “For the most part, I was able to quell their fears.  This makes my crew all but unstoppable.”  
  
    “A few missiles would be quite capable of stopping them.  Don’t forget the only reason that didn’t happen a long time ago is because you had someone in your corner: me.”  Meenah put her arms into the sleeves of her outfit and then pulled the front up over her chest with a snap.  “There are some things you can’t talk your way out of and some that your blue sword can’t solve.  Just remember that having me on your side is always preferable to not.”  She picked her golden tiara up from the dresser and fitted it on her forehead before standing in front of Aranea.  “Listen, I gather this must be a bit overwhelming.  I get that.  But you need to put away such foolish things as pride and love if you want to rule.  You’ve always dreamed big and that’s what I love most about you; it reminds me of me.  I see a river and it’s oceans that I want; it just follows naturally from there.  Everything is not enough; with me at your side, you can have it all.  Why deny yourself what’s rightfully yours?  Besides, this isn’t just a one-way thing; I’m giving myself to you, too.  Haven’t you dreamed of me like I have of you?”  
  
    Aranea was silent but nodded.   
  
    “That’s what I thought.  Tell you what, I’ll give you a little bit of time to think it over.  I need to go oversee a shipment from the surface.  When I get back, I hope you’ll see what an incredible opportunity you have before you right now.  Be ashored it’s a limited time offer.  Can you just try to think about how wonderful it would be to spend the rest of your life with me?”  
  
    “I’ll try.”  
  
    “That’s the spirit!  Now, as mentioned, your clothes are just over in that corner.  Go ahead and get dressed if you like.  I’ll be gone maybe an hour or so and when I get back, I want to hear your answer, okay?”  Meenah lifted Aranea’s chin and placed a kiss on her lips.    
  
    “Okay.”  
  
    “All right.  See you shoretly!”  The Condesce strode out the door and Aranea could hear her greet her helmsman.  “Good evening, My Tuna!  You’re looking as handsome as ever!”    
  
    Aranea heard no reply from him but knew it was a mental transmission.   _I should go talk with him myself once I get dressed… not like he hasn’t seen every bit of me anyway._  She shot a look at the nearest camera mounted on the wall.    
  
N07 L1K3 1 H4D 4N7 54Y 1N 7H3 M4773R BU7 7H3N 1 G47H3R Y0U D0N7 73ND 70 C4R3 WH0 5335 Y0U UNDR3553D 4NYW4Y  
  
    _True enough.  Just feeling strangely self-conscious tonight, I suppose._  
  
UND3R574ND4BL3 N07 3V3RY N1GH7 50M30N3 15 0FF3R3D P4R714L RUL3R5H1P 0F 7H31R H0M3W0RLD  
  
    _But would it really be any part?  I’d be a figurehead at most,_ Aranea thought as she stepped into her skirt.    
  
1 7H1NK Y0U 4LR34DY KN0W 7H3 4NSW3R 70 7H47 QU35710N 4ND 5H35 G0N3 N0W 1F Y0U W4N7 70 C0M3 0U7 H3R3 4ND 4C7U4LLY 74LK 70 M3 7HA7D B3 GR347 175 N07 3V3RY N1GH7 1 G37 70 H34R 4 V01C3 07H3R 7H4N H3R5  
  
    “Okay, just give me a sec.”  Once Aranea had her white blouse back on, she slipped her black coat over her shoulders and stepped into her tall red boots.   _No sign of my jade token, I see._  
  
5H3 7UCK3D 17 1N 7H3 53C0ND DR4W3R 0F H3R D4Y574ND Y0UR3 W3LC0M3  
  
    _Muchly appreciated,_ she thought back to Mituna as she opened said drawer and retrieved the jade ring that bore her matesprit’s symbol and slid it on to her finger.  
  
Y0UR3 N07 4C7U4LLY C0N51D3R1NG H3R 0FF3R 4R3 Y0U  
  
    Aranea emerged from the respiteblock into the room beyond where Mituna Captor hung in his peculiar prison; she approached him and raised the hand that bore the ring she just put back in its proper place.  “What do you think?”  
  
0K4Y G00D JU57 M4K1NG 5UR3 1 C4N 7RU57 Y0U  
  
    “Of course.  Any friend of Porrim’s is a friend of mine.”  
  
7H3N Y0U N33D 70 L1573N V3RY C4R3FULLY 5H3 15 F4R M0R3 D4NG3R0U5 7H4N Y0U 5U5P3C7 5H3 L173R4LLY W1LL N07 74K3 N0 F0R 4N 4NSW3R  
  
    “She won’t have much of a choice, will she?  What will she do?  Kill me?”  
  
W0R53 Y0U KN0W WH47 Y0U C4N D0 70 M3N74LLY M4N1PUL473 07H3R5  
  
    “Obviously,” Aranea answered, a chill running down her spine as she began to consider where he was going with this train of thought.  
  
W3LL GU355 WH0 3L53 C4N D0 7H47 N0W 7H4NK5 70 7H47 BL00DY K155 SH3 G4V3 Y0U WH3N Y0U G0T H3R3 7H475 H3R P0W3R 5H3 C4N 7AK3 Y0UR5 W17H 4 74573 0F Y0UR BL00D  
  
    “What?”  
  
N07 3V3N K1DD1NG Y0U 7H1NK 17 W45 M3 M0V1NG Y0UR 5W0RD 4R0UND P510N1C4LLY N0P3 5H3 H3LP3D H3R53LF 70 7H47 P4R7 0F MY 4B1L17135 4G35 4G0 7H3 G00D N3W5 15 7H47 5H3 15N7 4BL3 70 U53 4LL 0F 17 R1GH7 N0W MUCH 0F H3R 1NN3R P0W3R C0M35 FR0M H3R L1NK W17H GLBG0LYB WH1CH 50M3H0W Y0U 5HU7 D0WN 7H15 15 WHY 5H3 W45 4BL3 70 R34D Y0UR 7H0UGH7 34RL13R 1 W45 4BL3 70 BL0CK 50M3 0F 17 BU7 17 W1LL G37 57R0NG3R 500N B3 PR3P4R3D 7H47 Y0U W1LL L1K3LY B3 54Y1NG Y35 70 H3R WH37H3R Y0U W4N7 70 0R N07  
  
    Thoughts of how Aranea manipulated her own crew on multiple occasions ran through her thinkpan.  “I shudder to think of what she’ll do not only to me but with me.”  
  
P0RR1M 4ND M3UL1N W1LL B3 1N GR4V3 D4NG3R Y0U N33D 70 W4RN 7H3M B3F0R3 17 H4PP3N5 4ND 7H15 W1LL B3 Y0UR 0NLY CH4NC3 70 D0 S0 1 G47H3R Y0U H4V3 4 H4NDR01D 1N Y0UR P0CK37  
  
    “How do you… never mind.”  She reached into the pocket inside of her coat and retrieved the Handroid she caught from Admiral Syhale.  “Got it.”  
  
G00D 1M 4B0U7 70 D15PL4Y 50M37H1NG 0N 7H3 M41N V13W5CR33N H3R3 1 W4N7 Y0U 70 U53 7H3 H4NDR01D 70 74K3 4 P1C7UR3 0F 17 4ND 7H3N 53ND 17 70 WH03V3R C4N M4K3 U53 0F 17  
  
    “All right…”  Aranea figured out how to enable the camera and waited.  A moment later, a series of numbers appeared on the screen beside a list of names.  “This is… what I think it is.  Oh hell fucking YES.”  
  
7H3 C0N7R0L C0D35 0F 3V3RY 5H1P 1N 7H3 1MP3R14L N4VY 1F 7H1NG5 574R7 G3771NG UGLY D0WN 7H3R3 WH03V3R Y0U L3F7 1N CH4RG3 C4N 7URN 7H3 71D3 1F N33D B3  
  
    She quickly snapped a photo of the screen and saved it.  “This is going directly to Felida.  I can’t communicate with Porrim from here but Felida can use it and also forward them on to Porrim as a backup if need be.”  
  
5UP3R N0W H0W 4B0U7 Y0U C4LL H3R W17H 7H47 7H1NG 4ND 317H3R W4RN 7H3M 70 PR3P4R3 F0R 1N 1MM1N3N7 4774CK 0R 70 M0UN7 4 R35CU3 M15510N 70 G37 Y0U 0U7 0F H3R3 1F Y0U 4ND Y0UR5 C4N 4C7U4LLY 74K3 7H3 BULK 0F 7H3 1MP3R14L FL337 Y0U M1GH7 H4V3 4 CH4NC3 0F N3G07171NG W17H H3R BU7 1 5U5P3C7 17 W1LL B3 V3RY 5H0R7 L1V3D  
  
    “What do you mean?” Aranea inquired.    
  
7H47 5H1PM3N7 5H3 W3N7 70 1N5P3C7 C0ULD 71P 7H3 5C4L35 1F 5H3 C4N G37 17 0NL1N3 CH3CK 7H15 0U7  
  
    The viewscreen now displayed the schematics of a pair of devices using alien technology to transmit solar power to a planet’s surface.  “What’s this?” Aranea asked.  “ _Project Sunrise?_  Looks benign enough.”  
  
L00K 4G41N 17 U535 M1RR0R5 4ND 4 C0LL3C70R 70 CH4NN3L 7H3 3N3RGY FR0M 4 574R 70 W4171NG GR0UND 574710N5 1V3 533N 7H15 1N 4C710N 1N 0N3 5Y573M 175 WH3R3 5H3 G07 7H3 1D34 7H3 5H1P 4RR1V1NG N0W 15 C4RRY1NG 7H3 M1RR0R 4RR4Y 5H3 H4D D3V3L0P3D H3R3 0N 4L73RN14 BU7 D1D Y0U H4PP3N 70 N071C3 7H3R35 50M37H1NG M1551NG  
  
    The chill that Aranea felt earlier was nothing compared to the one she experienced now.  “There’s not a single receiving station on all of Alternia, is there?  That’s just going to be a focused beam of sunlight that would tear a piece out of the planet’s surface.”  
  
Y35 B451C4LLY 4 50L4R 5W0RD N0 5URF4C3B0UND FL337 W0ULD H4V3 4 H0P3 70 R3P3L F1R3P0W3R 0F 7H47 M4GN17UD3  
  
    Aranea thought for a moment and then exhaled sharply.   _Porrim, I’m sorry.  I’m going to give you a fighting chance.  I hope you can make the most of it._  She examined the console in front of her and asked Mituna, “So I can control all of the ship’s functions from here, correct?”  
  
7H475 R1GH7 1 C4N PR377Y MUCH 0V3RR1D3 4NY7H1NG 1F N33D B3  
  
    “I see.  Don’t suppose you could look the other way for a moment or eight?”  
  
H4H4 N07 R34LLY BU7 1 5UPP053 1 C0ULD RUN 4 D14GN0571C 0N 7H3 SH13LD H4RM0N1C M0DUL470R F0R 4 F3W 53C0ND5 WHY Y0U W4N7 70 53ND M33N4H 4 D1R7Y P1C7UR3 0R 50M37H1NG  
  
    “Yeaaaaaaaah… the opposite of that.”   _Not that different from the Navy’s control computer setup… aha!  There we go!_  Aranea touched a couple of panels and the screen switched to Tactical Mode.  
  
H3Y W417 WH47 4R3 Y0U PL4NN1NG 70 D0 W17H 7H47  
  
    “The right thing.  Even if it costs me everything.”  She reached out and all but stabbed at the flashing red panel.  As she did so, brilliant purple laser light lanced forth from the front of the _Battleship Condescension_ and destroyed the small cargo ship approaching the forward docking bay.    
  
0H 5H17  
  
    “I happen to know someone who likes to say that, especially in situations like these.  I ought to give her a call while I still can.”  
  
Y0U B3TT3R B3CAU53 Y0U H4V3 H0W3V3R L0NG 17 74K35 M33N4H 70 G37 FR0M 7H3R3 70 H3R3 70 D0 17 50M37H1NG 73LL5 M3 Y0UV3 D3C1D3D N07 70 4CC3P7 H3R 0FF3R  
  
    “There’s more than one way to say ‘no’.  I dare say that one should be unequivocal.  Now, do pardon me; I have a call to make.  I don’t suppose you could cause those doors over there to experience a temporary malfunction?” 


	61. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 60

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felida discovers that sitting in the captain's chair can be a challenge - especially when the former captain appears to be working against her. Porrim makes a fateful decision but one she couldn't live with herself if she didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. 4/13 is finally here. However you feel about the end of the canon story, I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did. For those of you looking for a "hard" ending, there will be one in this tale, believe me... but I promise you it will be quite a ride to the finish. We have a lot to come before we get there. If I do finish writing this story in the near future, however, I will increase the upd8 frequency if you so desire! HUGE thanks to Andrew Hussie for without him, this story doesn't exist, plain and simple.

**60.**  
  
    “I wish you’d eat something already,” Meulin complained from the seat beside Felida in the center of the bridgeblock.  
  
    “I don’t think my protein chute could handle it right now, Meu.  Thanks anyway.”  
  
    “And you’re going to run out of energy at a critical moment if you don’t try.  I know for a fact that you didn’t eat breakfast and it’s damn near midnight.”  Meulin offered her a slice of loaf with a thin layer of beige tuber paste on top.  “Don’t make me call Porrim and tell her you’re not eating.”  
  
    “The way you’re trying to cram food down my throat, I’d almost have thought you were her!  Fine, gimme.”  Felida took the loaf and wolfed it down.  “There.  Mmm, good.  Now will you stop pestering me?  I have a screen to stare at.”  
  
    Meulin laughed and stood up.  “That’ll do, I suppose.  Don’t stare too hard; it’s bad for your eye, I’m sure.”  
  
    “I’m gonna start calling YOU ‘Mom’ in a minute.  Go feed somebody or something,” Felida said but not unkindly.  “Thanks, though; I probably needed that.”  
  
    “You did.  Trust me.”  She patted Felida on the knee and then set off to the back of the bridgeblock with the leftovers in hand to offer the rest of the night shift.    
  
    Felida shifted around in the captain’s chair, trying her best to get comfortable.   _I’ve been sitting here watching these ships drift around for four straight hours and nothing.  I know what Aranea meant by the importance of timing but this just sitting around is far more hellish than the actual fight.  Aurana’s going to wear a bigger hole in the deck with her pacing than Porrim ever did at this rate._   
  
    She crossed and uncrossed her legs and continued to watch the ships move about, keeping close watch on the areas where Navy vessels crossed into the projected locations of the cloaked fleet.   _The last thing we need is one of them accidentally running into our hidden ships.  We can’t tip our hand until we absolutely have to… and I really wish we had to already!  Then again, I should be careful what I wish for…_  
  
    A strange sound filled the bridgeblock; Felida bolted up in her chair and looked around.  “What is that?”  
  
    “I believe it’s coming from you, Captain,” Horuss said, pointing to her shorts.  
  
    “Oh right!”  Felida plucked the Handroid from her pocket and answered the call.  “Captain?”  
  
    “Felida, listen very carefully, I don’t have much time,” said Mindfang’s voice from the tiny speaker.  “Plan A has failed.  I was a fool for believing it could have worked but I had to try.  Anyway, I uncovered a plan the Condesce had to deploy a superweapon that would have allowed her to cook all of you from orbit; I’ve just destroyed that weapon and I figure I’ve got less than three minutes before I have to face the consequences, whatever they may be.  I don’t suspect she’s going to kill me but she might decide to use me against you instead.”  
  
    “What do you mean?”  Felida felt her protein chute tighten and the loaf she just consumed threatened to make a second appearance.   
  
    “You know better than anyone what I’m capable of.  The Condesce now has that same ability and she may choose to use it on me.  Keep in mind that when next you see me or hear from me, I may not be myself.  Do you understand?”  
  
    “I think so…”  
  
    “Good.  I’m sending you a file; protect it at all costs.  Should the Navy initiate an attack, use the information it contains to fight back.  Let’s just say it’ll even the odds.  I need you to pass it on to Porrim as well just in case.”  
  
    “Will do, Captain.”  
  
    A pause and then, “Felida?  Make sure you tell Porrim the same thing I just told you.  Whatever happens next, I may not be in control of it.  If that comes to pass, consider me lost.  I don’t like my odds right now but then I’ve lived this long, haven’t I?”  
  
    “Don’t talk like that, Captain,” Felida replied, trying her damnedest not to let her voice waver.  “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”  
  
    “Well, I do have a friend up here.  Is Meulin nearby?”  
  
    “I am,” Leijon answered, rushing to stand beside Felida.  
  
    “I’m to let you know that Mituna sends his best.  He’s alive, if not necessarily well, but he’s thrilled to hear your voice once more.”  
  
    Meulin’s hands flew to her mouth.  She so desperately wanted to speak but she almost couldn’t find her voice.  “H-hi, Mituna!  Do whatever… you can to help, okay?  Just… just like you always…”  The sobs cut off any other words before they could come out.  
  
    “He says he will do his best but that you need to prepare for the worst.  Felida, your best bet now is to engage the Navy if they fire upon you.  Destroy as many of them as you can and then use Condy’s lusus as a bargaining chip.  Don’t use it to get me back; use it to get her to either abdicate her rule or to maybe just leave for space.  I don’t know if she’ll do either but I do know her power is lessened because Gl’bgolyb is asleep.  There may be some chance to defeat her should she come to the surface.  Maybe even try to bait her to do s-”  
  
    The screech of metal being torn came over the speaker followed by a shouted “WHAT THE GLUBBING FUCK DID YOU DO, ARANEA?”  
  
    “Tell Porrim no matter what happens I love her!  No matter wh-”  
  
    “Captain?  Are you there?” Felida called out; a burst of static from the speaker answered the question definitively.   She collapsed back into her seat and dropped the Handroid to the floor.   _Shit.  Careful what you ask for indeed._    
  
    Aurana appeared at the bridgeblock door.  “What’s going on?  Did I miss something?”  
  
    “You could say that,” Felida muttered.   
  
    A strange silence fell over the bridgeblock, broken only by Horuss’s question: “Orders, Captain?”  
  
    Felida swallowed and lifted her head.  “Patch me through to the fleet.”  
  
    The comm officer did so and replied, “Channel open, Captain.”  
  
    “All hands, this is Captain Oceleo.  We have received word that Mindfang may be compromised.  She is still alive, however, and she expects the very best from each and every one of you who signed on to serve as part of her crew, especially this close to the endgame.  Expect the Navy attack to come very soon; your orders are to man your battlestations and the moment they begin their attack, return fire with everything you have at your disposal!  All colour groups: await your signal from me before entering the fray.  Marquise Spinneret Mindfang deserves your best; let’s make her proud!  Blue leader out!”  
  
    There was no applause on the bridgeblock but Felida was all but certain she could hear cheers from the ships that surrounded the _Fool’s Gam8it_.  She put her elbows on the armrests of her chair and tented her fingers in front of her face.  And now we wait.  Again.  “Comm, put me through to Jade Base.”  
  
    “Yes, Captain.”  
  
    The screen split the tactical view over to one side while the other was filled with the face of a rather tired orangeblood.  “Hello, Captain.  We copied that transmission here as well.”  
  
    “Good.  Is Porrim in yet?”  
  
    “No, ma’am.  The sun’s just setting here so she and her crew should be in any minute to relieve us.”  
  
    “All right.  Have her call me when she gets in.  Blue leader out.”  
  
    Aurana took a seat beside the oliveblood and looked around at the quiet crew, save for Meulin weeping in the arms of her moirail in the corner.  “So what happened?”  
  
    “We heard from the Captain.  She did something up there that may have saved our asses but it might have cost her hers.”  
  
    “How so?”  
  
    “Let’s just say that she doesn’t expect to be herself for awhile.  Condy learned a few new tricks from her and it doesn’t sound like she’d be limited by blood colour the way the Captain is.”  
  
    “Oh dear.”  
  
    “Yeah.”  
  
    Aurana placed a hand on Felida’s shoulder.  “She’s as crafty as they come.  If anyone can find a way out of a sticky situation, it’s her.  How many times have we seen it happen?”  
  
    “Plenty,” Felida answered, “but she’s never had to face someone who has her own abilities before.  And the Condesce sounded pretty pissed off, too.”  
  
    “Hey, all we can do is believe in her.  She’s never steered us wrong before.”  
  
    “True enough.”  
  
    “Captain,” said the comm officer, “Jade Base is calling.”  
  
    Felida grabbed the arms of the chair and took a breath.  “Put her through.”  
  
    Porrim’s face appeared on the screen but the picture became fuzzy and distorted before she could speak.  
  
    “Comm,” Felida asked, “what the hell is going on?”  
  
    Before the officer could respond, the screen filled with a fuchsia symbol on a black background that all of them recognized far too well.  
  
    “Oh shit,” Felida murmured.  
  
    “Good evening Alternia!” the Condesce’s cheerful voice boomed over the speakers as her grinning face appeared on the screen.  “Or good morning or whatever it is wherever you may happen to be.  I’ll make sure to turn this up nice and loud for whoever is still just crawling out of the ‘coon.  Tonight is a wonderful night!  Not only have I come home for a long overdue visit but I have something very special to share with you!  Let’s just say I’m about to make some history and you all get to be a part of it.  I have someone special I’d like you to meet.”  
  
    The camera pulled back to reveal a slim blueblooded woman, standing ramrod straight, to the Condesce’s left.  “Some of you may know this lovely lady as Marquise Spinneret Mindfang but she pupated as Aranea Serket.  She also has two other titles; the first is brand new: Viceroy of Alternia.  She will be in charge of the planet when I’m away and she serves as my left hand while I’m here.  She answers to me and ONLY me and outranks abshoalutely everyone else.  Her other title is far more personal: she is also my consort and matesprit.   Let’s say ‘shello’ to the people, Aranea!”  She leaned in to kiss the woman and the kiss was returned.  
  
    Felida forced the contents of her stomach back down her protein chute despite the awful burning sensation that came with it.    
  
    “Now, we have a bit of a situation occurring as I speak that’s taking place in the southern ocean.  A small band of rebels, taking orders from a few responsible for another significant uprising about fifty and change sweeps ago, has made threats against something very important to me.  Their pitiful little fleet is now completely surrounded by the Imperial Navy.  When she was Mindfang, Aranea here was in charge of that fleet but now she stands beside me READY TO PUT AN END TO THIS FUCKING STUPIDITY!  I THOUGHT YOU CHUMSPEWING IMBESHELLS GOT THE HINT BACK THEN BUT EVIDENTLY YOU NEED TO HEAR THE MESSAGE AGAIN!  This time I’m going to make DAMN certain that it’s heard LOUD AND FUCKING CLEAR!  ANY AND ALL ACTS OF REBELLION WILL END IN FAILURE AND DEATH!  And further to that point, I’m going to let Viceroy Serket make her first official order.  Take it away, love!”  
  
    Aranea Serket took one step forward, her face completely devoid of emotion.  “Fleet Admiral Syhale, you have my permission to destroy the Gamblignant fleet.  Leave no ship intact.”  
  
    “That’s my girl!”  The Condesce gave her companion another kiss on the lips.  “Once this problem is taken care of, you’ll all be sure to hear a lot more from Viceroy Serket in the near future.  Until then, SMARTEN THE FUCK UP OR DIE!”  
  
    With a quick burst of static, the screen on the bridge of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ resolved back into the face of Porrim Maryam, her mouth hanging open and tracks of jade tears across her cheeks.  
  
  
  
  
    “PERMISSION?” Syhale thundered, “That foul excuse for a lifeform DARES to give ME permission?”  
  
    “And I will not be taking orders from a blueblood,” snarled the Grand Highblood beside him, “no matter who tells me to.”  
  
    The viewscreen on the bridgeblock of the _Victorious Butcher_ winked back to life again only seconds after the Condesce ended her previous transmission.  “IS THAT SO?” she bellowed, making both men step back.  “You WILL do whatever the fuck she says because I’m the one making her say it!  Understood?”  
  
    “Making her?” Syhale asked.  “How?”  
  
    “None of your bloody business!  Let’s just say I’ve learned a new skill or two.  You better get used to taking orders from her as well; I meant what I said: she’ll be running the show here from now on.”  
  
    “And what of me, Your Highness?” Kurloz asked.  “I am the Grand Highblood.”  
  
    The Condesce turned her attention to the Subjuggalator commander.  “You and I will still be in contact.  Just be prepared that sometimes you’ll hear my voice coming from her.  Treat it no differently.  Threaten her at your peril.  Harm her and your life will be forfeit.  That goes for you, too, Syhale.”  
  
    “And how am I supposed to maintain any shred of dignity taking orders from someone below me?”  
  
    “Malwil, I thought you’d be ecstatic about this.  She has been removed from the Gamblignant equation.  She just told you to blow her own fleet off the fucking map!  There’s absolutely nothing to hold you back now!  Turn the lot of them to flotsam!  Show me what you’re capable of!”  
  
    “And what of my prisoner?” asked Makara.    
  
    “I couldn’t give two glubbing fucks if you tossed her cage overboard with her still in it.  Do with her as you will.”  
  
    “But I want her matesprit’s blood to add to my walls!  She needs to motherfucking suffer for her insult!”  
  
    The Condesce made a groan of exasperation.  “Then go get her!  Just try not to get yourself blown to pieces by the shelling from the Navy ships!”  
  
    “I can’t promise your safety if you step in front of my guns,” Syhale said with a smirk.  
  
    “Look, why don’t you just use _Victorious Butcher_ to penetrate their perimeter, get the lousy beach and then blast Mindfang’s flagship to pieces at pointblank range?  It’s not thinkpan surgery, Syhale,” chided the Condesce.  “If you don’t, you’ll never hear the end of it from Makara, I’m sure.”  
  
    The Grand Highblood leered at the Admiral just to prove the point.  
  
    “Ugh.  Fine.  We’ll engage the perimeter ships immediately and move in on her flagship.  And, while we’re at it, maybe we’ll figure out what it is they’re doing to your lusus.”  
  
    “See that you do.  That needs to be your highest priority.  I can’t keep up what I’m doing for very long without drawing on her power.  My ship carries reserves of her eldritch energies but I don’t want to use it all up so quickly.  I’m going to try and… pick Aranea’s thinkpan about what she did to Gl’bgolyb; I’ll pass you any information I come up with.  Now get going!  You have a fucking rebellion to put down!  Remind me why I chose you for Fleet Admiral!”  
  
    “Yes, Your Highness!”  For the first time in a very long time, Admiral Syhale felt an excitement rushing through him, born of the twin desires for combat and vengeance.    
“I will have my revenge,” growled Makara.  “There will be blood on my hands and on my walls.”  
  
    “Then don’t fuck this up and you’ll have it!” the Condesce answered.  “Now, my matesprit and I need to have a little pusher-to-pusher talk.  I leave this operation in both of your capable hands.”  
  
    As her face disappeared from his screen to be replaced by the tactical display, Syhale smiled.  “Comm, open a channel to the fleet.”  
  
    “Yes, sir!”  
  
    “Attention all ships:  surround their perimeter vessels and focus your fire on their cruisers.  Once they’re disabled, this flagship will make for theirs and engage them at close quarters.  Once we have what we seek, we can destroy whatever remains.  This will be the greatest battle the Imperial Navy has been involved in since the Rout at Noctnom!  It was this very _Victorious Butcher_ that led the charge against a Gamblignant fleet then, so it is fitting it leads the charge tonight.  To victory!”  
  
    The bridgeblock crew echoed his cheer and set their course and targets.  The Grand Highblood simply lowered his head and began to contemplate how best to take his pound of flesh from the woman who dared to violate his inner sanctum and his treasured memorial.  His hand gripped one of his clubs and he shot a look over to one of his Subjuggalators who answered with the slightest of nods.   _And the best way to take it is my way…_  
  
  
  
  
    “Oh gods PORRIM!” Felida yelled as she leapt from her seat.  “Oh shit oh shit you don’t know yet!”  
  
    “Kn-know what?” Porrim stammered, “That I’ve been b-betrayed?”  
  
    “No no no no no, trust me, it’s not like that!”  
  
    “Then what is it like?”  The jadeblood shook visibly on the screen.  “Because this sure looks like my worst fear come true!  I… I think I’m going to be sick…”  
  
    Meulin ran to Felida’s side.  “No, Porrim, she’s right!  We have proof!”  
  
    Felida looked at Meulin and then realized what she was talking about: she pulled the Handroid from her pocket again.  “Listen to this, okay?  This is our conversation from about five minutes before all this shit went down.”  She tossed the Handroid to the Comm station, who inserted it into the console and played it all back for Porrim to hear.  
  
    They watched Porrim’s shoulders begin to relax as she heard Aranea’s voice describing the situation, witnessed her shock to hear that Mituna was still alive, saw her hands move to cover her face as she heard Aranea’s final message confirm her love for her true matesprit.    
  
    “What… what can I do?” Porrim asked once she found enough strength to speak again.  
  
    “I don’t know,” Felida answered, “but I have a feeling we’re about to face their fleet here in a hurry.  I’m gonna need your…”  
  
    “NO.”  
  
    Felida wasn’t sure how to respond.  “No?  No what?”  
  
    “No.  I’m going to go get her.  I’m going to bring her home.”  
  
    “Uh… waitaminute, Jadebutt, are you out of your fucking cave?  How the hell do you think you’re going to accom-”  
  
    Felida’s sentence was drowned out by the sound of an explosion in close proximity to the _Fool’s Gam8it_.    
  
    “Are you all right?” Porrim asked, hoping the connection was still viable.  
  
    “Here they come!  BATTLESTATIONS!”  A pause and then Felida added, “Listen, I need to send you something, okay?  This is the file she was talking about; I gather it came from that Mituna dude so it’s legit.  I haven’t had a chance to see it but she said it was important.  Send it to Kaiyuh as a backup, too, okay?”  
  
    “I will.  From what I can see here, they’re focusing their attacks on two or three of your perimeter ships.”  
  
    “Which means they’re coming for us.”  Felida scanned the rest of her viewscreen and bit her lip.  “Porrim, listen to me.  I don’t know what you think you’re gonna do but you need to really think about this.”  
  
    “What’s to think about?  She’d do the same for me.  She already has once.”  
  
    “Dammit, do I have to spell it out to you?  I don’t want to risk losing you, too!”  
  
    Porrim closed her eyes and took a breath.  “You won’t lose me.  I’m coming back and she’ll be with me.”  
  
    Felida made to reply but another loud thud cut her off.  “Target their bridgeblocks and hit ‘em with both the energy and projectiles!  We have to cut them off before they get too close!  Aurana, get a team ready to repel a boarding party.”  She returned her attention to the main viewscreen.  “And how am I supposed to get tactical updates from you if you’re not there?”  
  
    “I’m not the only one here.  I trust these people to take good care of it.  Felida, you’d do the same for her if you could and you know it.   I’ll do it for both of us.”  
This rendered Felida silent for a moment.  “Fine.  Just… make sure you come back, okay?”  
  
    “I will,” Porrim answered.  “Make sure you’re still here when we do.”  
  
    “I’ll do my damnedest.  Just hurry, okay?  I may have to turn our hole cards face up sooner than I hoped!”  
  
    “Understood.  Good luck!”  
  
    “You too.”  Felida closed the channel and drew a deep breath.  “How many of them are moving in on our perimeter?” she asked Meulin, who was manning one of the consoles.  
  
    The other oliveblood cringed as she studied the readout.  “To borrow a phrase, all of them.”  
  
    “That’s what I thought.  Comm, inform the colour groups to draw as close to the Navy ships as they can and break cover with a-”   
  
    Another loud bang and this time all of the lights and screens on the _Fool’s Gam8it_ ’s bridgeblock went out.  Felida went to stand but couldn’t.  “FUCK!  EMP!”  
  
    “All communication is down,” Meulin reported.  “Nothing’s working!”  
  
    “It must be a localized one,” Horuss said, “They wouldn’t want to risk their own equipment, would they?”  
  
    “They’ve likely broken through our perimeter, then.”  Felida could hear the tiny servos gearing up as her own body’s energy began to kickstart her cybernetics.  “If they’re looking to board, they won’t care about the EMP’s effects unless they want to bring pulse rifles to a sword fight.  How long until we can reboot?”  
  
    “The backup batteries are already be emptying their charge.  Basic systems should be online in less than five minutes,” Horuss answered.  
  
    “Well, then.  Here’s where the Captain’s talents would have come in awfully fucking handy.  Guess I’ll have to improvise.  Horuss, would you carry me to the doorway?”  
  
    “Er… certainly!”  The hulking indigoblood lifted her from her seat as though her metallic limbs weighed next to nothing and took her to the bridgeblock door.  “Here you are!”  
  
    “Thanks.  Sorry about your spongeclots, by the way.”  
  
    “Um… why?”  
  
    “LISTEN UP, SHITBRICKS!  I NEED SOMEONE TO MAN THE PROJECTILE CANNONS RIGHT FUCKING NOW!” Felida bellowed.  “SYHALE’S COMING AND I WANT TO PUT AS MANY HOLES IN HIS BOATS AS POSSIBLE BEFORE HE GETS HERE!  LET’S MOVE IT, PEOPLE!”  She watched a few of the crew scurry below deck to carry out her order and then said, “Thanks, buddy!  You can put me back now.”  
  
    “Sure thing,” he replied through gritted teeth.  “Are you certain I didn’t enhance your vocal capabilities at some point?”  
  
    “Nope!  I’m just a very capable yeller.  I can be pretty loud when I want to be; just ask… Porrim…”  Her joke rang hollow in her own ears as she thought about what her kismesis was thinking of doing.   _I have no idea how she plans to do it but all I can do is trust her like I did Aranea… and hope for a way better outcome this time._  Once he placed her back in her seat, Felida tried to operate her knee and was pleased to see her leg move forward a bit.  “This can’t start working again quickly enough.  I’d hate to have to ride around on your back for the entire battle.”  
  
    A strange smile appeared on Zahhak’s features.  “What if I put on a saddle first?”  
  
    “Never mind.  Just… forget I said that.  Go make sure the reboot is going smoothly, okay?”  
  
    “Yes, Feli… er, Captain!”  
  
    _Don’t feel bad, Horuss_ , Felida thought to herself, _I’m still getting used to being The Captain now, too._ “Ok, everyone,” she said as she looked around at the bridgeblock crew, “if you don’t already have a sword in your belt, I strongly suggest you remedy that right fucking now…”  
  
  
  
  
    “If you’ll pardon my curiousity,” said Alyssm Waleti from her station in front of the viewscreen, “how to you actually intend to rescue Mindfang from the Condesce’s ship?”  
Porrim blinked a couple of times and thought about what to say.  “Well, we do have a hovership or two that could reach orbit, right?”  
  
    “We do.  However, last time I checked, piloting one wasn’t a skill that you possessed.”  
  
    Her shoulders slumped forward as her face confirmed Alyssm’s statement.  “Admittedly, no.  I was going to inquire if anyone here had that ability and would volunteer to join me.  All they have to do is get me there and I can figure out the rest.”  
“This kind of rashness isn’t your standard approach to problems,” Waleti said, placing a hand on Porrim’s tight shoulder.  “Allow us to help you come up with a more feasible method.  To start, I’m quite willing to pilot the ship.  Not only that but perhaps I can come up with a way to not only get you there, but get you and the Marquise home safely.  I do happen to have a fair bit of experience in dealing with Imperial security systems.”  
  
    “You’d be willing to do that?”  
  
    “Of course.  As much as Mindfang likes to joke about it, I do feel like I owe her a debt.  As much as there’s nothing I’d enjoy more than to meet Syhale face-to-face again, when she asked me to stay behind and assist you, I didn’t hesitate for a moment.  I don’t think she’d argue that my assisting you would also consist of aiding you in her rescue.”  
  
    Porrim smiled despite her mood.  “No, I suppose she wouldn’t.  The problem is that we have a skeleton crew here as it is, not to mention that some here are going to have to pull double-duty.  Can we come up with something between the two of-”  
  
    She was interrupted by a tug at her elbow.  Porrim looked to her right to see Squish standing beside her, a hopeful smile on his face.  “I didn’t want to speak for you,” she said, taking the diminutive redblood’s hand.  “Are you certain you’re up for this?  This is going to be incredibly risky.”  
  
    Squish’s reply was to pull a knife from somewhere so fast that Porrim couldn’t tell precisely where it came from; he grinned and nodded vigourously.  “That’s three, then.  Do you think that will be enough?” she asked Waleti.  
  
    “It will have to be; that leaves only a handful of people to man the island.  While I don’t suspect our base is in any danger, we need to provide status updates for the fleet.”  
  
    “Speaking of which,” the other crewman who had joined them at the start of their shift interjected, “it looks like the Navy has breached the perimeter and is heading for the Blue Squadron flagship.”  
  
    “Why isn’t Felida ordering the cloaked ships to engage?”  Porrim reached over to the communications panel.  “Gold Leader, this is Jade Base.”  
  
    A few seconds later, Niedys Bycros appeared.  “Go ahead, Jade Base.  We were hoping for an update.”  
  
    “So was I.  Have you heard from Blue Leader?”  
  
    “No, and after that white spark over Blue Squadron’s location, I don’t know if we will or not.”  
  
    _White spark?  Oh… oh, no._  “They used an EMP weapon?”  
  
    “Looks that way.  Short range and low power; our screens flickered but it wasn’t enough to drop our cloak.  Their radios must be down; what should we do?”  
  
    Porrim ran the situation through her head.   _If I send them in, Felida might get upset that I sent them too soon, but if I don’t and she can’t call for them, they’re dead in the water for a few minutes at least. Think, Porrim… no, don’t just think – act!_  “Then I’ll give the order: call the other ships and tell them to move closer to the Navy fleet.  Keep the cloak up as long as possible and then drop it right before you attack.  Take out as many of their capital ships first.  I don’t think we have the manpower to commandeer any of them but you guys know what you’re doing.  Mindfang’s order was-”  
  
    “Mindfang’s last order was for the Navy to destroy us,” Bycros said, unsure of what to make of that.  
  
    “She’s under the Condesce’s control somehow.  I have proof of that.  Do you trust me?”  
  
    Niedys eyed her up.  “I’ve known you about as long as I’ve known her and you’ve never given me any reason not to believe you.  All right, what were you saying?”  
  
    “That Mindfang’s order that we received was to destroy as much of their fleet as possible and to protect the sub.  Condy’s lusus is our primary asset and we have to keep it under our control no matter what.”  
  
    “Understood.  I’ll pass it on… but why aren’t you doing so?”  
  
    Porrim exhaled sharply.  “Because I’m going to bring her back home.  She called for help and I’m going to help her.  Speaking of which, go help Felida, okay?”  
  
    Niedys nodded solemnly.  “Got it.  Good luck to us all.”    
  
    As his face disappeared from the viewer, Porrim keyed in one more code.  “Rogue Leader, this is Jade Base.”  
  
    “Hi, Porrim!”  Kaiyuh Umbras greeted her on the screen in virtually no time.  
  
    _She looks surprisingly… awake!_  “Hello there.  Felida sent me something I need to send to you.  She hoped you could put it to use if need be?”  
  
    “Ooh, sounds exciting!  What is it?”  
  
    “I don’t know yet; I haven’t looked.  Let me upload it.”  Porrim called up the file and put it on the screen before sending it to the sub.  “Is this what I think it is?”  
  
    “The control codes of every ship in the fleet,” Waleti answered from behind her.  “Including codes used by ships that aren’t in the water.”  
  
    Porrim took a moment to realize the implications of this.  “You mean…”  
  
    “Getting on board the Condesce’s starship just became decidedly easier.  I suspect these weren’t included by accident.”  
  
    “No, I suspect not.”  Porrim fought hard to keep her emotions under control and barely succeeded.   _Thank you, Mituna.  You came through yet again._  
  
    “We have the file,” Kaiyuh said as she checked the data stream.  “I’ve heard Captain Bycros is getting the fleet on the move.  Where are you going?”  
  
    Porrim looked up and hoped the wetness in the corner of her eye wouldn’t spill over and run down her cheek.  “To get the Captain.  We’re bringing her back where she belongs: with us.” 


	62. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 61

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea makes one more appeal to Meenah to see the benefits of a new system of Alternian rule. Porrim and her party make their way aboard and find that the security on the Condesce's flagship may not be easily fooled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters from here on in seem to be pretty long, basically twenty pages each (can't seem to go much more than that without deviantArt not allowing me to post them) so expect plenty of bang for your... well, I'd say buck but you're not paying for this story, are you? Nor will you; I'm still enjoying writing this, especially as the end draws near. Hang on tiiiiiiiight...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE - JUST A HEADS UP FOR A BIT OF NON-CONSENSUAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY IN THIS CHAPTER**  
  
 **61.**  
  
    “There!  Now that your shorey band of Gamblignants is about to become target practice for the Navy, we can set abOOOF!”  
  
    Aranea Serket shook violently after sending the ruler of her planet to the deck of her own starship with a left hook.  “THIS!!!!!!!!  THIS is why I left, Meenah!  How DARE you do that to me?”  
  
    The Condesce rolled over on to her hip and put her fingers to her lips; they came back streaked with fuchsia blood again.  “Heh.  Twice in two nights.  I’d rather not make this a habit, Aranea.  What did I tell you about muddled quadrants?”  
  
    “NO!  I am NOT your matesprit!” she screamed back.  “Do you know how many people are going to lose their lives because of this?  How could we possibly be matesprits when you violated me like that?”  
  
    Meenah’s response was laughter, quiet at first but it soon echoed into a much louder sound that made Aranea wish she had _Spider8ite_ in her hand.  “You of all people would ask ME that?  It’s finny, really, how the person who made a career – no, a lifestyle – out of mentally manipulating people is the one who wails the loudest when someone gives her a taste of her own medicine.”  
  
    “I…”  The words never did anything like that dissipated before they left Aranea’s mouth.  
  
    “Yes, you, Serket, have a history of bending people to your will.  You were mantastic at it.  What amazed me even more was that you couldn’t do it to those above you on the hemospectrum and yet you excelled in owning highbloods just as easily.  But now you’ve hit the limit… literally.”  The Condesce was back on her feet in one fluid motion and she checked her bloody lip again.  “If you were anyone else – ANYONE – I would have skinned you and worn you like a swimsuit.  And if you think I’m bluffing, ask him!”  She stabbed a finger in Mituna’s direction.  
  
5H35 N07 K1DD1NG 5H35 D0N3 17 B3F0R3 17 W45 FUCK1NG GR055   
  
    “It doesn’t matter!” Aranea raged.  “Everything I worked so hard to build up over the last centuries is gone!  My fleet, my reputation, my matesprit…”  The horror at what Porrim must have thought at that transmission she felt like a punch to the gut that never pulled back but kept forcing itself deeper into her core.    
  
    “Good!  Don’t you get it yet?  I did you a favour!”  
  
    It took everything Aranea had not to lash out with her fists a second time.  “A favour?  How can you even consider calling that a favour?”  
  
    “I’m helping you cut the ties with your old life!” Meenah shouted back.  “Sure it might hurt right now but when you look back on it you’ll understand that I helped you break out of who you were and gave you the chance to be something far betta!  That’s twice now!  You’d think you’d be a shelluva lot more grateful.”  
  
    Aranea’s mouth moved but no words came out.  
  
    “But no.  You have to go and wreck my shit!  Well, guess what?  Everything you left behind is about to be erased once and for all.  You’ll have no reason to even want to go back by the time the Navy gets through with your little band of leeches.  Besides, I’ll need you to organize a new fleet of Gamblignants to give the Navy something to do.  Don’t make them too difficult to contend with, though; considering how many losses you’ve handed them as of late, letting them win a few would certainly give them a boost and I’m planning to start drawing starship crews from the best of them.”  
  
   “You’re sending Syhale and his buddies out to kill my friends and allies and you’re standing here telling me to round up new Official Gamblignants to replace them?  Have you no sense of what you’re doing to me?  I’ve always known you to have a savage insensitivity but how could you possibly expect me to be on board with this while my very fleet is fighting for their lives?”  
  
    “You know,” Meenah answered, “you could have done this a lot differently.  All you had to do was say ‘Yes, I’m your matesprit’ and none of this would have would have been necessary.  I gave you a chance to do the right thing and you chose not to do it.  So, if you were standing in my magnifishcent shoes, what would you have done?”  Before Aranea could respond, she continued, “I’ll tell you exactly what you would have done: you would have used your abilities to turn the tide in your favour.  WELL, GUESS WHAT?  BEAT YOU TO IT!  NOW DEAL WITH THE FUCKING CONCHSEQUENCES!”  
  
    Aranea seethed; her feelings of betrayal were replaced by those of a helplessness she’d never before experienced.   _At least Porrim will be safe on the island.  Felida should have a fighting chance of surviving their attack if she uses the…_  She stopped herself from letting that thought finish just in case it was intercepted.    
  
    “Awww… you don’t like it, do you?”  The Condesce drew up beside her and crossed her arms as she made a mock pout.  “I bet nobody liked it when you did it to them… except maybe that traitorous jadeblood.  You know what?  Maybe if I send someone out to capture her – and believe me, I can do that – both you and I can ‘convince’ her to do all kinds of fun things!  Can you imagine what a pail full of fuchsia and jade would look like with a streak of cerulean?”  
  
    “Far too well,” Aranea growled, refusing to look at the tall woman standing behind her.  
  
    Meenah leaned in beside Aranea’s sponge clot and whispered, “And when we’re done, maybe we could ‘convince’ her to cut her own fucking throat wi-”  
  
    Aranea whirled and made to strike the Condesce with her left fist but Meenah sidestepped it and dropped her to the deck with an open hand to the face.  After landing the blow, she gave her hand a bit of a shake and said, “Holy ship, this IS starting to look a little ebon, isn’t it?”  
  
    Aranea tried to shake off the blow and scrambled to her feet.  “If you so much as even think of laying a hand on Porrim, I’ll…”  
  
    “You’ll do nothing but stand there and watch!  Or maybe you’ll be the one to gut her!  I can do whatever I want with you now.  Kind of exciting, really!”  
  
    _Is she telling the truth, Mituna?_ Aranea thought to the helmsman.  
  
F4R 45 1 C4N 73LL Y35 BU7 L1K3 1 S41D 5H35 DR4W1NG 0N 3LDR17CH R353RV35 R1GH7 N0W UN71L GLBG0LYB 4W4K35 5H3 C4N7 R3CH4RG3 TH3M BU7 1 C4N7 73LL Y0U H0W MUCH SH3 H45 0N H4ND 70 574R7 N07 3X4C7LY 4 QU4N71F14BL3 7H1NG 7H3R35 N0 D14L 0R R34D0U7 H3R3 7H47 54Y5 C0NDY5 N457Y P0W3R M3T3R  
  
    _Okay, I got it; no need to beat the point to death._  
  
1M 50RRY  
  
    _Don`t be; you`ve been more help than I could have ever hoped for.  Now I just need to find a way to bring her down or I’ll die trying._  Aranea returned her attention to the lecherous grin of the Empress.  “Is that what you think?  You would really do that to someone you love?”  
  
    “You did.  Repeatedly, I gather.  How do you even know if that jadeblood even really loves you?  Did you mess with her emotions enough times that she finally came to believe it?  Or did you just keep a constant empathic leash around her neck to make her yours?”  
  
    “Neither,” Aranea replied as coolly as she could.  “She made me understand what love freely given was all about.  It’s not control or domination or fear; it’s a sharing of who you are and what you believe.  She loves this world and everyone on it; she’s completely bloodcolourblind.”  
  
    Meenah put a hand to her chin.  “Hm.  Conchsidering she would handle pretty much every blood colour of grub there is while working in the Caves, that kind of makes sense.  I suppose I should be happy that there are maybe a small handful of their type out there… but then again, maybe it would be best to eliminate them altogether like the limebloods and simply let the drones take over the grubtending duties.  If that lousy lusus squeezed a jadeblood out in a fit of optimism, I’m sure the drones would be able to cull it before it got into the caves for a Trial.”     
  
    Aranea was all but speechless.  “Does your depravity know any bounds whatsoever?   You’re talking about a complete hemocide!”  
  
    “Oh hardly.”  The Condesce dismissed this comment with a brusque wave of her hand.  “It’s only like ten or twenty trolls, tops.  Although that number might be towards the smaller side after that idiotic stunt Syhale pulled with Makara’s Subjuggalators not too long ago.  The funniest part was how those two actually thought they could keep that failed operchation from my knowledge.  Nothing escapes me, Aranea.  NOTHING AT ALL.  The sooner you get that pounded into your thinkpan, the better.”  
  
    “Is that so?  Then do explain to me how we were able to shut your lusus down?”  The look this created on Meenah’s face gave Aranea a feeling that she might come to regret saying this without thinking but at this point, she no longer cared.    
  
    The Condesce’s eyes narrowed.  “That’s a very good question.  Let’s find out.”  
  
    _Oh shit… she’s probing me!_  
  
H4NG 0N 1LL 7RY 70 MUDDL3 WH47 5H3 C0M35 UP W17H 5H3 D035N7 QU173 KN0W H0W 70 7URN 3M0710N5 1N70 C0H3S1V3 7H0GH7 L1K3 Y0U C4N   
  
    Aranea returned Meenah’s gaze and did her best to shield herself against the unwelcome presence in her mind.   _No you don’t!  In this matter I’m the master!_  
  
    The answer that came bore no words but the raw emotions of defiance and arrogance poured in.    
  
    A few moments later, the Condesce shut her eyes and snarled.  “Fuck!  All right then, I just need a little practice.  But just because I can’t read your mind doesn’t mean I can’t change it for you.”  
  
    The unwelcome mental tendrils entered her thinkpan again.   _Mituna?_  
  
1F 1 C0ULD H4V3 570PP3D H3R B3F0R3 1 W0ULD H4V3 17 D035N7 R3QU1R3 F1N3553 5H3 JU57 U535 BRU73 F0RC3 70 0V3RWH3LM D3F3NC35  
  
    _That’s how I used to do it.  All I can do is try to resist…_  
  
    Aranea’s knees shook as she tried to push the Condesce away mentally but the pushback aided by unspeakable black energy was too much for her to defend against.  She watched through her own eyes as her hands grasped the edges of her jacket seemingly of their own accord and began to pull it off.   _I don’t want to… and yet she’s making me want to.  So peculiarrrrrrrr…_  
  
    Meenah smirked triumphantly as she watched Aranea strip away the clothing and effects of Mindfang until she stood bare as her pupation night.  “See, Aranea?  I’m in charge here.  It’s that simple.  The sooner you learn this, the better for all of us.  Now come here.”  
  
    There was the barest hesitation before Aranea put one foot ahead of the other and began marching over to the fuchsiablood, her face a blank slate free of expression.  No verbal command was given but Aranea did as she was bid emotionally and placed her hands around the stretchy collar of the Condesce’s wetsuit.  Her movements were somewhat jerky and uneven as she started to tug on the tight black garment but in time she was able to begin rolling it down Meenah’s taut body, over the swell of her breasts and the curve of her hips until it reached her shoes.  Meenah stepped out of both the shoes and the slack outfit and then turned to face Mituna as she guided Aranea to kneel in front of her while she stood with her legs slightly apart and her hands on her hips.  “You know, Tuna, your powers are a lot of fun but this is something else!”  
  
M33N4H 1 W4N7 Y0U 70 L00K 47 M3  
  
    “I already am, you silly man!  In fact, I REELY want you to watch this.”  
  
N0 1 R34LLY W4N7 Y0U 70 L00K 47 M3 1 N33D 70 73LL Y0U 50M37H1NG  
  
    Meenah shivered ever so slightly as she felt Aranea’s lips plant a kiss on the soft scales covering the front of her bare seedflap and again as the blueblood’s moist tongue swept gently through the space between.  “I’m all fins, Tuna,” she sighed, looking up at his flickering blue and red eyes. “Lay it on me.”  
  
7H15 15 7H3 M057 D3PR4V3D 7H1NG 1 H4V3 3V3R 533N 3V3N BY Y0UR L0F7Y 574ND4RD5  
  
    “Is that so?  Mmm… yeah…”  Meenah bent her knees slightly and adjusted Aranea’s head to compensate.  “Well, stick with me, chum, and you’ll see plenty more!”  
  
1M JU57 GL4D 1 M1GH7 0NLY H4V3 4N07H3R 73N 0R 7W3N7Y 5W33P5 70 L1V3 7H3N  
  
    At this, Meenah broke into a wide grin that Mituna originally attributed to her enjoying Aranea’s empathically induced ministrations but it quickly developed into a laugh that gave him a chill.  “You know, Tuna, I was gonna wait another decade or so to tell you this, but you ain’t going anywhere anytime soon.”  
  
UH WH47 D0 Y0U M34N BY 7H47  
  
    “I mean… ooooh, that’s it… circles around the nub, now… get your fingers to hold those open so you can get at… FUCK yes!”  Meenah took a few shallow breaths and then continued, “Anyway, what I was saying is that I’m capable of a lot more than you’ve seen.  I’ve got a long life ahead of me and it’s one I can share with whoever I want!”  She stopped to shift around again and put her hands around Aranea’s horns to guide her actions.  “I’m definitely keeping this beach alive if she keeps doing this and stops pouting about wayward jadebloods!  As for you, you’ve been with me quite a while and you’ve done such a good job, I’m going to keep you around… PERCHMANENTLY.  Just think, you and me together forever… except when I’m visiting my lovely matesprit here, of course.  Or sometimes even during those visits – like right now!”  
  
    When there was no immediate psionic reply from him, the emotional one she could now detect spoke of a sensation like a punch to the stomach.    
  
    “Nothing to say, my Tuna?  I thought you’d be overjoyed!”  
  
PL3453 L34V3 M3 4L0N3  
  
    “Really?  No need to be so pouty, too.  It’s like a fucking epidemic around here or somefin!  Maybe this will cheer you up!”  Meenah sent a mental command to Aranea to pause what she was doing and then rolled up her wetsuit into a makeshift pillow that she placed on the floor before laying down with her head on it.  “C’mere, Aranea, let’s give Tuna a show to cheer him up!  Why should he have to watch it on camera when he can see it live?”  
  
    Aranea wordlessly kneeled down in front of Meenah’s engorged seedflap and leaned forward to continue doing what she was being compelled to do.    
  
    Meenah gasped happily as she felt Aranea’s tongue penetrate her and then return to tracing slow figure-eights between her seedflap and her nook.  “Spread your knees a little further apart, girl; stick your bass in the air and give Tuna a good look at your blue bits!”  
  
    Without slowing or stopping what she was doing, Aranea lifted her backside up and opened her knees to expose herself to him completely.  Deep inside, the part of her that was still operating consciously thought _Porrim… if you can hear me… I’m so sorry, dear heart.  You were right.  You were riiiiiiiight…_  
  
  
  
  
    “You were right, Porrim,” Alyssm said as she accepted the clearance to dock with the Battleship Condescension on her console, “They had no need to change any of the codes as they see no possible threat to this flagship from anyone.”  
  
    “I’m just glad they worked,” Porrim replied from the right seat of the hovership.   _This is supposed to be the co-pilot’s seat but I’m really just a passenger here.  I bet even Squish could fly this thing better than I could.  I glad Alyssm is here and willing to help; I have no idea how I would even have a shot at this without her assistance.  And we wouldn’t be here at all without Mituna.  All of these gifted people and here I am, feeling like I’m tagging along on my own rescue mission.  I’m best at healing others but that means people have to get hurt in the first place.  Some skill set…  
  
    Wait… no.  None of that._  Porrim clenched her fists and inhaled deeply.   _If there’s one thing Aranea taught me, it’s to believe in myself.  I can make my own luck._  She looked ahead out the viewscreen window at the massive red starship that filled the view and found her sudden burst of self-affirmation take a step in retreat.   _Then again, no matter how loudly one rages back at the corioltempest, it will not be deterred.  And we did find ourselves in a couple of those… I swore I would never take to the seas again after each one and yet, I did._    
  
    “Are you all right?” Alyssm asked.  “I know this is going to be difficult for you but there is no going back now.”  
  
    “I know.  I’m just… steeling myself for what’s to come.”  And I won’t get to have my steel at my side.  I have to leave my _Sufferer_ behind and walk in there defenceless.  Besides, this outfit has no loops for a belt or a sword.  She marveled at how lush the jade lines were among the black fabric in her Solemn Sister gown as well as how it still fit her nicely in some ways – and poorly in others.   _My curves are still where they always were but some parts of me are leaner and others more muscular.  If there was any more tangible proof of how I’ve changed in fifty sweeps as a Gamblignant, I wonder where I’d find it.  Only the intangible ways run deeper._    
  
    Waleti made a couple of quick course corrections and then transmitted a signal; a soft bump followed as the battleship’s tractor beam latched on to the hovership to guide them into the hangar.  “Understandable.  We’ve been locked on to; I suggest we set about preparations.”  The calm indigoblood rose from her seat and headed towards the rear of the ship where Squish Imdead sat quietly examining his knife.  “I see your preparations are already well underway.”  
  
    Squish looked in her general direction, his eyes mostly obscured by his hair as they often were, and gave her a grin as he twirled the knife and made it disappear so quickly she couldn’t follow it.    
  
    “You never cease to amaze me,” Alyssm said as she opened the storage locker to retrieve a pulse rifle.    
  
    “Or me, for that matter,” Porrim added, joining them.  “Listen, I was just thinking about something: I don’t suppose you have any room in… wherever you store your blades for another?”  
  
    He squinted and looked at Porrim quizzically.  She opened another of the storage lockers and withdrew the black and red _Sufferer_ she had tucked inside before they departed.  “Much to my chagrin, I have nowhere to keep this on me.  I don’t suppose you could find a place for it?”  
  
    As she offered him her sword on outstretched hands, Squish made to speak but couldn’t; his expression suggested he sought reassurance that this was acceptable.  
  
    “You can take it.  Please.  Put it to good use while I cannot.  Besides, the red rather matches your eyes.”  
  
    Squish smiled and gently lifted the slim blade from her palms.  A moment later, it was gone as though it was never there.  Porrim’s eyes widened while Waleti simply shook her head.  “I honestly have no idea how you do it and I’m quite afraid to ask.”  
  
    His only reply was his placid, knowing grin.  
  
    “As for you, Porrim, I fear the time has come to set our ruse.”  Alyssm extracted a set of metal restraints from the locker and opened them in anticipation of putting them around the jadeblood’s wrists.    
  
    Porrim did her level best to keep the turbulent emotions that tore through her from appearing on her face.   _Oh, Aranea… That I should endure one more test of trust in order to free you seems strangely apt and cruel at the same time._  She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and found her moirail reaching up to reassure her that this was the correct course of action; Porrim brought her hand up to his and gave it a soft squeeze.   _I can do this.  I will.  I MUST._  “I’m ready.”  She put her hands in front of her and watched as Alyssm tried her best to move the long gossamer fabric on the sleeves out of the way so that it wouldn’t be caught inside the restraints.  “Sorry… I’ve forgotten that this outfit can be a touch impractical.  I honestly wasn’t sure when I’d get to wear it again but I never suspected it would be here.”  
  
    “Have no worries at all.”  Alyssm closed the restraints without any further trouble.  “The good news is that you still enjoy wearing that garment.  I’m less than enthusiastic about wearing this one again, admittedly,” she said, gesturing to the navy uniform she had Porrim retrieve for her from Mindfang’s closet, “but then I suspect you feel the same way about your restraints.”  
  
    “Understatement of the perigee, that.  It still fits you at least?”  
  
    Waleti did a quick turn to show it off.  “Mindfang’s ‘Despri Tchibi’ alterations were quite minor.  I did however adjust the insignias on it to reflect a commander’s rank, a lower station than I previously held.  While I don’t suspect anyone on this ship will know who I am much less that I… left the service, in the event that someone recognizes me I can simply say that I was reinstated but punished with a demotion.  I suspect that would be more than enough for most crew encountered in the hallways, especially when I’m in the process of a prisoner transport.”  
  
    Porrim swallowed at the word ‘prisoner’ but knew this was all part of the plan.  “Right.  If anyone asks, you’re hauling me in to the Condesce herself.”  
  
    “That is the plan, yes.”  
  
    “Right… sorry, just thinking out loud.  That is a fully functional pulse rifle, right?”  
  
    Alyssm checked the power levels.  “It is.  Be assured I take your protection quite seriously.”    
  
    “Of that I have zero doubt.”  Another soft bump as the hovership was set down on the landing bay deck.  “Thank you again for doing this.  It wouldn’t have happened without your help.”  
  
    Alyssm nodded, the hint of a smile at the corners of her lips.  “I know what she means to you and to all of us.  I’ll do whatever it takes to get you both safely out of here.  And I know Squish does…” She looked over to where the redblood was standing a few moments before but he was nowhere to be seen.  “too…”  
  
    “Don’t be alarmed; that’s what he does best.  He’s probably already off the ship.”  
  
    Waleti’s raised eyebrows reflected her genuine surprise.  “Impressive.  You’re ready, then?”  
  
    “As I’ll ever be.”  Porrim drew herself up as tall as she could and raised her head in a show of quiet defiance.  “Take me to our leader.”  
  
    The normally taciturn Alyssm Waleti permitted herself a small chuckle.  “Mindfang always said you had a peculiar sense of humour.  I’m glad I got to see it for myself.”  
  
    “There’s plenty more where that came from if you can get us all home.  Ready?”  
  
    “Yes.”  She pressed a button and the doors of the hovership slid open.  Waiting at the bottom of the stairs was a slim purpleblood commodore clutching a datapad, flanked by a pair of blueblooded assistants, their pulse rifles trained directly at her head.   _Strangely, I expected more_ , Alyssm thought.  
  
    “Salu-fucking-tations!” greeted the purpleblooded officer, his angular face displaying a smile that shouldn’t have been physically possible by Porrim’s reckoning.  “Says here you’ve got some kind of big top motherfucker of a prisoner on board you’d like to deliver?”  
  
    “Affirmative, sir,” Waleti replied, her voice calm and practiced.  “I have orders to take her directly to Her Imperious Condescension myself.”  
  
    “Well, fuck me sideways.”  Once he ascertained the identity of said prisoner, a leering smirk appeared on his face.  “On whose orders?”  
  
    Without missing a beat, Alyssm answered, “Her Imperious Condescension’s, sir.”  
  
    The purpleblood eyed her up and down, taking in everything he could.  “Good answer, wicked sister.”  He gestured for the guards flanking him to give them space and once they’d moved, he stepped aside as well so that both women could exit the hovership unimpeded. “Feel free to take this legitimately wicked Sister where she’s supposed to go then.”  The commodore looked past the pair of them into the open door.  “You’re the only escort?” he asked.  
  
    “I am,” Waleti replied tersely.  “No more were necessary.”  
  
     “Is that so?”  He leered into Porrim’s face and while she was able to maintain her composure, she desperately hoped he’d withdraw as soon as possible.  “Well then, let me and my detail give you a motherfucking escort.  This is a big place; I’d hate to see you get lost, or worse, get overpowered by this murderous grub-loving bitch.”  
  
    Waleti made an indignant sound.  “With all due respect, sir, while I appreciate your offer, I’m certain I can complete my assignment on my own.”  
  
    “Oh, I’m certain you can, too, commander.”  The purpleblood spat the last word at her to remind her of her place and what he thought of her objection.  “But I must insist.  Follow us.”  His tone left no room for argument and so Waleti grabbed Porrim roughly by the arm and followed the commodore towards the doors leading out of the docking bay with the two bluebloods following behind.    
  
    _On the bright side, at least we’ll get to Condy – and hopefully Aranea – that much quicker now_ , Porrim thought to herself.  They entered a long hallway; multiple clear tubes criss-crossed it in every direction, some running off as far as the eye could see.  Porrim looked around in awe of it all.   _Is it just me or are those purple tubes along the walls pulsating?  Must be an illusion… right?_  
  
    The commodore led them to a spot where one of the clear tubes intersected the deck and pressed a button on a console in front of him.  A few moments later, a metal pod appeared in the tube and the clear section opened like a door allowing them access to the pod inside.  Once all five of them were aboard, he pressed a series of buttons on the display and waited for the doors to close.  For some reason they failed to as quickly as he expected because a few seconds later, he poked the display again and put a crack in it.  This time the doors closed and Porrim could feel her innards churn as the pod briefly shot up and then sped off laterally.   _This is way worse than any seasickness; I don’t suspect these guys are going to take it easy on me if I lose my loaf all over this pod.  The good news is that I’ve barely eaten since Aranea left._  She made a soft chuckling sound.   _Who knew lack of eating due to stress would come in handy?_  
  
    “What’s so funny, traitor?” came the sandpapery voice of the commodore from directly behind her right sponge clot.  “I haven’t even told a motherfucking joke yet.”  When Porrim didn’t reply, he reached over and pressed another button; the pod slowed to a stop.  
  
    “Why are we stopping, sir?” Waleti asked as coolly as she could.  
  
    “Well, I think I want to tell a little joke before we reach the Condesce’s throneblock.”  He fixed Alyssm with a stare and said, “It goes a little something like this: how many motherfucking traitorous jadebloods does it take to suck my bulge?”  When Waleti didn’t answer, he continued, “One, but it takes an indigoblood to lick my shame globes at the same time for me to get off.”    
  
    Waleti was about to speak on the unacceptability of this when she felt the muzzle of a pulse rifle bump up against her neck, reminding her of her first encounter with Mindfang in a sideways fashion.    
  
    “There was no record of your hovership scheduled to arrive or of a motherfucking prisoner transfer and I would know if a prisoner of this magnitude were being brought about this ship.  Now, if you mirthless bitches get to work without a whimper, I might just be of a mind to take you where you want to go without breaking any of your bonRRHAGHGHHAHG”  
  
    Porrim and Alyssm fell back involuntarily as the spray of purple blood covered their faces thanks to the sudden appearance of a black and red sword in the middle of the commodore’s mouth.  The blueblooded guards were knocked back with them; Waleti took the opportunity to fall on one and wrest away his pulse rifle.  The other had already pushed Porrim out of his way and had his weapon trained on her.  His mouth began to move to say something when the hilt of a long knife materialized between his eyes; he slumped to the floor on top of Porrim who did her best to squeeze out from under his twitching body.  
   
    Waleti looked upwards to see Squish Imdead perched inside a space between the top of the pod and the ceiling panels that held the lights.  He made a jaunty wave and then dropped down, landing on the crumpled heap of the recently deceased purpleblood.  Alyssm was about to comment on Squish’s impeccable timing when she was interrupted by a distressed noise from underneath her: the blueblood she had stripped the pulse rifle from was struggling to escape before this lowblood could dispatch him as he had just done to his cohorts.    
  
    “I’d rather you didn’t kill him, Squish,” Porrim said.  “He is unarmed… and no, that doesn’t mean you should give him your knife first.”  
  
    Squish was just in the process of reacquiring said knife when she said this; his shoulders slumped in exaggerated disappointment.    
  
    “Then allow me,” Alyssm said as she rose but kept her pulse rifle trained on the terrified guard.  She used her thumb to make an adjustment to the power level and spoke to the blueblood, “You realize we can’t keep you awake, of course.”  He nodded and closed his eyes; a short burst from Waleti’s weapon made his tense body relax.  “Worry not, Porrim; I opted to stun him, of course.”  
  
    “I trust you.  The question is how do we get this pod moving again and where to?”  
  
    Alyssm examined the cracked panel.  “I watched the commodore enter 1F as our initial destination.  It would make sense that the Condesce would keep her bridge there.”  
  
    Porrim stepped between the bodies in the cramped pod to have a look.  “That’s as good a place as any.  Press it again and see what happens.”  
  
    She did so and the pod lurched onward.  A few moments went by and then Alyssm asked, “So, what should we do with them?” She nudged the commodore’s corpse with the toe of her boot for emphasis.  
  
    “Good question.”  Porrim considered a couple of ideas but didn’t like the result.  “Any ideas, Squish?”  
  
    The redblood nodded vigourously and raised a finger to suggest they wait.  
  
    “I’m not certain whether I should be elated or concerned,” Alyssm quipped.    
  
    Porrim looked to Squish and raised an eyebrow.  “Nor I but I’m sure it’ll be a creative solution.”  
  
    Squish simply continued to smile blissfully.    
  
    The pod soon slowed to a stop and the doors opened to reveal a vestibule of lush pink carpet, multiple thick tentacle-like shapes lining the walls and a pair of tall inset golden doors that showed evidence of some recent significant damage; one still looked like it was off its track.  “Look at the scratches on those; it would appear they were forced open,” Alyssm remarked as they stepped out of the transport pod.  
  
    _Did you do this, Aranea?  Did you have to fight your way in?  No… I remember hearing the recording Felida played back and the sound of rending metal._  “They were,” Porrim said softly.  “The Condesce herself did this.  She didn’t appreciate being locked out of her own bridgeblock and took matters into her own hands.”  
  
    Waleti considered the strength it would require to do this; she doubted even she could budge doors that size.  “We’ll be dealing with a formidable foe.  Any suggestions based on your discussions with Mindfang on an optimum means to procee-”  
  
    She was cut off by the muffled sounds of pulse rifle fire coming from behind her; Alyssm grabbed her pulse rifle and whirled to find no one there but the pod doors were closed and a crisp odor of electricity and burnt meat assailed her sniffnodes.  “That’s his solution?” she asked as she detected the limp form of the stunned blueblood resting quietly beside exterior of the pod they arrived in.   
  
    “He’s a resourceful fellow.  I can’t always say his solutions are the most elegant but he does what he sets out to do.”  
  
    “Whatever the opposite of ‘elegant’ is, that’s certainly it.”    
  
    Porrim crinkled her nose and tried not to think too hard about the smell.   _I really hope that’s not wafting into the bridgeblock or else the Condesce might come out to meet us.  Actually…_  “Alyssm, do you find it odd that there are no guards here?”  
  
    “I initially had the same thought but then concluded that there are two possibilities: one is that only a select few have clearance to access this part of the ship and that would only be those she trusts; the other is that she doesn’t consider anyone on this ship a threat whatsoever.  What would be the point of having guards if you didn’t need to be guarded?  And the odds are very good that someone inside is watching this entryway somehow… although I don’t see any cameras at all.”  
  
    Porrim’s protein chute twisted painfully yet again as she thought about why that would be.  “If the person I suspect is behind those doors is the one doing the watching, he doesn’t need cameras.”  
  
Y0U 5U5P3C7 C0RR3C7LY 1M GL4D Y0U M4D3 17 7H15 F4R P0RR1M BU7 Y0U B3773R H4V3 4 BE4U7Y 0F 4 PL4N BEC4U53 M33N4H 15 N07 G01NG 70 G1V3 Y0UR M4T35PR17 UP 3451LY  
  
    “Mi… Mituna?  Is that you?” Porrim whispered.  
  
    Waleti gave her a strange look.  “Um… who are you talking to?”  
  
H1 ALY55M 1M M17UN4 C4P70R 4ND 1LL B3 Y0UR P510N1C4LLY G1F73D G0LDBL00D 70N1HG7 P0RR1M 4ND M3 G0 B4CK 4 L0NG W4Y5 4ND WH1L3 1M 7HR1LL3D Y0U H3LP3D H3R G37 H3R3 1M K1ND4 W15H1NG 7H3R3 W3R3 4 L07 M0R3 0F Y0U B3C4U53 Y0U 1F Y0UR PL4N W45 70 74K3 M33N4H BY F0RC3 7H3 7W0 0F Y0U D0N7 574ND 4 CH4NC3 4ND Y35 70 V3R1FY Y0UR 7H0UGH7 5H3 D1D 1ND33D D0 7H47 70 7H3 D00R5 WH3N 1 7R13D 70 L0CK H3R P5YCH0 455 0U7  
  
    Alyssm blinked a few times as she processed all of this.  “Porrim, did you hear someone talking inside of your thinkpan?”  
  
    “He was called Psiionic for a reason and this is it.  And there are three of us here, Mituna.”  
  
4LL 1 C4N 533 15 Y0U 4ND 7H47 1ND1G0BL00D W17H 7H3 B34U71FUL M1ND P0RR1M Y0U G07 4 CL04K1NG D3V1C3 1 D0N7 KN0W 4B0U7  
  
    Alyssm Waleti couldn’t remember the last time she blushed but she certainly felt herself blushing now.  
  
    Porrim looked over to the pod; the sounds of the pulse rifle had finally stopped.  “Squish?  Come here for a moment.”  The doors opened, releasing a foul cloud of ozone and smoke but Squish Imdead was nowhere to be seen.  “Squish?” she called again.   There was no reply but a tap on her shoulder from behind made her jump and spin around.  “How did you… never mind.”  
  
    Squish just grinned his grin.    
  
    “Mituna, there is a small redblood standing right in front of me.  You can’t sense him?”  
  
1F 7H3R3 15 4C7U4LLY 50M30N3 1N FR0N7 0F Y0U 1D 347 MY H47 1F 1 H4D 0N3 H3LL 7H3 L457 71M3 1 H4D 50M37H1NG 70 347 W45 M33N4H F0RC3 F33D1NG M3 0N3 0F H3R R3V0L71NG FUCK1NG C4K35 L457 5W33P 1 C4N7 3V3N 5W4LL0W BU7 7H47 5UR3 45 5H17 D1DN7 570P H3R  
  
    Porrim was both bemused and baffled by what Mituna was saying.  “So you can’t actually detect Squish?”  
  
45 F4R 45 1 C4N 73LL P0RR1M Y0U D0N7 533M 70 H4V3 4 53R10U5 7H1NKP4N 1NJURY 50 WHY D0 1 F33L L1K3 Y0U BR0UGH7 Y0UR 1M4G1N4RY M01RA1L 70 4 F1GH7  
  
    Squish’s grin fell away and he looked up to Porrim, questioning what the voice in his head was saying and feeling mildly insulted.    
  
    “So you can hear him?” Porrim asked Squish, who nodded his affirmation.  “He can hear you just fine, Mituna.”  
  
W3LL 31TH3R 7H15 5QU15H F3LL0W5 M3N74L R4D10 15 537 70 R3C31V3 0NLY 0R Y0U 4ND 4LY55M 4R3 H4V1NG 4 M455 D3LU510N 1 H0P3 F0R Y0UR 54K35 7H47 H35 5H13LD3D 4G41N57 3MP47H1C5 45 W3LL B3C4U53 M33N4H M1GH7 B3 4BL3 70 U53 7H053 4L7H0UGH 1M N07 5UR3 H0W W3LL  
  
    “What do you mean?  When Aranea sent Felida that message, she was suspicious that the Condesce would be able to manipulate her and then she proved she could shortly after.”  
  
M33N4H N33D5 3N3RGY FR0M H3R LU5U5 70 P0W3R 7H053 K1ND 0F 5K1LL5 1 7H1NK 5H3 M4Y H4V3 U53D UP 4 L07 0F H3R R353RV35 4LR34DY PL3453 D0N7 45K 0N WH47  
  
    Porrim did her best to keep her mind from wandering down some dark paths.  “Okay.  So what happens now?”  
  
    There was a lengthy pause before Mituna’s next transmission.  W3LL 1F Y0UR BUDDY 5QU15H 1F 7H47 15 H15 R34L N4M3 C4N H1D3 1N 7H3 L173R4L 5H4D0W5 45 W3LL 45 H3 H1D35 1N 7H3 0N35 1 C4N7 L00K 1N70 7H3N 53ND H1M 0N 4H34D 1LL 0P3N 7H3 D00R5 4ND L37 Y0U 1N M33N4H CURR3N7LY H45 4R4N34 1N H3R R35P173BL0CK WH1CH 15 4DJ4C3N7 70 7H15 0N3 1 JU57 H0P3 7H3R35 3N0UGH L3F7 0F H3R 7H47 Y0ULL 571LL W4N7 70 74K3 H3R H0M3 W17H Y0U  
  
    A soft sob escaped Porrim’s lips.  
  
1M 50RRY  
  
    “It’s… no, she’s coming with us.  That’s all there is to it.”  
  
7H3N 3N73R 7H15 PL4C3 L00K UP0N H3R W0RK5 4ND D35P41R  
  
    The doors creaked once and then the right one shuddered open, leaving the damaged left door stuck fast.  Porrim closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.   _I must not fear.  She took my son from me; I will not let her claim my matesprit as well, no matter what._  When her eyes reopened, Squish was nowhere to be seen.   _May you find the right time and place, my friend.  You always seem to._  She turned to Alyssm, “Are you ready?”  
  
    “Almost.  There’s one more thing to do.”  
  
    Porrim watched as Waleti approached her and then undid the shackles.  “There’s no need to continue this ruse.  If you’re walking in there, you’re walking in a free woman.”  
The soft thud the metal restraints made as they hit the plush carpet was oddly satisfying to Porrim.  “Thank you.  Shall we?”  
  
    Alyssm handed her the pulse rifle she had and then went to pick up the one Squish had discarded before he disappeared.  “Let’s.”    
  
    The throneblock was considerably dimmer than the vestibule they left behind; only the soft glow of the computer viewscreens and an eerie red and blue light off to their right.  “Mituna?” Porrim called softly.  “Where are you?  That looks like your eyes over there.”  
  
17 15 BU7 1M W4RN1NG Y0U 1M K33P1NG 7H3 L1GH75 D0WN B3C4U53 1M N07 5UR3 1 W4N7 Y0U 70 533 M3 L1K3 7H15 1 W4N7 70 533 Y0U 50 B4DLY BU7 1M N07 C3R741N 317H3R 0F U5 C0ULD H4NDL3 Y0U 5331NG M3 7H15 W4Y  
  
    “Don’t worry.  I’m just happy to finally to even you again!  We survived and that’s all that matters.”  She drew nearer to the light his eyes created.  
  
W0ULD 17 B07H3R Y0U 70 KN0W 7H47 1 W15H W17H 3V3RY F1B3R 0F MY B31NG 7H47 1 D1DN7 5URV1V3  
  
    Porrim looked up at the glowing lights.  “Did you grow a bit since I last saw you?  I don’t recall you being so tall.”  
  
Y34H 1 GR3W 50M3 4LL R1GH7 45 1N GRU350M3 H4H4 G37 17 L00K D0N7 54Y 1 D1DN7 W4RN Y0U 0K4Y  
  
    The bridgeblock lights began to rise.  It took Porrim a few moments to process what it was that she was seeing but when she came to realize that the purple tendrils that held him suspended off of the deck were actually burrowed into him at various parts of his body, many of them invading his head directly, her lip trembled and tears rapidly swelled in her eyes.  “Mi-Mituna?”  
  
    A voice like a dry leaf in the wind replied, “Hel…lo, Por…rim…”  
  
    Alyssm regarded this unfortunate man; she tried to look past the tentacles that invaded him to see his proud features and wondered what that slack jaw would look like in a clever grin instead.   _There’s still life behind those features._  
  
1M GL4D Y0U 7H1NK 50 BU7 53R10U5LY 7H15 15 4 L1V1NG H3LL WH473V3R 1 C4N D0 70 3ND 17 1 W1LL BU7 1LL D0 WH473V3R 1 C4N F0R P0RR1M 4ND 7H053 7H47 M4773R M057 70 H3R B3F0R3 7H47 H4PP3N5  
  
    _You have a truly noble and wonderful heart_ , Alyssm thought back to him.    
  
7H475 N07H1NG Y0U 5H0ULD4 533N MY BU77 B4CK 1N 7H3 D4Y 17 W45 W4Y M0R3 477R4C71V3  
  
    Waleti tried her best to stifle a chuckle but wasn’t able to; even Porrim in her grief was taken aback by Mituna’s wit.  “You don’t sound like someone who’s looking to die,” the jadeblood said.    
  
N07 Y37 1 G0774 G37 Y0U 4LL 0FF 0F 7H15 5H1P 1N 0N3 P13C3 50M3H0W 4ND 7H3N 1 C4N 7RY 70 G37 M33N4H 70 0FF M3 0R M4YB3 1 C0ULD FLY 1N70 4 574R 1D R47H3R N07 H4V3 70 D0 17 W17H Y0U F0LK5 0N B04RD  
  
    “We can find a way to get you free of this,” Porrim pleaded.  “We have a friend back home who does incredible things with technology.  He might be able to free you!”  
  
175 700 L473 F0R M3 4F73R F1F7Y 5W33P5 1M PR377Y MUCH P4R7 0F 7H3 PLUMB1NG N0W 1 C4N7 B3 3X7R4C73D 4ND 5URV1V3 7H3 B3457 7H47 L1V35 1N51D3 7H15 5H1P C4N L1V3 W17H0U7 M3 BU7 1 W0N7 L1V3 L0NG W17H0U7 17 1N F4C7 1M 4 B17 W0RR13D 7H47 1F 175 L1NK W17H GLBG0LYB 15N7 R3570R3D 500N 7H47 1 M1GH7 B3 1N 50M3 7R0UBL3 0H W3LL M4YB3 1 5H0ULD B3 7H4NK1NG Y0U F0R 7H47 H0W D1D Y0U D0 17 4NYW4Y  
  
    “Let’s just say it involved a beasttalker and some talented friends.  Can you see how they’re doing from here?  When we left, the Navy was attacking our fleet...”  Porrim’s voice trailed off as she felt a deep pang of guilt at leaving them behind tear through her.  
  
W3LL L375 JU57 54Y 7H47  
  
    “Seriously, Tuna?  You wouldn’t let me in to my own bridgeblock earlier and now you’ll let damn near anyone in?”  
  
    Heads turned to see Her Imperious Condescension standing at the door to her respiteblock, one hand on her hip and the other clutching the long golden shaft of her bitrident.  Porrim’s pusher almost skipped a beat as she took in the woman’s almost-impossibly long horns and the vicious grin that twisted a face that would have been strikingly beautiful otherwise.    
  
H3Y N07 MY F4UL7 Y0UR3 7H3 0N3 7H47 BR0K3 7H3 FUCK1NG D00R  
  
    “BECAUSE YOU WOULDN’T LET ME IN, DUMBBASS!” she bellowed back at him.  A moment later, the Condesce collected herself and turned her attention to the two people that stood watching her.  “Want to hear something finny, jadeblood?  I was actually just thinking about dispatching a crew of Subjuggalators to come and find you to bring to me.  How kind of this fellow fugitive to bring you here for me.”  
  
    For a split second, Porrim wondered if this was Waleti’s plan all along but that thought quickly faded when Alyssm replied, “I didn’t bring her here for you.  I brought her here so that you could hear what she has to say and then to return her matesprit to her.”  
  
    The Condesce fixed Waleti with her fuchsia eyes and then started to laugh; a soft chuckle at first but then it quickly grew into a torrent of laughter meant to lessen and humiliate.  “Really?  That was your plan?  And here I thought you had half a pan in your head.  You could have just pushed her over to me, begged to be reinstated and I might have actually conchsidered it.  When Syhale told me you had a change of heart, I thought it was simply a case of you hating his guts for which I honestly couldn’t blame you.  But you stand with this traitor?”  
  
    Alyssm brandished her pulse rifle directly at the Empress with no hesitation or any hint of conflict on her features.  “I do.  Release Mindfang immediately.”  
  
    “Hm.”  The Condesce put her fingers and stroked her chin in an exaggerated display of thought.  “You know, you got me.  I’ll do just that.  Oh, Aranea!  You have some visitors!  Come out and play!”  
  
    Porrim braced herself for what was to come; she was almost relieved when Aranea Serket appeared from the doorway of the respiteblock wearing her long black coat with her red boots.   _Her hair is a mess and she doesn’t look too beaten up at least.  Aranea, can you hear me?  
  
    ........  
  
    Aranea?  
  
    ...why... here?  RUN...   
  
    No!  I’m bringing you home!  
  
    ...nnnnnnnn... PLEASE RUN... don’t want to... fiiiiiiii_  
  
    “There’s my good girl!  Give your matesprit a kiss, won’t you?”  Meenah leaned in and pressed her lips to Aranea’s, opening her eyes to look at Porrim’s face while she did so.   
  
    “She does not belong to you,” Porrim said, her voice shaking despite her best efforts to keep it steady.  
  
    “Listen, pondscum, she belongs to me far more than she does to you,” the Condesce spat back.  “And I’m not terribly fond of having pulse rifles pointed at me, either.”  Without any further warning, Alyssm’s waist was ensnared by a thick purple tentacle that whisked her off of the deck and into the air.  “Drop the rifle or prepare to be dropped on your head until you do.”  
  
    The constriction around Waleti’s waist was almost more than she could bear; she released her grip on the weapon and another tentacle snatched it up before it could hit the floor.    
  
    “That’s more like it.”  The Condesce returned her attention to Porrim.  “You know what?  You came an awfully long way to get here, I’ll give you that.  Despite being a serious thorn in my gills for the past, I dunno, FIFTY FUCKING SWEEPS, I’ll let you say your piece.  What exactly is it you’re trying to accompfish?”  She cocked her head to the side and waited for Porrim’s reply; Mindfang remained beside her, expressionless.  
  
    _This is it.  Will it help?  Doubtful but I have to try.  For Kankri.  For Aranea.  For Alternia._  “Accomplish?  Something we all deserve: to be treated as equals no matter what colour of blood courses through us.  That’s all anyone has ever wanted.  I’m sure you’ve seen how gifted Mituna is; he’s a lowblood but he deserves to be treated with the same respect any highblood would be.  In fact, wouldn’t it make sense that those of us with longer lifespans should try to build a society that helps to enhance the experiences of those with shorter ones?  Just because they don’t get to carry on as long as highbloods doesn’t make them fodder or disposable!  Their lives matter as much as anyone’s!  And there are leaders among all of us: people with vision that can see past their own lifespans who should be given as much of a say as what we do with our world as anyone who will live for centuries or millennia!  What I’m asking for is for you to share the governance of our world with the people of it.  Can’t you see the benefit in letting those of all bloodcolours have a say in how their lives should be lived?  People accomplish a lot more when they don’t have to fear prejudice or mistreatment at the hands of those who by a fluke of genetics happen to be hatched into a caste responsible for societal domination!  We all deserve a place at the table!”  
  
    Porrim stopped and took a deep breath, hoping against hope that her words would have an impact.  After a few moments, the Condesce said, “You know, I really like that.”  
  
    “You... you do?”  
  
    “Yeah!  That was a great use of the word ‘fluke’!  I’m gonna have to start adding that one to my vocrabulary!”  
  
    “But... what about the res-”  
  
    The Condesce made a dismissive wave and an ugly sound.  “Oh please; save my sponge clots from your idealistic blathering.  I’d rather die than give up control.  And since I have no plans on dying anytime soon, I guess you’re shit outta luck, jadeblood.  That said, I’ll admit that I have learned something.”  
  
    Porrim was more than mildly concerned about what was coming next.  “Oh?  And what was that?”  
  
    “That as long as you’re alive, Aranea will never be able to fully give hershelf to me.  So, looks like I need to remedy that.  And what better way to get the message through to her than by having HER krill you?”  The Condesce gestured with her bitrident in Porrim’s direction.  “Aranea?  Go impale that naive windbag; let some of her hot air out.  And don’t stop stabbing until I tell you to.”  
  
    Aranea shook violently but was unable to stop her hand from grasping the blue sword at her side.   _Porrim... can’t... stop myself... trying to... but...  
  
    Fight it, Aranea!  No one does this better than you do!  Resist!_    
  
    Mindfang drew _Spider8ite_ and lurched forward; the only hints of emotion visible on her face were the twin tracks of blue that ran down her cheeks as she closed in on her matesprit...   


	63. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 62

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Fool's Gam8it engage in a firefight; Aurana attempts to regain her matesprit but the Grand Highblood is far from willing to surrender her easily. Felida faces the consequences of a foolish gambit of her own...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said all of these chapters starting with a 6 were going to be huge? Yeah. Action aplenty this time around and more than a few surprises! This one was a toughie to write from an emotional standpoint but even it will pale compared to what's coming next. 
> 
> I'm heading out tornado chasing next week so the next upd8 should be on the 26th of May. Hope you can hold out that long! Just finished writing Chapter 67, BTW...

  
** 62. **

    “I don’t give two fucks if you have to deploy oars, turn this ship around and let ‘em have it with the port guns!”

    “I’m trying, Captain, but there’s no response from the controls at all,” Sinjin Greyos called from the helm as she tried to steer the listing ship.  “Oars may be our only way to-”

    Another blast pitched the deck of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ , sending anyone not in a chair to the floor.  “FUCK!” Felida bellowed and punched the armrest of the captain’s chair with her metallic left fist; it splintered and pieces of it flew in every direction.  “Oh shit,” she muttered.  

    “That’s it,” Meulin said from her comm station.  “All power is out; auxiliaries are drained.  All we can do is fire the projectile weapons manually.”

    “Aurana?” Felida yelled out the open bridgeblock door; the smoke from the damage the Navy’s energy weapons had inflicted on their hull made it all but impossible to see if her friend was still out there but she hoped the turquoiseblood would still be nearby.  “What’s the range on their flagship?”

    The response was a coughing fit followed by Aurana’s voice.  “They’re almost on top of us; if they don’t make their turn soon, they could be looking to ram!”

    “With THAT ship?  Something tells me Syhale isn’t driving, then!”  Felida tried to tap in one more command with her right armrest keypad but found it was in vain.   _Can’t even blow this ship up if I needed to.  I don’t know who sent the message to decloak the fleet but I’m glad they did.  Problem is it may be too little, too late for us.  And we were only in this battle for twenty damn minutes!_  She stood from her broken chair and faced the remaining bridgeblock crew, some of whom were just getting back to their feet.  “All right, here’s the plan: we repel their boarding party and then make one of our own.  We storm that ship and find some batteries to recharge this one.  Be prepared that their pulse rifles may be functional but we won’t know until they’re here.  Let’s-”

    “CAPTAIN!” Aurana shouted, “THEY’RE...”

    The last impact that rocked _Fool’s Gam8it_ was a weak echo compared to the hit that rocked her now; an ear-splitting crack of wood as the _Victorious Butcher_ burrowed into her hull was accompanied by a shock that threw a pair of her crew from the deck into the cold ocean.  Felida got her bearings and leapt to her feet; she clutched onto the nearest console in case the ship’s stabilizers were destroyed by the attacking battleship.  “Everyone all right?” she called out.

    “I’m stable,” Horuss answered.

    Meulin stood up and dusted herself off.  “I’m okay.” Two of the other bridge crew also answered her call.

    “Okay, good.  Draw your swords and let’s see what’s out there!”  Felida made for the main deck, the others in tow, but found only thick smoke and battle cries.  “Aurana?  Sinjin?  Anybody?”  The words had barely escaped her mouth when she was knocked down for the third time that night.  “This is NOT okay!”  She rolled up on one knee and brandished her cutlass in case whoever bowled her over was coming back to finish her.  No one did for the moment, however, and as the smoke began to lift, she could make out two figures engaged in melee combat close to the bow of the ship.   _The smaller one is Aurana but… oh shit… that’s…_   Felida debated rushing in to assist her friend but was distracted by a scream from her helm officer about Subjuggalators on board before that scream was sharply cut off.  “Sinjin!  I’m coming!”   _Good luck, Aurana; I’ll get to you as soon as I can!  I wish I could mentally call someone else to help…_  She leapt into the thick cloud in the direction of her crewmate’s call sword first and hoped there would still be survivors left to assist.

 

 

 

    “I haven’t wanted anything as much as this in many sweeps, you mangy motherfucker; I’m going to enjoy squeezing your skinny neck until your fucking eyes pop!” The Grand Highblood pressed his thumbs into Aurana’s throat as he said this; the only thing preventing him from doing so was her hands that she managed to wrap around his before he could cinch in his choke.  
   
    Even with her back pressed against the wooden deck, Aurana knew she could find a way to break his hold.   “Eat… shit… clown!” she gargled back and brought her leg straight up between his as hard as she could.  The howl that tore the air confirmed she had found her target and the acrid air that filled her lungs was as sweet as any she could recall.  Her relief was short lived; she had only enough time to roll back into a fighting stance before the giant purpleblood lashed out at her again.  The club in his hand whipped past her ear and grazed her shoulder as she pulled away; Aurana suspected that he missed his mark mostly due to the pain she put him in.

    “Want to fight dirty, bitch?  I can do that.”  Makara reached out with his claws extended to tear at her chest but he came away with only a piece of her shirt sleeve.  
  
    “You already are!  I’m paying you back for caging my matesprit!”  Aurana sidestepped and then jabbed at his leg with her sword; it tore through the cloth of his pants and then some.  She felt a hint of satisfaction at landing a wounding blow but it was brief as his right hand closed around her arm and then she was airborne.  The flight was short; it ended with a hard impact into a wooden structure.   _Shit, he’s strong…_ Aurana tried to stabilize her vision but soon found it filled with black and purple again as a loud thud at her feet announced the Grand Highblood’s presence.  She kicked out at his knee but he pulled his leg in from her attack’s trajectory and then picked her up again.  

    “See, Krysli?  She’s little more than an animal that needs to be tamed… and if she can’t be tamed, she needs to be put the fuck DOWN.”

    _Kaerah?_  Aurana glanced to her left to see her matesprit’s cage not far away; the purpleblooded woman’s face reflected her terror at seeing Zashyl getting beaten on.   _I’m on THEIR ship now!_  She barely had time to finish the thought before she was slammed hard into the wooden deck; Aurana tucked her shoulder in and rolled to minimize the impact but the burn in her arm suggested she wasn’t entirely successful.   _No… no way I get owned by this sack of trash in front of her!_  As she came to her feet, she felt two hands grab her shoulders; she answered by throwing her head back which created a wet crunch followed by a loud “motherFUCK!” Without a second’s delay, she regripped her sword and sunk it into whoever was behind her.  Aurana whirled to face the Subjuggalator that was there, clutching his broken nose and leaking purple from where the sword was embedded in his midsection.  “I need that back,” she snarled and tore it from him in an upward arc, sending a good portion of what was inside of him outward in a grotesque flourish.  

    Two other Subjuggalators nearby brandished their weapons but Makara raised a hand to stop them.  “No.  Get your asses over to their ship and waste her friends.  I want their screams to be the motherfucking soundtrack to my vengeance.”  Both immediately did as they were told and leapt over to the stricken _Fool’s Gam8it_ in search of other prey.  

    “Vengeance?  We wrecked a statue.  You stole a person.  Vengeance is MINE!”  Aurana let go with a howl and lunged at the Grand Highblood who caught her.

    “Seriously?  You thought jumping at me was a good ideAAAAAAAAAAH!”

    Aurana didn’t wait for him to stop talking and opted to bite his face; she sunk her fangs around his nose and mouth and pulled back, taking a piece of his skin with her.  He dropped her to the deck and she slashed upward at the arm closest to her; there was no question that the blade bit deeply this time; purple sprayed forth covering her and most everything around her.  Makara had dropped his hand from his face to check the damage to his arm and revealed the results of her attack on him: part of his lower lip was torn away, exposing his gritted teeth, and part of his nose was absent as well, appearing as a dark stain on his white painted skin.  

    _This might be my chance!_ Aurana thought as she turned to her matesprit’s iron prison.  She tucked her sword into the waist of her shorts, dashed over to where the cage sat and started working at the lock.   _Yuck… the lock is slick with blood and stuff._  “I’ll get you out, don’t worry!”  No reply came from Kaerah Krysli but Aurana could see the terror in her yellow and violet eyes.   _Oh hell… she’s got purple all over her, too._  “It’s all right, K, I won’t let him hurt you anymore.”  She pulled harder at the metal lock and noticed that her matesprit wasn’t showing signs of eager anticipation but was instead retreating as best she could, her expression unchanged from one of dread and fear.   _What has he done to her?  And what’s stuck in my fangs?  Oh…_  Aurana turned her head and spat a chunk of grey meat onto the deck.  “Sorry about that.  Was that what was bothering you?”  Kaerah again said nothing but continued to tremble.   _This isn’t right – oh hell, here he comes again!_

    As the Grand Highblood advanced on her, Aurana leapt away from the cage and landed on the deck near the bridgeblock door.  She pulled her sword free and howled again before charging back at him, point extended as she leapt with the intention of piercing something more vital.  At the last second, he sidestepped but let her sword penetrate his side; this caught her by surprise and he used her confusion to grab her again.  Aurana reached up to claw at his face, howling away in complete bloodlust, her fingernails in search of an eye in hopes of forcing him to let go but the vice-like grip that ensnared her arm ended that possibility. Once certain of his hold on her right arm, Makara began to slam her to the deck, back and forth until finally throwing her as he did before, this time back onto the broken, burning hull of the _Fool’s Gam8it._  

    Aurana was sure the blood she smelled now was her own.   _Bit… tongue.  Nose… bleeding?_  She tried to raise her right arm but couldn’t; she opened her eyes to ascertain if it was still there and found that it was.   _Bad sprain.  Need Porrim… not here._  The savage desire to fight was still within her but muted now as her consciousness waxed and waned.   _Concussion… but need to focus!  Could be coming for me?_  Everything a short distance around her appeared to be wavy and dim and what light there was hurt her eyes.  She squinted to focus:  Aurana was reasonably certain that the pair of Subjuggalators the Grand Highblood had dispatched to _Fool’s Gam8it_ had been dispatched in the other sense of the word: they lay against a bulkhead, a thick pool of purple shared between them.  To her right, another pool had formed, this one a more bronze shade.   _What was her name?  Sunyun?  Sinjin!  Oh no…_  Aurana tried to stand and the pounding that began to fill the space between her ears strongly suggested she stop.   _No… I need to keep going.  Life depends on it… and not just mine!_  
   
    The smoke and noise threatened to overwhelm Aurana’s senses and the thudding in her thinkpan almost sat her back down but she pressed herself into standing.  The sensation of an impact not far from her was almost enough to send her back to the deck but she held herself up.   _He must be near…_

    A voice called out, “Vatch out behind you, Kept-ACK” and was silenced with the unmistakable sound of thick bone being broken.

    “Inegev!” she called out but knew he would never answer her.   _Where is my sword?_  Aurana looked to her feet and found not her blade but the severed upper half of Inegev Kanmil as it skidded to a halt in front of her.   _Oh no… I need to get my bearings back… before he finds me… too late._

    Each footfall the Grand Highblood made pounded in her thinkpan and each drew ever nearer.  “There you are,” he said, the words sounding almost mushy.  “Enjoy your round trip on Air Motherfucker, you mangy bitch?  Now I’m gonna give you a one way trip to the blue hells where you can meet the Mirthful Messiahs – once I’m done breaking every single bone in your body!”  His hulking form appeared from the haze, looking all that much more terrifying with his face disfigured.  “Shame your pathetic matesprit won’t get to see it; spineless flap passed out.  Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of that one; maybe I’ll put a leash on her and take her for walks or chain her up out in the lawnring during the day.  It’ll suit her – if she wants to fuck animals, she can live like a motherfucking animal!”

    Aurana tried to resist his verbal barbs but her fury blotted out both her reason and her pain; she raised her left hand, bared her claws and snarled at Makara.  She crouched on the balls of her feet and prepared to spring, her eyes set on his neck, when they were both distracted by a loud hissing sound coming from the roof of the bridgeblock.  Aurana only saw a flash of olive as she registered the shape of Felida appearing and Makara barely having time to deflect her attack, sending the ship’s captain overboard, a loud splash following moments later.

    “Only I’M allowed to throw her overboard!” Aurana growled and lunged at Makara; she sunk her nails into his right shoulder and thrust her horns at his neck, hoping to impale it.  She could feel his cool blood pour down over her horn and into her hair which told her they had found purchase but his hand gripped that hair and he pulled her off of him by it, letting her hang that way for a few moments.  She thought that her scalp might actually tear but gritted her teeth and swung her foot up to kick him in the knee; Aurana felt him buckle slightly and so she did it again, harder this time.  Again, he dropped a bit further and cursed her so she grimaced and unleashed another kick with all of the force she could muster: there was an awful snapping noise and Aurana thought she was successful until she realized Makara hadn’t fallen and she could no longer feel her foot.   _The tendon that got shot up when we were escaping the Grand Justicehive… oh gods… not now!_

    The Grand Highblood raised her further up to look her in the eyes.  “You weak, pathetic fool.”  He cocked his arm back and punched her hard enough to send her all the way to the bow of the ship; a stringy clod of her black hair remained in his hand and he tossed it away.  
  
    Aurana was still conscious but felt very little pain.  She was sitting limply against the front rail of the ship, one boot missing; she looked down at her chest and saw the left side of it in full spasm, pushing out at random intervals.   _That’s bad.  Broken up inside._  She tried to draw a full breath and found that she couldn’t.  As Makara approached, she bared her fangs, presented her purple bloodstained claws again, and made a rattling growl which cut in and out.

    “No, no, don’t you motherfucking die on me,” Makara said, bearing down on the crippled turquoiseblood.  “Your life is mine to take and I’ll take it when you’re completely broken and not a motherfucking moment sooner.”  

 

 

 

    “I got two more!” Meulin panted with excitement as she plopped down beside Horuss in the stairwell that led down to the respiteblocks.  “Look!”

    Horuss took a glimpse of her purple-coated hands and grimaced.  “I don’t suppose they stood a chance, did they?”

    Meulin couldn’t help but smile.  “Nope!  I think that’s most of them now.  I did hear a loud thump a minute ago, though.”

    “Is the Grand Highblood accounted for?”

    “I haven’t seen him since he went back to their ship to chase Aurana,” she confessed.  “I bet that thump was him.  I really hope Aurana takes him down, though; she’s wanted to get her claws into him since we got here.”

    “Speaking of which, you seem to be… enjoying yourself.”

    Meu found herself feeling a bit guilty but shrugged it off.  “This is life or death, Horuss.  I laid waste to a lot of Imperial troopers the night they came for Kankri.  There’s something about the thrill of the hunt that I can’t ignore.  It beckons… It calls to me…”

    Horuss forced a smile and started to sweat.  “I won’t say I totally understand it but I’m glad you’re here to do it.”  

    She responded by drawing a diamond shape on the stairwell wall with the blood on her fingers; his smile became much more relaxed and genuine.  “The world needs hunters, too.  And when push comes to shove, we do what needs to be done, be it kill… or not kill.  Either one can save a life.”

    “I suppose when you put it that way…”

    He was interrupted by a loud hissing sound and then a splash.  “That sounded like Felida,” Meulin whispered.  “She may have been the last one left up there except for Aurana and me.”

    Horuss nodded.  They both listened as Aurana bellowed a threat and the sounds of a struggle ensued.  The next sound was a meaty thud and then Aurana appeared in front of them at the bow of the ship: part of her hair was missing and blood seeped from her nose and mouth.  Meulin was aghast at the sight of Zashyl’s chest twitching like her pusher was trying to ram its way out of her chest.  

    A few moments passed and then the Grand Highblood stood before the damaged Aurana who despite her injuries remained defiant.  Horuss watched as Meulin went silent; her hips swayed as she quietly moved up the stairs on all fours, eyes fixed on the hulking purpleblood.  She sat watching and waiting for her moment…

 

 

 

    “Any last words before I hand down your sentence?  Be assured they won’t change anything but just in case you have anything you’d like me to pass on to that traitorous motherfucker in the cage that you completely failed to rescue, now’s the time.”  

    Aurana kept her gaze locked on his eyes and made no sound save for the hitching growl.

    “I couldn’t make that motherfucking sound if I tried, bitch.  Except maybe if I’m squatting in the gaper – which maybe I could get Krysli to clean for me.  With her tongue.  It’d be a better use for it than on your diseased fucking seedflap, you flearid-”

    There was no hiss; only sudden, deep pain in Makara’s back followed by a tearing at his neck.  He staggered backward and fell over, slamming his assailant onto the scorched deck.  He scrambled to his feet to see another small oliveblood before him dressed in a simple skintight black shirt and shorts; she seemed dazed by the blow but she was already rolling into position to continue her attack.  “This place seriously needs a motherfucking exterminator; it’s lousy with vermin.  Luckily extermination is what I do best.  Come at me, kittybitch.”

    Meulin looked at his face; features she would have considered strangely handsome in some other time and place were marred and torn, making him as ugly outside as he was within.  His blood coursed down his neck and over his shoulders, staining his peculiar clothing which was already torn and tattered by Aurana’s attacks.  She evaluated his body in a split second, choosing which part was most vulnerable and this time let go with a savage hiss as she bounded at him, fangs and claws out in search of a killing blow.  

    Makara was able to grab her by the wrists before her nails reached him and he held her up by them.  He looked over to Aurana and said, “At least she has a motherfucking backbone, unlike your matesprit.  You should have been fucking this one; a pair of animals like you would have suited one another perfectly.”  He returned his attention to the furious oliveblood in front of him and leered, “I never forget a face.  You should have died sweeps ago but another spineless sack of motherfucking waste couldn’t end you.  Good thing I’m here to finish the job.”  He released her wrists but he didn’t allow her to fall far; before her feet hit the deck, he quickly grabbed Meulin by the neck with his left hand, held her up high and then sunk the sharp yellow nails of his right hand deep into the flesh of her thigh.  “Since you’re the only one around here with a motherfucking spine, it seems a shame to have to break it.  The verdict is GUILTY.”  

    Aurana closed her eyes.   _Gods, no…_

    The Grand Highblood carried out his sentence by slamming Meulin’s back over his knee with a sickening crack.  He tossed the tiny oliveblood aside; she fell to the deck limp and unmoving.

    “Now, as for you,” he said, returning his attention to Aurana, “you’re not getting off that motherfucking easy.  Your end begins n-”

    Kurloz Makara never spoke another word.  

    Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a viselike grip around his neck; hands squeezed until the tendons and protein chute beneath gave way.  As he gasped for air that wouldn’t come, the Grand Highblood was thrown with such force to the deck that the virtually unbreakable planks snapped as easily as they did when the _Victorious Butcher_ slammed into the hull.  Before he could mount any kind of defense, he was straddled by a screaming indigoblooded man.  Makara’s final thought was _There’s that spineless motherfucker; I wonder if he’s got the guts to finish THIS job?_  

    The last thing he saw was that man’s fist pulled back and then driven directly at his face in a definitive answer to that question.

 

 

 

    Aurana watched in stunned horror as a wailing Horuss Zahhak jackhammered the Grand Highblood’s head again and again with his massive fist; each impact shook the deck as Makara’s skull gave way to the indigoblood’s unrestrained fury until there was little left but two horns and a purple paste.  Finally she was able to press through her pain enough to speak.  “Horussss…  Sheee… stillll… aliiive.”

    Zahhak stopped, his fist poised to land another blow on something no longer intact enough to receive it.  “W-what?”

    Zashyl pointed to where Meulin lay in a heap: the diminutive oliveblood’s hands were moving and she was trying to lift her head.  “Go… see…”

    Horuss leapt off of the Grand Highblood’s headless corpse and rushed to Meulin’s side.  “Are… are you…”

    “Hor…”  She coughed and tried her best to raise herself up onto her elbows.  “Horuss?  Are you okay?”

    His mouth worked but nothing came out at first.  “I… I’m… I’m fine!  What about you?”

    Meulin’s eyes seemed to focus far away.  “I… can’t feel my legs.”

    At this, he gently ran his fingers down her spine; he could feel a sharp piece protruding from her lower back near her waist where one had no business being.  “Oh dear… um… do not move!”  Horuss leapt to his feet and returned to Makara’s remains.  

    “Where are… you going?” Meulin asked.

    Horuss said nothing but grabbed onto the ends of two long planks that were broken by Makara’s initial impact into the deck.  He pulled straight up and the rest of the lengths of board came out, exposing the respiteblocks beneath; he followed this by rending the Grand Highblood’s clothing off of his still body.  With both wood and clothing in hand, Horuss returned to her side and began ripping strips from the cloth and then tying them around the two planks to create a makeshift stretcher.  

    “Can… I help?” Aurana wheezed.

    “No!  Please… you’re in a dangerous state yourself!  If Meulin’s condition wasn’t even more dire than your own, I would be over there assisting you right now!  We’ll need to get others to come and help us.”  He stopped and wracked his thinkpan for a moment.  “The only question is how.”

    Aurana raised her functional arm and pointed in the direction of the _Victorious Butcher_ where a soggy oliveblood was hoisting herself over that ship’s railing.  “I think… I know someone… who can get help.”

    Horuss looked over to see Felida wiping herself off and looking around; he also detected a pair of purplebloods moving rapidly towards her.  “FELIDA!” he hollered to her.  
  
    Oceleo’s head swiveled over to the source of the call; Horuss gesticulated wildly to where the two Subjuggalators were approaching from.  She nodded her understanding and charged in their direction.  They emerged from behind the bulkhead as she drew near but never had a chance to draw their weapons; Felida reared back with her left leg and swung herself up into a backflip.  As her metal foot connected with the Subjuggalator’s chest, both he and his partner suddenly disappeared into the distance, the telltale crack of a sonic boom confirming what she had used to dispose of them.  Felida landed on the deck in a crouch and watched her enemies disappear into the night with a satisfied smile.  “Welcome to next week, you sorry motherfuckers!” she shouted in their direction and then rose to assess the situation.  What caught her attention first was Horuss shouting again.  “What’s going on over there?”

    “Both Meulin and Aurana are badly hurt!” he called back.  “We need help!”

    “Is there anyone else left over there?”

    Horuss shook his head.

    “Any more clowns?”

    This time, Horuss raised his hands; the left one was so stained it was almost invisible against the night sky.  

    Felida nodded.  “I see.  Okay, hang on.”  She headed towards the bridgeblock door and passed a cage containing one unconscious purpleblooded woman.   _Kaerah!  Okay, better make sure we bring her aboard, too._  She drew her sword and kicked open the door but waited before entering in case someone actually did have a functional pulse rifle on hand.  When no bursts of energy came, Felida looked inside and scanned for heat signatures with her eye; not a single person was visible.   _Must have been all of them.  Works for me!_  She entered the bridgeblock and took a seat in the ornate wooden captain’s chair.   _Now THIS is a chair!_  She found a computer console attached to the armrest and used it to call up the communications suite.  Once ready, she tuned it to her own frequency and called, “Kaiyuh?  This is the Captain!”

    She didn’t have to wait long.  “Hello, Captain!” Kaiyuh Umbras said happily.”How goes the battle?”

    _Of course she’s cheery; no one’s been shooting at her, thankfully._  “I think our battle is over.  I need you to surface right away.”

    “Surface?”  Umbras was taken aback.  “Are you certain that’s wise with the lusus still asleep, Captain?”

    “I hope Rufioh’s range is enhanced enough by the other two but we have no choice.  Only the sub has the medical facilities we need: Aurana and Meulin are very badly injured.”

    “Understood.  How many are we bringing aboard?”

    Felida thought about her reply for a second.  “Four for now: those two, Aurana’s matesprit and Horuss.  I’ll need you to send someone up to help him get them into the sub.”

    Kaiyuh gave her a questioning look.  “What about you, Captain?”

    “Let’s just say I’ll join you later.  First, I’m going to need your assistance with something else while you surface so would you kindly get surfacing already?”

    “Oh, yes!  Helm, surface at the last known coordinates of the _Fool’s Gam8it_.”  After the acknowledgement came, she then called down to the medicalblock.  “Vyrbel?  This is Kayiuh; we’re surfacing.  I need you to keep a close eye on those three and to prepare for two serious casualties.”

    “Acknowledged,” came the reply from their healthtender, Vyrbel Reshcu.  “So far, so good; vital signs stable.”

    “Keep me updated as we surface.”  Kaiyuh returned her attention to Felida.  “So what else do you need me to do?”

    Felida tapped in a sequence of commands and pulled up a list of the Navy ships that were involved in this operation.  “Remember that file I sent you from Porrim a while back?  I need you to cross-reference that with this list of active Navy vessels nearby.”

    “Um, okay.”  Realization dawned on her.  “You want to use those codes to take control of all of the Navy’s ships that are here?”

    “You got it.  All of them that are still functional, anyway.  How has the rest of our fleet been faring?”

    Kaiyuh glanced over to a nearby console.  “Relatively well.  Orange Squadron has dispatched most of their intended targets as has Gold Squadron but Red and Green have taken serious losses.  I don’t suspect I have to tell you about how Blue Squadron fared.”

    “Yeah.”  Felida closed her eyes and calculated her plan.  “Okay, do these in order: first, tell all of our ships to disengage immediately and put as much distance between them and the _Fool’s Gam8it_ as possible.  They’ll need to use the signal from the _Victorious Butcher_ at first as the flagship has no power.  That’s going to change pretty quick.”

    “All right…” Kaiyuh tried to piece this together but opted not to ask; she opened up another communications window and called out, “All ships, this order from Captain Oceleo.  Immediately disengage all combat operations and withdraw.  Set course to the reciprocal of the position of the enemy flagship.”

    “Make sure you tell them this is not a retreat; this is part of the plan, okay?” Felida added.

    “Oh, sure!”  Kaiyuh did so and then asked the questioning captains to stand by for further information.  

    “Next, use those codes to take control of those Navy ships.  All passwords are there and they’ll work.”

    Kaiyuh thought she had it figured out.  “So we’re pulling our ships back because we’re going to use their own autodestruct on them?”

    Felida shook her head.  “Nope.  Need a special code for that known only by the ship’s captain, executive officer and, from what I read here, the Condesce has a special override that requires her voice to activate.   Once you have each ship under your control, have it shut down its weapons and then proceed at flank speed to this position.”

    “Um… wait.  You want all of the Navy ships to come to the _Fool’s Gam8it_?”

    “That’s right.  It would be nice if you had them slow down a bit once they get here so they don’t start slamming into the hull, though; it’s already pretty fucked up as it is.  I can only hope their crews have the good sense to bail out once the ships start moving.  Hey, what’s your depth at?”

    “Oh!  Five hundred meters and climbing.”  

    “Excellent.  Almost there.”

    Kaiyuh’s eyes narrowed.  “Captain, there’s something you’re not telling me.”

    “What?” Felida asked, “Usually you get all blushy when I start telling you what a jadeblood tastes like.  This seems like an odd time to ask, but I’ll happily fill you in if you like.”

    “That’s not what I mean and you know it.  Where are you going to be in all of this?”

    _Here goes._  “Well, right now I need to get cracking on pulling the fuel cells from this antique and plug ‘em in to the Fool’s Gam8it’s power core.  Once that’s done and you’ve got our people on board, I’m ordering you to crash dive to one hundred meters.  Maybe one twenty; it’ll give you an extra bit of room to manoeuver.”

    “What kind of manoeuver?” Kaiyuh asked.  “I’m not sure I like the sound of this, Captain…”

    “You can bet I like it even less.  The only people who are going to like it less than me are the Navy crews who lack the sense to hit the water before they get within a couple of clicks of these ships.”

    It took a moment but realization dawned on Kaiyuh Umbras at last.  “You’re not self-destructing their ships.  Just yours.”

    “The Captain’s last command,” Felida said, doing her best to keep her voice even.  “That said, I have better things to do tonight than die.  This is a nuclear explosion; it’s going to evaporate the top layer of water in a hurry but the nastiest radiation shouldn’t be able to reach too deeply into the ocean.  I’m going to take a dive shortly before things go boom.  Let’s just say that if I’m going to live, I’ll need my intrepid submarine crew to catch my sorry ass.  I don’t think I’ll survive if I go much deeper than two hundred meters… maybe you should park around one forty just in case.”

    Kaiyuh blinked repeatedly as she tried to process this.  “With all due respect, Captain, are you mad?”

    “Hey, I’m putting an end to this battle once and for all.  If I stay on the ship, I die, one hundred percent.  I take a dive, there’s a non-zero chance that I live.  I like those odds better.  The Captain asked me to do what I needed to do and this is it.  And if I don’t make it, well…  I’ll make sure I get deep enough to at least punch that ugly fucking thing down there right in the face with my corpse.  Assuming it doesn’t wake up, that is; any word on that?”

    “No change in our people,” answered Vyrbel.  “The lusus hasn’t moved so far, either.”

    “Do you think a massive explosion directly above it might wake it?” Kaiyuh asked.  
Felida shrugged.  “That fucking thing is over two kilometers underwater.  If Rufioh and his pals keep doing what they’re doing, I don’t see why it should… which reminds me, should you have the good fortune to catch me, dive right back down to one kilometer as quickly as possible just in case.”

    Umbras shook her head, incredulous.  “Yes, Captain.  I can’t believe we’re even contemplating this.  How will we find you?”

    “Kaiyuh, you’re a sweetie but sometimes I wonder about you.  I’m about twenty percent metal; I’m gonna ping real loud!”

    “That… makes sense.  All right, we’ll do our best, Captain!”

    “I know.  You always have.  Now get those Navy shitrafts turned around pronto, okay?”

    Kaiyuh gave a curt nod.  “You got it, Captain.  See you soon.”

    Felida smiled and closed the channel.   _Only if some of Aranea’s luck rubbed off on me.  You’d think it would have by now if it was gonna._  She took a moment to look around the bridgeblock of this Navy flagship: elaborate dark wood curves and designs swirled around modern technology seamlessly.   _It’s majestic; almost a shame to blow it up.  Almost.  How many lowbloods died thanks to the person sitting in this seat?  I can’t even begin to count._  She looked at the polished sheen of the chair in which she sat.   _Grand Admiral Yamato, the Butcher of the Bogs himself, sat here._  Felida raised her metal fist and brought it down hard on the smooth armrest, splintering it and sending pieces of wood flying.   _That was for me.  What comes next is for all of the lowbloods who wished they could do it._  

    As she rose from the irreparably damaged seat, Felida detected a body in the corner of the bridgeblock; she approached it, sword in hand, and found it to be an admiral facedown in a pool of his own violet blood.   _Could it be?_  She flipped the corpse over with her foot and found that it wasn’t Syhale; Felida wasn’t certain if she was disappointed or not.   _Admittedly, it’s very strange that I haven’t encountered him or any other violetblood on this ship.  Even weirder, there was no one here except for purplebloods!  I better go check the engineblock just in case.  Conveniently, that’s where I was going anyway…_

__

 

__

 

__

 

_What… where…_

    Malwil Syhale blinked as his eyes adjusted to the lighting.  Where am I?  He wiped his eyes with his hands and watched as his world resolved: he was sitting in a chair in front of a control panel.   _An escape sub?  What on Alternia actually happened?  I have no memory of a battle…_

    He stood up and found his legs weren’t quite as steady as he’d hoped.   _Drugged.  But by… who.  Makara, you festering, worm-ridden piece of lusus shit!  What did you do?_  As he drew himself up to his full height, he banged his horns on the ceiling of the sub.  “DAMMIT!”  Syhale wanted to punch something, anything, but decided that it would be a poor idea in case that something happened to be the sub’s wall.   _Get a hold of yourself, man.  I need to find out what went on, especially with my… crew…_

    That question was answered as soon as he turned away from the front of the small sub and saw the bodies of every single member of the _Victorious Butcher_ that wasn’t a purpleblood all stacked up on top of one another so that they fit in the cramped space available.   _That’s IT.  I’ve HAD IT with Subjuggalators.  When I get back to Capitol, I’m going to eviscerate that clown whether Condy likes it or not._  He threw himself back into the chair and went to check his instruments to see where he was but found the screens were all shattered.   _Did I do this?_  Syhale wondered at first but he soon discovered it wasn’t his doing; a note stuck to one of the wrecked screens answered the question for him:

_OnE wOuLd ThInK tHe GrEaTeSt MoThErFuCkInG aDmIrAl iN tHe FlEeT sHoUlD bE AbLe To FiNd HiS wAy HoMe WiThOuT uSiNg CoMpUtErS.  hAvE fUn MoThErFuCkEr  :0)_

    The sight of the little clown face drawn on the paper, obviously made with the violet blood of his aide - a young Brigadier that he hoped to groom to replace him somenight, sent Syhale into a rage: he tore the paper into as many small pieces as he could and then wadded them into a ball to throw at the useless navigation console.  “FUCKING FILTHY MIRTHSPEWING PIECE OF…”  He stormed over to the pile of bodies, dragged out one on the top of the pile and began punching it.

    Once he’d finally calmed down, Syhale wiped his hands off as best as he could and wandered back over to the console.  All that he could discern from the readouts was that he was moving forward at about sixty kilometers per hour and in a southeasterly direction.   _At least that should get me close to Capitol; I’ll bring it up to the surface and try to figure out where I am._ An idea occurred to him:   _I don’t suppose he was smart enough to wreck the Communications console… yep, he broke that, too._  

    Syhale squirmed in his chair, frustrated at his helplessness.   _What to do now?  Ride it out, I suppose.  What I do need to do is make use of the gaper…_  He rose from the seat again and took a single step before clutching his fists together, his nails biting into his palms as he realized that the door to the hygieneblock of the sub wasn’t accessible… due to a large pile of bodies being stacked in front of it.  “YOU’RE DEAD, CLOWN!  DO YOU HEAR ME?  DEAD!  NOTHING WILL STOP ME FROM POUNDING YOU INTO A BLOODY PULP!”

    He tucked into the corpse pile in front of him and started tossing them aside.   _When I get back to Capitol, the death toll is going to rise very sharply.  I swear it…_

 

 

 

    “Are you certain you have her secured?”

    “Relax, Horuss; we’ll just tip the stretcher ever so slightly.  Her torso is strapped in so tight, she won’t move whatsoever,” Kayiuh said as she received Meulin’s stretcher from her colleagues and guided it into the sub’s hatch.  
  
    Horuss watched from the deck of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ to ensure that they were able to get Meulin through the opening without hurting her any further.  Beside him, two other members of the _Deep 8lue_ ’s crew had finished securing Aurana to another patient transport, this one considerably more modern than Zahhak’s makeshift one.  “How are you doing, Aurana?” he inquired.

    “I’ve… been better…” she wheezed.

    “Don’t talk, okay?” the orangeblooded woman attending her said, “You’ve got a punctured airsac and a badly broken chestbone.  Let’s try not to make it any worse.”  
Aurana nodded her understanding and struggled to keep her heavy eyelids open.  
  
    “Hey Poochie!  Chin up, girl!  You did good!”

    She lifted her head to see Felida waving to her from the deck of Victorious Butcher, five large metal canisters beside her.  A slow smile appeared on her features and she raised her left arm to wave back until the two people in charge of moving her stretcher asked her to hold still so they could take her down the gangplank to the waiting sub below.  
   
    Felida turned her attention to the last remaining occupant of the _Fool’s Gam8it_. “Horuss!  Catch!”

    He turned to see what it was he was supposed to catch and cried out when he realized it was one of the yellow canisters she had hurled in his direction.  He managed to get under it and caught it easily.  “Captain, you do realize you’re throwing radioactive fuel at me?”  

    “Yep,” she answered, hoisting another one with her cybernetic arm.  “And I can’t carry all five of these over and Kaerah at the same time.  Time is short, big guy!”  The next canister went airborne and she watched him scurry around until he was under it for the catch.

    “Do you have any idea how sweaty my palms are right now?”

    “I have a pretty reasonable guess.  Just wipe ‘em off on your outfit and get ready; one more coming at you. Bombs away!” she called out.

    “Indeed!”  Horuss got under the heavy yellow container and caught it up against his chest.  A minute later, Felida joined him, the other two under the crook of her left arm and Kaerah’s cage in her hand; the former Overseer of Capitol remained completely unconscious.  “Once I set her down, I don’t suppose you could help me get these beauties down below and then take her to the sub with you?”

    He wiped his brow with the back of his hand.  “Of course, Captain.”  Horuss effortlessly lifted all three fuel canisters at once and started down the stairs.  

    She followed him down, past the respiteblocks she spent much of her last seventy sweeps in.  “I see you’ve been doing some redecorating?  I don’t remember there being a skylight in there before.”

    “Heh.  I do apologize, Captain.  I promise I will do my best to repair it for you, Porrim and the Marquise as soon as able!”

    “Don’t worry about it,” she said quietly as they entered the engineblock.  “I’m about to do some serious redecorating myself.”

    “Oh?” he asked.

    Felida set her canisters down and dismissed this with a wave.  “I’ll explain later.  Let’s swap these out.  They’ll fit, right?”

    “Certainly!”  With practiced ease, Horuss lifted the spent canisters out of the metal tubes that lead to the _Fool’s Gam8it_ ’s main reactor and then slid the recently acquired replacements into place.  “Is there anything else I can do for you, Captain?”

    “Sure is: get your big sweaty ass down that gangplank and into that sub as quickly as you can.  You’ve done everything I could possibly ask of you; go be with Meu and Aurana and give Kayiuh a hand if she needs one.”

    “I… yes, I can do that.  What about you, though?”

    Felida looked over to the reactor; the monitors were flickering to life and showed the ship starting to reach full power.  “I’ll be along; I have a few things to attend to here first.”

    Horuss noticed the lights flickering to life and nodded.  “Very well.”

    He turned to go but stopped when Felida said, “Horuss?  One more thing.”

    “Yes, Captain?”

    The tiny oliveblood wrapped her arms around him as best she could in a tight hug; he gently placed his around her as well.  “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.  For me.  I can only imagine what it took for you to do what you did up there and you might never speak of it again, but know that Meu and Aurana are very grateful and so am I.  I don’t know what their situation is but whatever they need, I’m sure you’ll make it happen, just like you did for me way back when Aranea brought me to the island the first time.  So thank you.”

    “Er… I…”  Horuss opted to say nothing further but just gave Felida a slightly tighter squeeze.  

    They stayed like this for a few moments until she said.  “Okay, big fella, get hoofin’ it.  Don’t make me get my spurs out!”

    “Ha!  You just used a pair of horse references!  I did see what you just did there!”

    “Super.  Now get gone, okay?  I need to head to the bridgeblock and take care of the system reboot.”

    “Very well.  See you on the sub!”  Horuss left the engineblock and trotted up the stairs as quick as he could.  

    Once he was gone, Felida returned to the Captain’s respiteblock and took a long look.   _There was a lot of love in this place.  If there’s any luck to be had, there will still be more in another place and time._  

    She walked over to a dresser and extracted her fuzzy green tail.   _This is coming with me._  She pulled her shorts down slightly to expose the connection port and hooked up her third cybernetic appendage to her lower back.  Once that was done, Felida went over to the rack where Aranea stored her rum and selected a bottle.   _Hmmmmm… this shit is only four hundred sweeps old.  It’ll do._  She popped the bottle open and took a long series of gulps from it, savouring the sweet burn down her protein chute.  Once she’d had her fill, she upended the bottle and poured the remainder out onto the floor.  “Here’s to you, Aranea.  If it wasn’t for you and this fine ship, I wouldn’t be…”  Her voice hitched and she let the empty bottle drop to the floor; it broke but she paid it no mind.  

    Felida next pulled out a bottle of bloodwine that Porrim brought from the Mother Grub caves.  Out came the cork and down her throat it went.  “Bring her home, Porrim,” she said to the empty room.  “Kayolo, I wish I could call you.”  She took another swig and remembered the first time she tasted this on the night she met her matesprit.  “But I can’t.”  Felida straightened her back, finished the bottle’s contents and let it drop to the floor with the other empty vessel’s remains; she wiped her mouth with the back of her right hand where her matespritship token lived.  “So I’ll have to do it later.”

    Her resolve restored, Felida marched up the stairs and across the scarred foredeck; the fires were all out but much of the _Fool’s Gam8it_ ’s deck was still smoking or covered with the strewn remains of her crewmates and the Subjuggalators that invaded and fell.   _I will grieve later.  Provided I don’t just join them in the afterdeath myself, that is.  Enough of that melancholy shit; let’s do what needs to be done._  She entered the bridgeblock; it felt wrong somehow that she was the only one in it but she continued on to sit in the captain’s chair, damaged as it was.   _Note to self: get Horuss to build a better chair next time.  Preferably metal arms with a soft seat._    
“Rogue Leader, this is Blue Leader,” Felida said as she activated the Comm panel.  “Status report?”

    “All passengers on board and ready!” Kayiuh replied.  

    “And where are the Navy vessels?  Wait, never mind; I can call that up myself now.”  Felida reactivated the main viewscreen; once it winked to life, it displayed twenty five ships on a direct course to her position; some were nearly at their destination already.   _Shit… time’s almost up._

    “Do you see them, Captain?”

    “Sure do.  Okay, Kaiyuh, crash dive the sub right away; shoot for one hundred forty meters.  I’ll do what needs to be done here but keep that sonar going; you’ll see me, don’t worry.”

    “Will do, Captain.  Don’t worry about a thing!”

    “What, me worry?”  Felida made a dismissive wave.  “We got this.  Now get going, okay?  See you on the other side!”  When Kaiyuh gave her a sad look in reply, she quickly added, “The other side of the water, I mean!  Off you go!”

    “Yes, Captain!  See you soon!”

    _Damn straight_ , she thought as the link to her sub winked out.  Felida exhaled and opened a page on the command console she never believed she would ever have to.  “Computer, recognize Captain Felida Oceleo.”

    _“Recognized.  State your intended function.”_

_Here goes nothing…_  “Initiate self destruct sequence, countdown from one hundred.  Authorization code F-O-6-9-6-9.”

    A pause and then the main viewscreen displayed a large red “WARNING” before the computer stated, _“Authorization for self destruct sequence acknowledged.  Awaiting final confirmation code.”_

    Felida spoke slowly and deliberately, her mouth painfully dry.  “Zero – Zero – Zero – Destruct – Zero.”

    The screen went blank and every light in the room switched to red.   _“WARNING: SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED.  THIS IS NOT A DRILL.  COUNTDOWN ONE HUNDRED SECONDS.  EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.  THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER AUDIO WARNINGS.”_

_That’s my cue!  Sorry about blowing this ship up, Aranea; she was a fine one._  Felida leapt from the chair and made for the door, never looking back.  She ran to the bow of the ship and calculated her jump based on the last position of the _Deep 8lue_.  Just as she was about to make her leap over the side, a beam of blue light crackled by her head; she looked up to see a Navy battleship parked just off of the starboard bow and multiple other ships in close range.  A few of the crew were standing on their decks, obviously confused as to why their ships brought them here with no command from their captains to do so; some had decided – correctly – that the Gamblignants had something to do with it and were determined to blast her out of existence before she could do something further to them.   _Oh, wouldn’t that just be a delicious irony: getting zarked to death before I can jump to my death before the ship blows up.  Well, fuck you chumps; no one gets to kill me except me!_  

    She looked over the side at the water below, as dark as the sky above.  Felida filled her airsacs and placed a foot on the rail.   _Try not to think about the fact that this might be the last breath you ever take… So long,_ Fool’s Gam8it _; hope I don’t see you at the bottom!_  She jumped over the edge, put her feet together and held her body as straight as she could as she plunged into the cool water.  It didn’t take long for what little light she had available to disappear.   _Come on, Kaiyuh; don’t let me down!_  

    Felida’s airsacs began to ache.   _Sure wish I’d practiced holding my breath before doing this…_  Her metal appendages helped in getting her deeper that much faster but she had no idea what lay beneath her now; even her cybernetic eye found no light to work with – until it was flooded with a burst of energy from above.   _That’s it, then.  Looks like it’s a race to the bottom now.  Hope I don’t win…_

    A ball of pain began to form in her chest as the pressure on her airsacs began to squeeze the air from her; bubbles poured out from her mouth and nose and she was unable to stop them.   _Oh shit oh shit oh shit that HURTS PLEASE DON’T OH SHIT_

    Her mouth opened and the ocean rushed in; at first the pain doubled but disappeared after a few seconds.  Felida didn’t know if her eyes were open or not anymore; the cool sensation of the water rushing over her skin was almost relaxing, like climbing into the sheets of her bed.  

_So cold…_

_So dark…_

_So… dark…_

_My life… for you…_

_Aranea…_   



	64. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 63

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim is forced to fight her matesprit with both of their lives in the balance. Only one survives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a writer, it's really something to finally create a chapter that you've had in your head since you decided to write the story. A few things changed along the way, but the core of it remains and when you finally get to shape it, it's a neat experience. That aside, I hope you don't hate me too terribly for this; keep in mind this is perhaps the first half of a chapter...

**63.**  
  
    “I don’t want to fight you!  Please, Aranea!  Resist!”  
  
    The Condesce cackled.  “I don’t want you to fight her either, pondscum; I want you to die on the end of her sword!”  
  
    Aranea couldn’t speak; she advanced on Porrim, the cobalt blue blade of _Spider8ite_ pointed straight out at her target.   _Porrim, find a way out of here!  Fleeeeeeee!  While there’s still time!  
  
    I can’t!  I’m not leaving without you!  
  
    Then I’d draw this sword across my own throat if I could!  Whatever it takes to make you go!  
  
    ARANEA!   
  
    Fine.  Then I have a better idea!  Kill ME!_  
  
    Porrim’s expression spoke not only of the horror of the situation but also of confusion.   _What?  How?  You’re the one with the sword!  
  
    Look up!  
  
    What do you mean?  
  
    I mean LOOK UP!!!!!!!!_  
  
    Porrim looked skyward in time to see _Sufferer_ dropping from the ceiling; she quickly sidestepped it and scooped up the red and black sword as soon as it clattered to the deck.    
  
    The Condesce started looking around, feeling completely bewildered by not having any idea where this weapon came from.  “WHAT?  Tuna, what the hell is going on here?”  
  
D4MN3D 1F 1 KN0W 07H3R 7H4N Y0U M4K1NG 7H353 7W0 W0M3N F1GH7 34CH 07H3R WH1CH 15 JU57 7H3 L47357 1N Y0UR 53R135 0F R34LLY FUCK3D UP 7H1NG5 70 D0 1N 7H3 N4M3 0F 3N73R741NM3N7  
  
    She looked up at Alyssm who was still bound by a thick tentacle and suspended a few meters off of the ground, the accusation plain before it was even spoken.  “Did you have anything to do with that sword?”  
  
    Waleti shot her a look that suggested what she thought of that question.  “I’d shrug if I could.”  
  
00H 1 L1K3 H3R C4N W3 K33P H3R  
  
    “STOW IT.”  Meenah scanned the ceiling of the throneblock but found no one so she turned her attention back to Mindfang and her would-be rescuer.  “You haven’t perchforated her yet, Aranea?  I thought I taught you better than that.”  
  
    “Trying… not to… fight!” Mindfang said through gritted teeth.    
  
    “Well that would explain a lot,” the Condesce grumbled. “You’ve only got a few centuries’ worth of combat experience on this glubstart!  KRILL HER ALREADY!”  
  
    Aranea shook as she tried to expel the empathic persuasion but the force of the darkness behind it was still too much to shrug off entirely; it weighed down on her thinkpan, crushing her independent thought.   _This is horrible… How could I have done this to people?  
  
    Never mind that,_ Porrim thought back at her.   _Just keep resisting!  I can fend you off if need be._  
  
    For a moment, Porrim swore she could see Aranea’s cerulean eyes flash fuchsia.   _You may have to, dear heart._  Without warning, Mindfang leapt at her, feinting and attacking with her blade; Porrim was forced into a defensive stance and gave ground, seeking no attacks but only keeping her matesprit at bay as best she could.    
  
    “FUCKING STAB THE BEACH!” Meenah shouted.  “PUT HER OUT OF MY MISERY!”  
  
    Black and blue swords came together again and again; Porrim continued to deflect Mindfang’s expert attacks in the dim light of the throneblock but knew she was no match for one of the fiercest swordstrolls on Alternia.   _Even if she’s holding back, I can’t keep her at bay for long.  
  
    Porrim… I taught you everything I know.  If you need to use my own attacks against me, do so!    
  
    You know what I’m going to do before I do it,_ Porrim thought back at her.    
  
    Not really reading you right now… trying to oust Meenah from my thinkpan. </i>  
  
    Porrim discovered that she was starting to be pushed into a corner of the throneblock.  She countered three successive jabs; a fourth tore through the loose fabric that connected her mantle to the wrists of her robe.   _Hey!  
  
    You can fix it later!  Would you just kill me already?  
  
    I’m NOT killing you, Aranea!  
  
    What?  And you’d rather leave me in this beach’s… sorry, bitch’s claws?  Don’t subject me to that horrible fate.  End me!  
  
    It’s not… grr…_  “Damn it, Rae!  No!  This ends now!”  Despite having no obvious means of escape, Porrim lowered her _Sufferer_ and let it slip from her fingers; it clattered loudly on the metal deck as it came to rest.  “You found a way to save my life; I don’t believe you’ll kill me now.”  
  
    Mindfang’s eyes widened.  “You… don’t understand!  May not be… my… choice!”  She screamed and tried with all of her might to push the invading influence from her mind.   _GET OUT!!!!!!!!  
   
    NO!  KRILL HER, DAMN YOU!  I AM YOUR MATESPRIT!  SHE IS THE PRETENDER!  FINISH HER!_  
  
    Aranea shook as the fully formed command appeared in her thinkpan and sat upon her free will like an immovable weight.  “RUN, PORRIM!” she yelled as she advanced on her matesprit, her strange eyes wide and fierce, her hooked blue blade raised and poised to tear into its target.  
  
    “NO!  FIGHT IT!”  Porrim stood her ground and stared into Aranea’s eyes.  “I LOVE YOU!  YOU CAN STOP HER!”  
  
    “I… I…  Love… you… too…”  Aranea’s hand wavered at the top of her swing; her grip on the sword began to loosen and the blade fell slack.  
  
    The Condesce bared her teeth.  “ENOUGH!  FINISH HER!”  She closed her eyes and drew on every reserve she had to push Aranea to follow through.    
  
    Aranea’s grip tightened again… the sword begin to move forward.  
  
    The swing was interrupted by a bloodcurdling screech… from the Condesce.  Porrim looked past Aranea to see a shadowy figure embedded in her copious hair, struggling to get a grip around her neck.  A glint of light flickered in and out of existence and another chilling wail from the Empress as her assailant fell to the floor and scrambled away.  “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?!?!?!?!?!? TUNA!  WHERE THE HELL DID HE COME FROM?”  
  
1 H4V3 N0 1D34 WH47 Y0UR3 3V3N 74LK1NG 4B0U7  
  
    She stalked over to her navigator and launched a punch into his midsection; Porrim swore she heard bones crack.  “OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES!  LOOK AT ME!”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t entirely see what it was that had happened at first, but the Condesce’s hand was covered in fuchsia blood.  
  
    “HE CUT MY FUCKING FIN OFF!  HOW THE FUCK DIDN’T YOU SENSE HIM?”  
  
1M 50RRY  
  
    “Sorry doesn’t cut it this time, chum!”  Meenah hauled off and backhanded him across the face this time.  “I don’t care how; you find whoever that was and haul his bass in!  I’ll disembowel the nookstain and strangle him with his innards!”  She stormed over to where she had dropped her bitrident and picked it up; when she looked back to where Porrim and Aranea were, they were missing.  The first place she looked was the main doors; both women were sprinting for the exit.  “Not a chance in shell!”  The Condesce unleashed a bright torrent of pink energy from her golden weapon and the giant doors began to melt together.  “There’s no escape, beaches!  I’m SO not done with you two!”  
   
    Once the would-be-escapees stopped and turned to face her, Meenah pulled a long swath of hair away from her damaged fin and placed that prong of the bitrident which fired the beam up against the side of her face.  The hiss of hot metal on skin was quickly drowned out by a high-pitched keening sound; the reek of burnt flesh quickly filled the throneblock.  Once she had the bleeding staunched, the Condesce turned back to the other two women: Porrim and Aranea were standing beside one another, hand in hand. “Something tells me that whoever that knife-happy little shitspawn was, you’re responsible for bringing him here,” she said with her finger aimed directly at the jadeblood.  “Figures you’d have some kind of parasite attached to you.”  
  
    “Meenah, enough of this.”  Aranea stepped forward to place herself in front of Porrim.  “I’ve had enough.  You need to let us go.  You need to let ME go.”  
  
    “I don’t NEED to do ANYTHING; I’m the fucking EMPRESS, remember?  In fact, I think it’s high tide that I said shello to my people down below and reminded them of that fact.”  The Condesce turned on her heel and marched over to her primary console; a few button presses later and the screen showed her face, her hair adjusted to hide her recent injury.  “Good evening, Alternia!  Special treat for you folks on Condyvision tonight: a few hours ago I introduced you to my matesprit, Aranea Serket.  Well, guess what?  We have a visitor up here who likes to think SHE’S actually Aranea’s matesprit!  Here’s the best part: some of you with longer memories or longer lifespans might just remember her from such failed attempts at revolution as ‘The Sufferer’s Pathetic and Doomed Uprising’!  Her name is Porrim Maryam; she used to be called Dolorosa and despite my kindness in actually letting her live, she conchtinues to be a serious pain in the bass so here’s what I’m gonna do about it:  I’m gonna let Aranea here punch a few holes in her as a not-so-gentle reminder to any of you other land-loving shit-for-pans who are even dreaming about rising up as to why that would be a REELY BAD IDEA.  So without any further ado, let’s start the show!  Take it away, Aranea!”    
  
    The cameras in the throneblock panned over to where the other two women were standing.  Aranea could feel the intrusion into her thinkpan starting again but this time it was a shadow of what it was before.   _Has she used up her reserves?  Maybe that big push that Squish interrupted was her last gasp?  Either way, the tables may have turrrrrrrrned…_  “Hate to disappoint your viewers, Meenah,” she said with full emphasis on the Condesce’s name, “but I’m not punching any holes in my matesprit.  And you are definitely NOT my matesprit.”  
  
    “Um, what did you say?”  The Condesce attempted to induce her empathic suggestion again and was shocked when instead of drawing her sword again, all Aranea did was cross her arms and glare back.  
  
    “I’m done with you, red and black.  You’ve gone completely off the deep end and you’re too unstable to run this ship, much less a whole planet!  You have to know change is coming; do you think you can wipe out every single person on Alternia who disagrees with you?”  
  
    The Condesce locked eyes with Mindfang.  “Try me.  You know better than anyone that if it ever came to that, I would have no problem doing so.  In fact, your little target practice escapade set me back a couple of sweeps in that department.”  
  
    “You do realize you just said that to pretty much the entire planet, right?” Porrim deadpanned.  
  
    “LIKE I GIVE A GLUBBING FUCK!  There’s no one down there who can possibly harm me!”    
  
    Aranea grinned, showing off her fangs.  “And yet there’s one right here beside me now.”  She put her arm around Porrim’s waist for emphasis.  “And it only took her a few hours to get here.”  
  
    Meenah made a disgusted sound.  “Like she could possibly do anything to me!  And as for whoever your little ace in the hole was, his element of surprise is gone.  You betta pray I don’t see him in the next few minutes because if I do, I’ll turn him into grubsauce in front of the whole damn world!  Now, VICEROY, get your pretty blue sword out and turn it jade.”  
  
    “I’m going to chalk it up to you missing one of your fins that you can’t hear very well.  I told you I’ll do no such thing.”  Aranea moved to stand in front of Porrim again, shielding her with her body.  “Do you see this?” she asked, thrusting the hand that sported the jade ring in Meenah’s direction, “Porrim Maryam is my matesprit.  I’ll never hurt her.  Cronus Ampora tried and failed.  Funny, he ended up down a fin, too.  He also ended up down a life.  Now, unless you want a serious downgrade in your breathing status like Admiral Fishfood got…”  Aranea waited for Porrim to laugh and was not disappointed when the jadeblood started to giggle.  “…then you need to open those doors and let us go.”  She paused for a moment and sadly regarded the tall fuchsiablood before continuing, “There was a time I would have done anything for you, Meenah, but that time has come and gone.  Your time as empress has come and gone as well; step aside and let Alternians govern Alternia now.  Take this ship and just go.”  
  
    The rage spread across the Condesce’s features like a slow wave covering a beach.  “You DARE… to tell ME what to do?”    
  
    “It’s time someone did,” Porrim added.  “There’s no need for bloodshed of any colour.  Not now, not anymore.  That was what the Signless was trying to tell us.  You can still be a part of this world if you choose, but it’s time for everyone to have a say and that includes lowbloods and highbloods alike.  It’s not such an awful thing to consider, is it?”  
  
    “Seriously?  This world would fall apart at the seams without a firm hand to guide it!”  Meenah placed both hands on the shaft of her weapon and gripped it tightly.  “Just because I’m not always here doesn’t mean I’m not always in charge!  The Imperial Navy carries out my will across the seven seas and to all parts of the globe.  In fact, they managed to put an end to your latest sorry insurrection thanks to an order that came directly from your own mouth, Aranea!”  
  
    The speakers suddenly crackled to life and a peculiar metallic voice emerged from them.  “1 H473 70 BUR57 Y0UR BUBBL3 M33N4H 4C7U4LLY W417 N0 1 D0N7 H473 70 BU7 JU57 50 Y0U KN0W 7H3 3N71R3 N4VY FL337 Y0U D15P47CH3D 70 3L1M1N473 7H3 G4MBL1GN4N75 W45 C0MPL3T3LY D357R0Y3D 4B0U7 7W0 H0UR5 4F73R Y0U H4D H3R 0RD3R 7H3 4774CK”  
  
    “WHAT?”  The Condesce whipped her head in Mituna’s direction.  “Why didn’t you say something?”  
  
    “Y0U W3R3 700 BU5Y M3N74LLY 4ND PHY51C4LLY R4P1NG 4R4N34 1N Y0UR R35P173BL0CK 70 4C7U4LLY P4Y 4773N710N 70 4 N4V4L 0P3R4710N 1 GU355 W4Y 70 B3 4 L34D3R”  
  
    _Did we succeed?_ Porrim thought, almost afraid to let herself hope it was true.  
  
    _I sure hope so,_ Aranea replied mentally.   _The good news is that all of this is utterly damning to her; she’s being exposed as the sorry excuse for a ruler that she is and people are learning to that her forces can actually be defeated.  Mituna, you’re coming up huge here._  
  
    The Condesce gripped her weapon so tightly that Aranea thought she might actually snap it in half.  “That DOES IT!  This ends now, once and for all!  Say goodbye to your jadeblooded partner in crime, Tuna!”  
  
P0RR1M 1M 50RRY  
  
    _Don’t be,_ she thought back to him, _you’ve done so much for us.  We’ll figure a way out of this yet._  
  
    Aranea stood squarely in front of Porrim.  “No, Meenah.  You won’t kill her and you won’t kill me.”  
  
    _Are you sure this is a smart idea, Rae?  
  
    She won’t do it, Porrim.  Some things run deeper than blood.  
  
    I’m not so certain.  Be careful!  She’s not accustomed to being publicly embarrassed!_  
  
    Meenah aimed the prongs of her bitrident directly at the women.  “Move out of the way, Aranea.  Maybe if I finally finish her off, you’ll understand your place is at my side.”  
  
    “I will not move,” Aranea answered, her voice cool and even as she flung her Spider8ite off to her left for emphasis.  “I will not harm her and I will not let you harm her.  I’m not moving and now maybe you’ll understand that we’re done.  You’re done.  Lay it down.”  
  
    A tremor appeared in the Condesce’s arms; it made the gold bracelets and bangles she wore clatter.  “Done?  You think so?  No… we’re done when I SAY we’re done.  And the only way we’re ever done is when you’re dead and gone, Aranea.”  
  
    _Rae!  She means it!  
  
    She can’t do it.  She wouldn’t dare._  
  
    The pink glow began to form at the tip of the bitrident’s central prong.  
  
    Mindfang stood her ground, defiant.  
  
    _Aranea, please!_ Porrim pleaded.   _I love you!  Don’t do this!  
  
    I love you, too, dear heart.  Don’t worry, I got th…_  
  
    Brilliant light lanced forth from the Condesce’s weapon.  Before Aranea could finish her mental sentence, Porrim shoved her hard to the left; Mindfang fell to the ground as the beam tore into the jadeblood’s midsection and through her into the wall behind.  Porrim Maryam couldn’t even make a sound; her final breath escaped her airsacs from below as she slumped to her knees and then fell to the floor, already dead before her face hit the metal deck.    
  
  
  
  
    “What… what have you done?” Aranea asked as she crawled over to where Porrim Maryam’s lifeless body lay face down on the cold metal deck, jade blood seeping slowly from the head-sized hole in her midsection to form a slowly growing pool.   
  
    “What damn well NEEDED to be done!” Meenah thundered back.  “She was a leech, Aranea; just some bloodsucker stuck to you and feeding off of your successful life.”  She raised her bitrident to a vertical position and studied her handiwork.  “Yeah, she ain’t getting up again anytime soon.  Say your goodbyes and get over here where you belong already.”  
  
    Mindfang turned from her matesprit’s corpse.  “So you would have killed me?”  
  
    The Condesce sighed with exaggerated disbelief.  “Shell, no!  You were being ridiculous, standing in front of her like that!  I knew that weak-willed chowderhead would shove you out of the way instead of letting you take the hit and that’s exactly what happened.  Look, Serket, the ‘why’ or the ‘how’ doesn’t matter; what’s done is done.  If you still don’t know what you want after this, there’s nofin else I can do except to make up your mind for you.”  
  
    Aranea gently rolled Porrim over onto her back; her yellow and jade eyes were wide open, frozen in shock at the moment the Condesce’s attack ripped through her.   _You beautiful, selfless woman.  There truly was nothing you wouldn’t give.  She leaned in and pressed her lips to her matesprit’s; there was no sense of thought coming from the jadeblood, no sign of emotion or spark of life at all.  Thank you, dear heart, for everything.  I know you wouldn’t want it but I will avenge you.  I will finish what you started and free this world, no matter the cost; I’ve already paid the greatest price of all.  For you, I will end this.  All of it._  Mindfang slowly rose to her feet, drew a deep, shuddering breath and said, “I know what I want now.”  
  
    “Well, good!  About fucking time.  Wipe that green shit off your lips and let’s fill the world in on how we do things around here!”  
  
    The slender blueblood nodded and marched not towards Meenah and the main viewscreen but over to where _Spider8ite_ lay.  She crouched to retrieve her cobalt blade and then turned to face the Condesce and hissed, “I want you _dead_.”  She surged towards the Empress; Meenah had no time to fire a blast from her bitrident but quickly drew it up with both hands to absorb the savage blows Aranea began unleashing upon her.    
  
    “So this is how it’s gonna be?  I give you everything…”  Another loud clang against the shaft of her weapon interrupted her.  “And this is how you pay me back?  Knock this shit off right now, Aranea or next time I WILL aim for you!”  
  
    “THEN DO IT!”  Aranea took one step back and then feinted high with her blade but dropped to throw a leg sweep to try and bring the Condesce to the ground; Meenah countered by jumping up… and staying there.    
  
    Red and blue energy crackled around the Condesce as she hovered a short distance off of the ground.  “Don’t test me.  You know I’m your betta in ever way imaginable; you may be the second best around here but you’ll never be number one!”  
  
    “I don’t CARE!”  Mindfang jabbed twice in rapid succession but Meenah just floated out of reach.  “I don’t WANT this… this lackey position!” she shouted, crouching to prepare for her next attack.  “I only wanted HER!”  
  
    Meenah sighed.  “Look, if you need to have a cry, go ahead and let that weepy shit out in my respiteblock and we can deal with th-AIEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!”   
  
    Mindfang touched back down on the deck, _Spider8ite_ dripping a fuchsia puddle beside her.  A short distance away on the floor laid a long thick clump of black hair and a grayish-pink flap of skin.    
  
    “YOU CUT OFF MY OTHER FUCKING FIN YOU PSYCHOTIC BEACH!”  
  
    “I was aiming for your neck!” Aranea snarled back.  She whirled to face the Condesce again and crouched to spring a second time.  “Hold still so I can finish the job this time!”  
  
    When Mindfang leapt again, murderous intent plain on her face, the Condesce screamed and unleashed a torrent of psionic energy from her eyes that sent Aranea flying all the way back to the far wall near the respiteblock door; the impact created a hollow ringing sound that spoke of the force with which Aranea’s body struck it.  “ENOUGH!  STAY DOWN!”  The Condesce fired up her bitrident again and bit into her lip as she used it to cauterize her latest wound.  “I wish I could resurrect that greenblooded chunk of flotsam over there just so I could have her sew my fin back on and then kill her again and make you watch it!”  Her wound attended to, she turned her attention to her helmsman.  “Tuna!  Did you find that other fin-slicing wretch yet?”  
  
F1ND H1M Y0UR53LF Y0U FUCK1NG MURD3R3R 1M BU5Y L1573N1NG 70 MY B0N35 KN17  
  
    “Impudent globesac!” she spat back.  “If you don’t find him in the next twelve minutes, I’m going to give you a lot more broken bones to listen to!”  The Condesce looked up towards Alyssm Waleti, still ensnared and indigo streaks on her face from having to witness her friend’s violent passing.  “Or maybe I’ll just squish this one and you can listen to hers break instead!  How’s that sound, chum?”  
  
1 TH1NK Y0U B3TT3R 7URN 4R0UND M33N4H  
  
    She did so to witness Aranea getting to her feet, the pain from the blow visible in her slow movements; a trickle of her cerulean blood was under her bottom lip from where she bit herself at the moment of impact.  “You have two choices, Aranea,” she said, leveling her golden weapon directly at Mindfang again, “sit the fuck back down and cry it out or get on your knees and apologize.  The whole coddamn world is literally watching you right now so choose wisely.”  
  
    In reply, Mindfang nodded slowly and deliberately.  “What do… I usually do when… urgh… someone gives me… only two choices?”  
  
    Meenah frowned.  “Find a third.  Don’t even think about trying that here.  And what do you think you’re doing?”  
  
   Aranea’s hand was inside of the pocket of her long, black jacket; when it emerged, she was clutching a handful of blue shapes.  “What I do besssssssst: playing the odds.”  The shapes fell from the cage of her long fingers to the deck: eight blue octahedrons began to glow as each hit with a soft metallic clink.    
  
    Each one’s top face displayed a series of six dots in a circle with a seventh in the center of the ring and an eighth just outside.    
  
    Aranea felt a deep warmth rising from inside of her skin… and then bursting out of it.  All she could see was blinding white; she sensed her feet leaving the ground and felt not fear but an eerie calm.   _Is this death?  Was that the final joke of those fucking dice?  Roll all eights and die?  No… this is… the opposite of that?  I feel refreshed… healed… but it’s going far, far beyond that!_    
  
    The glow subsided at last and Aranea found herself looking straight across the room at the Condesce, neither woman’s feet were touching the floor.  Meenah was blinking and squinting as she regained her vision.  “What the glubbing fuck… Waitaminute… wings?  You have WINGS?  HOW THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE WINGS????????”   
  
    Aranea spoke and found her voice seemed to have a strange hint of an echo to her own sponge clots.  “I… don’t know?”  
  
    “I always told you those stupid dice were bad news; you should be lucky your horns didn’t fall off or something!”  The Condesce appraised her again and scowled.  “And orange really isn’t your colour, Serket.”  
  
    _What is she… oh… OH!_  Aranea looked down at her body: the black jacket that was her moirallegiance token remained but now her blouse and skirt were now a rich orange colour and long red tendrils billowed out from the collar.  A strange symbol in yellow that resembled a star now resided upon her chest as well.  She moved her left leg forward; she was indeed floating above the floor but was pleased to see that her red boots remained.   _At least the dice didn’t take away the important clothes this time._  A quick peek over her left shoulder confirmed the presence of blue gossamer wings keeping her aloft; they reminded her of Rufioh’s but hers seemed more elaborate.   _The spots on them match the spots on the dice… which match the spots of my eyes.  What ARE these dice, anyway?_  
  
    “Hey!  Aranea!  Quit gawking at your pretty wings and look over here!”  
  
    Meenah’s shout shook her from her reverie.  “Wha-” A fuchsia blast streamed towards Aranea and without a conscious thought, she dodged to the left, narrowly evading the beam’s path.  “What the hell, Meenah?”  
  
    “Just seeing how fast you could move.  Pretty clam quick, I gotta admit!”  The Condesce’s toothy smirk renewed Aranea’s rage.  “You’re like the weirdest fucking flutterby I’ve ever seen!  I’m conchpletely out of flowers if you need a drink, but I know that flutterbys also like to drink blood if there’s nofin else around.  We’ve got plenty of that over there!”  She used the bitrident to gesture to Porrim’s inert form, the pool of jade still growing around her.  “Go on; help yourself.”  
  
    “You realize this is the end, right?” Aranea said, her gaze locked on Meenah’s.  “The end of us and the end of you.”  
  
    “It ends when I SAY it ends!” Meenah shouted back; she was unable to keep her voice from betraying the emotions that she wanted to suppress.  “Dammit, Aranea, we could have ruled the galaxy together!  How could you throw that away for some cave-dwelling wretch?  She’s DEAD!  Let her go and stay with me!  I’ve wanted you for centuries longer than she lived!  Don’t throw this away!  Don’t throw us away…”  
  
    _Is she actually crying?_  Aranea extended her left arm to the side; _Spider8ite_ flew to her hand and she aimed the tip of the sword directly at the Condesce.  “Sorry, Meenah, but it’s way too late for that now.  You ended ‘us’ a long time ago.  Now I’ll end you – for her and all of us!”   _Let’s see what this can doooooooo…_  A brilliant blue beam lanced forth from the blade and while Meenah was able to dodge, the heat of it melted a patch along the side of her tight black outfit.    
  
    The Condesce gritted her teeth in a sneer of pain and fury.  “So be it.”  She unleashed a screech and flew full tilt in a shell of blue and red energy towards the glowing Aranea.  The blueblood launched beams of blue in her direction but they glanced off of the psionic shield that propelled the Empress at her and into other parts of the throneblock.    
  
H3Y W47CH 17 N07 L1K3 1 C4N D0DG3 7H053   
  
    _Shit!  Sorry!_  
  
D0N7 W0RRY 4B0U7 M3 W3LL TRY N07 70 H17 M3 1F Y0U D0N7 W4N7 U5 70 PLUMM37 1N70 7H3 47M0SP3R3 4ND K1LL 4 WH0L3 BUNCH 0F P30PL3 WH3N W3 CR45H BU7 WH473V3R 7H053 CR4ZY N3W P0W3R5 Y0UV3 G07 G01NG 0N 7H3R3 4R3 7AK3 H3R D0WN 1F Y0U C4N  
  
    Aranea wanted to reply but the Condesce was already on top of her; she raised her sword and braced for the coming impact.  Their weapons met but the force with which Meenah crashed into her sent them both back into the wall, creating an echoing thud as they fell to the deck.  Aranea’s vision swam as she tried to get her bearings.   _Ugh… where did she… oh!_  She felt the Condesce’s hand gripping her throat and squeezing; Meenah’s face was a blur but the smug smile of satisfaction was impossible to miss.  
“A new dress isn’t going to save you, beach.  Such a waste, Aranea.  I did everything I could to… to…. rrrRRRRGHHOWWW!”    
  
    The lock on Aranea’s throat suddenly released and she gulped in a breath and made to push Meenah off of her but Meenah had already staggered back a few steps, the hand wrapped around her windpipe a few moments prior was physically smoking.   _Well, that’s definitely new!_  She got to her feet and made to grab for _Spider8ite_ but this time it was ensconced in red and blue light and hurled to the opposite side of the room.    
  
    “I seriously don’t know what the fuck is going on here, Aranea, but I’ve had enough.  No more sharp objects, no more silly toys.  I did my damnedest to get through to you but I clearly misjudged you.”  With her functional left hand, she brandished the bitrident to fire a beam through Aranea as she did to the jadeblooded intruder before.  “Time to die.”  
  
    _If there’s anything else I can do now that might help, this would be the time to do it!_  Aranea felt the warmth under her skin begin to glow white hot, as though whatever it was that burned inside of her would incinerate her if it continued unchecked; the heat of it was indescribable but what amazed her was that it didn’t hurt at all.  Aranea bared her fangs and spat, “I can make that happennnnnnnn…”  The throneblock began to fill with blinding white; Meenah staggered backwards covering her face as best as she could with her charred right hand, spouting curses and trying to regain a sense of where she was.  Aranea replied by intensifying the energy that poured from her body.   _This ENDS, Meenah!  Now BURRRRRRRRN!!!!!!!!_    
  
    Since her own radiance blinded her as well, Aranea couldn’t see what this was doing to Meenah but there was nothing but silence.  
  
    _Mituna?  How are you doing over there?_  
  
1M F1N3 BU7 7H15 15 M0R3 L1GH7 7H4N H347 175 L1K3 Y0UR3 7RY1NG 70 C00K 4 F15H W17H 4 J4R FULL 0F LUM1N35  
  
    A cackle from somewhere in front of Aranea confirmed this quite plainly.  
  
    _Oh shit…_  
  
    “Thanks for the pretty light show, Aranea, but I’m thinking you can’t keep it up forever.  As soon as I find you, you’re gonna wish your traitorous bass had never been hatched…” 


	65. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 64

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea Serket seeks to avenge the death of one of her former matesprits at the hand of the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all I can say. This is one of the biggest moments of this story, envisioned many, many months ago. Bring tissues. 
> 
> And yet, there's something bigger yet to come... 
> 
> Note: if you would like a song to listen to as you read the first part of this chapter (well, start it at the part after the big italics block there), put on "Blinding" by Florence + the Machine. I still plan to release some kind of a soundtrack for this story when it's done.

  
** 64. **

    _So… dark…_

_It is said that the night is always darkest before the sun rises, Porrim.  And that is the truth._

_Lamiea?  How?  Where am I?  I can’t see you… I can’t see anything!_

_Be calm, Sister.  This is the end of the beginning._

_What do you mean?  Am I…_

_If you’re asking if you are dead, the answer is yes… and no._

_That doesn’t explain much, Your Elegance…_

_Your body is undergoing a metamorphosis.  Think of your previous existence as another sort of larval stage if you will.  When it is complete, you will look no different than you did before but you will be much different._

_How so?  How is this even possible?_

_Porrim, you left long before your training was complete so I cannot fully explain it all here and now.  What you already know is that you are part of a long line of women that carry the blood of our lusus within us.  What you need to know is that we gained special abilities as part of our pact to serve her… and defend her.  When it appeared to any foe that sought to harm her that we had fallen in our duty, we would be able to rise again and take them by surprise.  All that we needed to do so was a little sunlight, something that most Alternians cannot stand. When the risk of serious danger to the Mother Grub lessened over the sweeps, we made an effort to help our sistren go through the change under more controlled conditions and then we only allowed half of our number to do so at one time.  On occasion, however, that isn’t possible, especially when a Sister does not return from her sojourn and she goes through it under more… unfortunate circumstances.  Such as this one._

_Did… did Aranea survive?_

_I cannot say for certain but if you are dead, she is likely not.  Your passing spoke to me as it does when any of our sistren make this transition from life to afterlife; as Grand Maryarch, it is up to me to help you find your way in the dark.  Normally there are two others to assist me but alas, due to recent events, there is only one._

_Wait… there is?  Has Baraka…_

_No, Porrim; Baraka has not yet made the transition and I am not entirely certain she will be able to.  Time will tell._

_But the three we lost at the Caves… all were naught but ashes.  Can we recover from that?_

_Again, no.  We are supernatural but we are not invincible.  We can recover from wounds that most cannot bear but there are states from which revival is not possible. We all owe a death as this is the price we pay for our life; so it shall be done.  Even Empresses die, after all._

_So that means… Kayolo?  She’s…_

_A rainbow drinker, yes, just as you are about to be.  She feared it so, Porrim; that fear moved her to take your kismesis as her matesprit so swiftly, but now that she is fully realized, she wonders what all the fuss was about._

_Does Felida know?_

_She does.  Both chose to keep this from you because they wanted you to learn it from me when it was your time.  Kayolo is here with me now._

_Hey, Porrim!  Sorry about not telling you.  Part of me wanted to keep you from knowing the whole story because maybe you’d get to live out your life without thinking too hard about this whole Drinker business.  You left before you found out what happens in the Sunchamber._

_Oh, I found out about what happened in the Sunchamber!  Felida wouldn’t shut up about it for nights afterward!_

_Heh… yes, well… never mind that!  This is different.  One of the things you need to know is that the actual “rainbow drinker” part is quite real.  Bloodwine helps a lot.  But now and then you are going to need to feed and it has to be blood.  The good news is that if you’re in good shape, you don’t need all that much or to feed all that often and the people that choose to help you out – like Felida in my case – get the benefit of living a lot longer.  Which reminds me, try not to drink her dry, please and thanks?_

_I’ll do my best but no promises if she’s being a brat._

_And like your matesprit isn’t one!  Felida tells me all the juicy stuff!_

_Oh dear…_

_Sisters, focus please.  Porrim, you need to know this: the first feeding is the hardest.  You will experience a hunger the likes of which you have NEVER known before, particularly if one has suffered as grievous an injury as you have.  You will be able to function for a short time without blood if you have been awakened by sunlight but you must feed and as soon as possible._

_About that sunlight, Your Elegance.  It may be a problem as I’m… in space._

_Yes you are.  On the Condesce’s starship no less, I see._

_Wait… You saw?_

_Of course.  We do have Condyvision whether we like it or not, remember.  The whole planet saw your selfless sacrifice._

_That’s all well and good but where am I supposed to get this sunlight?_

_My dearest Porrim, sometimes light can be found in the most unlikely of places.  Kayolo was killed by a Screamarine while inside of the Caves.  This is why all of the light in the Caves is sunlight collected from vents to the outside and transmitted through conduits: just in case a Sister should perish defending her home and need to resurrect quickly.  You, on the other hand, may find that the brightest light shines from within.  There!  Do you see it!_

_I… I do!_

_Follow the light!  Hurry directly to it!  Drink it in and when it almost seems too bright to bear, open your eyes and you will be back in the world from whence you came._

_I… thank you, Your Elegance._

_Lamiea!  You are more than welcome to speak my name anytime you like, remember?  I owe you a gratitude that goes beyond this bond that we share deep within our genes.  We are more than Sisters; we are friends._

_And some of us are even more inclade than that!_

_Thanks for reminding me, Kayolo; you should hear what Felida had in mind the other night…_

_Oh, I know all about it…  We’ll talk later!_

_What your Sister and I are trying to say is GO!  Be born again into this world and may your afterlife be as full as your first life!_

_And so it shall be done!  I will do my best, Lamiea!_

_I know you will.  Now go!  Walk in the daylight and RISE UP…_

 

 

 

    “I know you’re there, Aranea; I can hear you breathing.  I’ll just follow that sound and make it stop aboat the same time as I find you.”

    Aranea could still feel the heat and light pouring off of her in waves.   _The problem is that I’m just as blind as she is right now._  

1 C4N GU1D3 Y0U 74K3 7HR33 573P5 70 7H3 L3F7 4ND 7H3N 31GH7 B4CKW4RD5

    _Of course… you can sense us both!_

Y3P JU57 D0 17 QU1CK 5HE5 5W1NG1NG 7H47 B1TR1D3N7 4R0UND 4ND 1F 5H3 H175 Y0U Y0UR3 D0N3 1M 4L50 7RY1NG 70 7HR0W H3R 0FF 0F Y0UR 7R41L

    _Thank you.  I just can’t find my sword and I don’t want to risk injuring you or Alyssm or Squish with a blind shot._

JU57 K33P M0V1NG 574R7 W4LK1NG 70 Y0UR R1GH7 N0W 4B0U7 7W3N7Y P4C35

    “Oof!”   _Where’d that chair come from?_

1M 50RRY 1 C4N 53N53 L1V1NG 7H1NG5 N07 50 G00D 47 7H1NG5 7H47 4R3N7

    _Like Porrim_ , she thought before she could stop herself.  

Y34H L00K L375 F1ND 4 W4Y 70 G37 Y0U 7HR0UGH 7H15 4L1V3 4ND W3 C4N M0URN H3R 4F73R

    Aranea wracked her thinkpan for a way to do just that.   _I’m unarmed save for an attack that might harm others.  I have to find my sword and then come up with a way to find Meen_ -“AH!!!!!!!”  She fell to the deck, her hand reaching for her lower left thigh which was now smouldering from a burn.

    “There you are…”  The Condesce’s mocking laugh echoed in the throneblock.  “I thought I heard you run into something.  I can’t let you run those lovely legs of yours off so I figured I might as well help you off your feet.”

    The light that emanated from Aranea’s body began to flicker and fade; she tried to scramble to a standing position but that was impossible; the smoking burn on her left leg was at least cauterized by the blast but there was little she could do to escape.  She could make out the barest hint of a shadow created by Meenah’s tall figure; her horns made it obvious who the silhouette belonged to.  The next visible shape belonged to the golden bitrident being moved in a sweeping motion, a magenta glow on the tips of the prongs.  “Was it worth it, Aranea?  You got your sorry excuse for a matesprit krilled and now you’re going to end up as nothing more than a stain on my throneblock floor.  All those sweeps you spent as Marquise Spinneret Mindfang conchpletely wasted and to think you could have spent the rest of them in my respiteblock instead.  I’m going to make sure that by ten sweeps from now, no one will remember you by any name.  Your failure is complete.”  

    The glow from the bitrident stopped moving and then Aranea knew that she had been spotted as the ghostly image of Meenah began to sharpen.  “Shoal long, Aranea.  Hard as it might be for you to believe, this is gonna hurt me more than it will-”

    The rest of the Condesce’s sentence ended in a whispered wheeze as her throat was punctured by a pair of long fangs.  Aranea’s blurry vision detected another black shape surrounding Meenah and then a fountain of fuchsia erupted, covering everything around in bright pinkish hues.  

    _WHAT?  MITUNA, WHAT’S GOING ON????????_

1 H4V3 N0 1D34 4LL 1 H34RD W45 M33N4H 74LK1NG 4ND N0W 5H35 FR34K1NG 7H3 FUCK 0U7 WH47 D0 Y0U 533

    The thrashing movements in front of her were nothing but streaks and blurs but Aranea could clearly hear the awful gasping sounds that would be screams had there been any air to feed them, punctuated by loud sucking and wet inhalations.   _What’s happening there?  She’s only a few meters in front of me but…_

    A hand touched hers and she started violently.  “Who…”  Her eyes were able to confirm a friendly face at her side and she relaxed.  “Squish?  But if you’re here then who…”

    He leaned in close to her left sponge clot and whispered one word.  “Porrim…”

    _Dear heart… could it be?  Can you hear me calling?_

    There was no reply either audible or emotional, only the continued smacking noises and the loud clatter of the Condesce’s bitrident as it hit the metal deck.  A few moments later, this was followed by a soft thump that spoke of a limp body falling to the floor.  

    “Porrim?” Aranea asked.  

    The dark shape approached; as it did so, Aranea was able to discern a bright patch in the center of it but what baffled her was that as the figure drew nearer, that hole became smaller.  The shape became clearer as parts of it started to glow; it was a softer light than what Aranea had been emitting but it was unquestionably light that shone from the figure’s face and arms – and abdomen as the hole seemed to disappear.  The softly shining hand reached down and took Aranea’s reaching one into her own.  “She was right, Rae; orange really doesn’t look good on you.”

    “PORRIM!!!!!!!!”  Aranea moved to pull herself up using Porrim’s hand but was easily lifted from the deck as though she weighed nothing.  She tried to balance herself but stumbled as she tried to stand on a left leg that was unable to bear her; Porrim quickly put her arms around her matesprit and held her up.  “How?”

    “It turns out the Drinker legends were true.  All of them.”  Porrim squeezed Aranea and placed her head on the blueblood’s shoulder.  

    Tears flowed unabated down Aranea’s face.  “Dear heart, I thought I lost you.”

    “I found my way back, thanks to your light.”

    Aranea leaned in and kissed her; Porrim’s lips felt cooler than she had ever remembered but she didn’t care – all that mattered was that her matesprit was back in her arms again – and yet there was something very strange about the stickiness she found there.  “Porrim… your lips taste kinda… funny…”

    “Like airspun confection!  I know!”

    “It’s okay to call it cotton candy, love.  That certainly wasn’t the flavour I had in mind but…”

    Both women felt a tight embrace around their midsections as another head squeezed between them at chest height.  “Squish!” Porrim shouted, putting one arm over his back and pulling him in while making sure she kept Aranea upright.  

KN0W WH475 R34LLY W31RD 1 C4N 533 7HR33 P30PL3 BU7 1 C4N 0NLY 53N53 0N3 4R4N34 W0ULD Y0U M1ND 4SK1NG D4RL1NG P0RR1M 1F 5H3 C0ULD C0M3 S4Y H3LL0

    “Oh!  Of course!  Porrim, I think an old friend of yours would like to see your lovely face again.”

    Porrim’s face glowed a touch brighter.  “Mituna!  Aranea, can we turn around?”

    “Yeah, I think so.”  The three of them circled to face the suspended goldblood, Squish doing his best to help support the injured Aranea.  They began to slowly cross the throneblock; Aranea looked up to see the tentacle that had bound Alyssm was beginning to unfurl.  “I suspect you may need some assistance as well, Alyssm?”

    “You suspect correctly; I’m not a fan of plummeting to metal floors from great heights.”

    Squish looked up at Aranea but it was Porrim that answered, “Go ahead; I’ve got her.”  The redblood nodded and set of to catch Waleti.  As they continued, Porrim and Aranea approached the Condesce’s fallen form.  “That tentacle is really drooping; she must have controlled them directly?”

    “Something like that,” Aranea said, “but it makes me wonder if she’s…”

571LL 4L1V3 Y35 BU7 B4R3LY

    Aranea swallowed hard; Porrim tried to turn her away.  “You really don’t want to see that, Rae.”

    “No, please.  I have to.”

    Porrim said nothing but helped her matesprit over to where the Condesce lay.  Aranea’s normally ironclad constitution almost faltered at the sight: the Empress of Alternia face first on the floor, surrounded by pools of her bright fuchsia blood now starting to congeal; the gaping wound on her neck that allowed that blood to escape her body ragged, a piece visibly absent.  What startled her most was that the normally skintight bodysuit that Meenah wore hung slack on her frame and what Aranea could see of her skin on her face and arms was sickeningly gaunt and withdrawn as her body was nearly void of fluid and life.  Her mouth moved, gaping open and shutting as she tried to draw a breath that could never come.  “Gods… what is keeping you alive?  Hate?  Anger?  Let those go, Meenah.  Just let go.  Please.”

5H3 C4N7 5H3 W4N75 70 54Y 50M37H1NG 70 Y0U

    Aranea’s throat tightened.   _I need to let my anger go as well.  What is it?_  

K1LL M3

    “She needs me to end her, Porrim,” Aranea whispered.

    Porrim’s hand flew to her mouth; her fingers picked up a fresh coat of fuchsia from them.  “Don’t tell me…”

    Aranea scanned the room for her sword and found it near the viewscreen.  With a thought, she summoned Spider8ite to her hand again and took it in a reverse grip.  “Bring me closer, dear heart.”  Porrim did so; they stood beside the Condesce who looked up at them with pleading eyes.  “You were wrong, Meenah: this hurts me more than you’ll ever know.  And it hurts because it didn’t have to be this way.  Did you ever think that no one would be able to hear your last words?  You probably never even thought you’d ever need any.  Sorry… nobody lives forever.”

    “Even Empresses die, after all…” Porrim whispered.

    “Yeah.  What she said.  Good bye, Meenah - or should I say, shoal long.”  Aranea plunged the blue sword through the Condesce’s back, knowing it would puncture her pusher and still it once and for all; very little blood escaped the Empress’s body as the blade slipped in and through her with the barest resistance.

    Meenah Peixes’s head slumped back to the floor and her eyes clouded over into a filmy opaque white, her gasping forever stilled.

    Aranea and Porrim stood over the dead Empress for a few moments; it was Aranea who finally broke the silence.  “You drank her blood, didn’t you?”

    “I did, yes.”

    A long breath.  “Will this be my fate as well somenight?”

    “What?  No!  Oh no, not at all,” Porrim answered.  “I’ll explain it as best I can later but you never need to worry.  In fact, I think we’re going to have a very long and happy life together.”

    A vibration in the deck of the ship began to suggest otherwise.

1 H473 70 73LL Y0U 7H15 4R4N34 BU7 7H47 M1GH7 B3 4 B17 PR3M47UR3

    “Let me guess,” Aranea said, scanning the console, “she had a death-triggered self-destruct mechanism.”

Y0U KN0W H3R WH47 D0 Y0U 7H1NK

    “Riiiiiiiight.  Okay, everyone, we have a new problem.  Time to get out of here and fast.  How long to we have, Mituna?”

7W3LV3 M1NU735

    “Of course it would be twelve minutes.  Any escape pods handy?”

5UR3 7H3YR3 0N 7H3 07H3R 51D3 0F 7H053 D00R5 Y0U KN0W 7H3 0N35 7H47 4R3 PR377Y MUCH WELD3D 5HU7 0V3R 7H3R3

    “Yeahhhhhhhh…”

7H3 G00D N3W5 15 7H47 M33N4H W0ULDN7 4CC3P7 35C4P1NG 1N 5UCH P3D357R14N V3553L5 50 5H3 H4D H3R R35P173BL0CK C0NV3R73D 1N70 0N3 1F Y0U 4LL CL1MB 1N51D3 1 C4N 53ND Y0U 0N Y0UR W4Y BU7 F1R57 PL3453 73LL P0RR1M 7H47 5H3 M1GH7 W4N7 70 54Y 4 F3W BR13F W0RD5 70 7H3 R357 0F 7H3 W0RLD 7H3 K3Y W0RD H3R3 B31NG BR13F

    Aranea gave him a questioning look.  “Wait, what?”

H3LL0 C0NDYV1510N H45 B33N 0N 7H3 WH0L3 71M3 7H3 3NT1R3 FUCK1NG PL4N37 JU57 W47CH3D Y0U 7W0 D33P 51X 7H3 3MPR355 7H15 W0ULD B3 4N 1D34L 71M3 70 L37 7H3M KN0W WH47 7H3 PL4N 15 4ND M4Y 1 0NC3 4G41N 3MPH451Z3 7H3 W0RD BR13F

    Porrim hung her head.  “I wish I could hear what he’s telling you.”

    “You’re about to; let’s head for the viewscreen for a moment.”  Aranea shifted her body and let Porrim help her towards the main console.  “Now, our dear friend Mituna has asked you to say hello to a few billion of our new best friends watching on Condyvision.  As of right now, there’s a bit of a power vacuum and someone needs to fill it – ideally, someone with a plan that involves a better life for everyone, no matter their blood colour.”

    Porrim made to open her mouth and no reply came.  

    “Oh, and you’re gonna want to make this one quick.  He also said this ship is about to go kaboom in about… how long now?”

3L3V3N M1NU735 4ND F1F733N 53C0ND5

    “Eleven and change minutes so let’s make this a brief introduction and then you can do it up right once we get back home, how’s that sound?”

    “Um… yes, sure!”  Porrim cleared her throat and drew herself up as straight as she could without letting Aranea slip.  “People of Alternia, the Fuchsia Reign is over and the Line of Peixes has ended!  Fifty sweeps ago, a man I called my son and one you knew as The Signless was put to death for daring to suggest that someone other than the Empress rule this world and that people of all bloodcolours deserved to be treated equally.  Now that Her Imperious Condescension has fallen, that dream can become a reality!  It won’t be easy and it won’t be overday, but I call on all of you to rise up and find a new place in this world: shoulder to shoulder with one another.  Don’t let old prejudices blind you; this applies to both highbloods and lowbloods!  Lay down your weapons and your grievances and let’s work together to forge a new future!  I am Porrim Maryam and this MY matesprit, Aranea Serket; we are living proof that anyone can change the world if they try!”

    Aranea gave a quick tug on Porrim’s outfit.  “Tick tock, love.”

    “Right.  Alternia, we will see you soon!  Be good to one another!”

0K4Y GR347 W0RK N0W L375 G37 Y0U 4ND 3V3RY0N3 3L53 0N 7H3 5H1P 0N 7H31R W4Y  

    The screen winked out and was replaced by a countdown while a synthesized voice made an announcement that echoed through the ship.  

7H47 5H0ULD D0 17 50 73LL P0RR1M 7H47 W45 4 GR347 5P33CH 4ND N0W UNL355 Y0U F0LK5 H4V3 4N07H3R 4C3 UP Y0UR 5L33V35 47 L3457 M4YB3 N0W 7H3 3N71R3 P0PUL4710N 0F 4L73RN14 C4N D13 FR33

    For the second time in a matter of minutes, Aranea tried to process what Mituna was telling her.  “Did you just… er… think what I thought… you thought?”

    Squish and Alyssm walked over to join them.  “I heard it, too,” Waleti said, looking up at the helmsman.  “What do you mean?”

0KAY W47CH 7H3 SCR33N W3 D0N7 H4V3 71M3 F0R 7H15 70 B3 70LD 7W1C3 4ND 1 R34LL7 N33D P0RR1M 70 KN0W 17 700

    The main viewer came back on with this script:  FR0M WH47 M33N4H 70LD M3 1F 5H3 5H0ULD D13 4ND 7H3R3 W45 N0 H31R H3R LU5U5 W0ULD B3C0M3 50 UP537 7H47 5H3 W0ULD R3L3453 4 P510N1C 5CR34M 50 L0UD 7H47 17 W0ULD K1LL 3V3RY 51NGL3 TR0LL 1N 7H3 G4L4XY UNF0R7UN473LY M33N4H 1N H3R 1NF1N173 FUCK1NG W15D0M 5UPR3553D 7H3 H47CH1NG 0F 4 N3W H31R355 BY N07 P41L1NG W17H 4NY0N3 54V3 F0R Y0U 4R4N34 4ND 7H053 7W0 P00R J4D3BL00D5 5H3 CL41M3D 4NY P073N714L H31R35535 FR0M Y0UR M471NG W3R3 CULL3D 5W33P5 4G0 BU7 1 H4V3 N0 1DE4 1F 4NY7H1NG C4M3 0F 4 P41L W17H 7HR33 C0L0UR5

    “Would you believe it did and that she’s one of the Solemn Sisters?” Porrim said.

W0W 1M GL4D 70 H34R 17 5H3 H4V3 4NY G3N0CID4L 73ND3NC135 47 4LL

    “Um… well, she is pretty good at killing things.”

1 B37 4NYW4Y 1 D0N7 KN0W 1F 7H47 W0ULD B3 3N0UGH 70 5473 7H3 LU5U5 50 WH473V3R V00D00 Y0UR3 U51NG 70 K33P H3R 45L33P Y0U B3773R H0P3 Y0U C4N K33P 17 UP F0R 0H 1 D0N7 KN0W F0R3V3R 0R 3L53 W3R3 4LL 70457 W3LL Y0U GUY5 4R3 1V3 G07 4B0U7 7EN M1NU735 70 L1V3 MY53LF 4ND 17 W0ULD R34LLY M4K3 MY N1GH7 70 KN0W Y0U 4LL M4D3 17 0U7 4L1V3

    “I suppose we should get going,” Aranea said.  “Besides, reading all of that was really hard on my eyes.”

H4H4 0K4Y 53R10U5LY L375 4LL G37 0N 7H3 L457 H0V3RBU5 F0R 4L73RN14 B3F0R3 7H15 CR473 74K35 4 0N3 W4Y 7R1P 70 0BL1V10NV1LL3 4ND 1M DR1V1NG B33P B33P 3V3R7B0DY 0U7 0F 7H3 G0D D4MN WAY 1 G07 4 5H1P FULL 0F H0RR0RT3RR0R 4N 3NG1N3 FULL 0F 4N71M4773R 4ND 4 H34D FULL 0F H3R01C4LLY 5U1C1D4L 1N73N710N5

    “That was hardly serious,” Porrim said, caught somewhere between laughing and choking up.  

WH47 D0 Y0U M34N 7H15 15 53R10U5 BU51N355 R1GH7 H3R3 C0M3 54Y Y0UR 50 L0NG5 4ND 7H3N G0 7H15 7H1NG 15 G01NG 70 H4V3 QU173 7H3 BL457 R4D1U5 50 7H3 L0NG3R H34D 574R7 Y0U H4V3 7H3 B3773R

    Squish and Alyssm went to him first while Porrim helped Aranea hobble over.    Squish wrapped his arms around one of Mituna’s legs and gave it a hug.  

7H4NK5 DUD3 Y0U G1V3 P0RR1M 7H3 P4L3 L0V3 1 U53D 70 0K4Y 5H3 W1LL N3V3R L34V3 Y0UR 51D3

    Squish looked up at him and nodded vigourously.  

    “You are one of the most noble creatures I’ve ever met,” Alyssm said quietly as she stepped onto the ledge of tentacles around him; some of them began to gave way and she caught herself by grabbing Mituna around the waist.  

N1C3 M057 4C710N 1V3 H4D 1N 5W33P5

    She found herself blushing again and then placed a kiss upon his top lip as best she could.  “Thank you.”

50M3 07H3R PL4C3 50M3 07H3R 71M3 4LY55M M4YB3 W3LL M337 4G41N

    Waleti tried to speak but couldn’t; she quickly hopped down to stand back with Squish, trying to hide her tears with her hand.  

    Porrim helped Aranea climb up onto the ledge and then joined her there; she then balanced the blueblood so she could embrace Mituna as well.  I can’t thank you enough.  I only wish I could have known you fifty sweeps ago.

B3773R L473 7H4N N3V3R N0W L1573N 1M G0NN4 B0RR0W 4 L1N3 FR0M MY FR13ND K4NKR1 1 5U5P3C7 Y0U M4Y H4V3 H34RD 0F H1M BU7 Y0U L0V3 7H3 5H17 0U7 0F H3R 0K4Y

    _I will.  You know this._

1 D0 4ND Y0U KN0W WH47 50M3H0W 1 7H1NK Y0ULL F1GUR3 0U7 4 W4Y 70 D34L W17H GLBG0LYB 1 C3R741NLY W0ULDN7 B37 4G41N57 Y0U

    _Many have, and yet here I ammmmmmmm!_

    “Mituna, my friend,” Porrim began, “how can I ever truly thank you for what you’ve done?”

    With visible effort, he moved his jaw.  “…by living … and ruling… as Kankri would have,” he rasped.  “You… are the hero… now.  It’s… you.”  Mituna took another laboured breath and added, “Tell Meu…”

    Porrim leaned in close to him and strained to listen.  “Tell Meu what?”

    Mituna whispered and Porrim nodded.  

    “I will,” she said.

    “Thank you… for… believing… in me.”

    She put her head to his.  “I always have and always will.”

    “We need to go, dear heart,” Aranea said as kindly as she could.  

    Porrim stifled a sob and pulled back.  She touched his cheek and he smiled.

    Without another word, Porrim scooped Aranea up into her arms and jumped back down to the floor.  “Hey!  Did I say you could carry me around like some kind of lawnring ornament?”

    Despite her mood, Porrim still grinned.  “Never change, Aranea Serket.”  As they walked past the Condesce’s body, she asked, “Do you want your sword back?”

    Aranea looked over; Spider8ite remained vertical, embedded in Meenah’s back.  “You know what?  No.  I’m afraid that if I pull it out, she’ll come back to life.”   _Something seems odd about her body, though… something’s missing?_

    “How about your dice?”

    “HELL NO.”

    Porrim was taken aback by Aranea’s answer.  “Really?  I gather they’re responsible for your new abilities… and your new clothes?”

    “Exactly!  I’m gonna shitcan these weird orange duds as soon as we get home, there’s a huge burn in the pants, anyway.  I’m just glad my coat and boots stayed put this time!”

    “I don’t know… They may not be your colour but it’s a rather lovely design.  Maybe it’d look better in black?”

    Aranea rested her head up against Porrim’s chest.  “Perhaaaaaaaaps.  Besides, I’ll never get a roll that epic ever again.  It’s all downhill from here.”   _I can’t read your thoughts anymore, my love.  How I’ll miss that._

_Don’t be so shore… I mean, sure._

_PORRIM???????? HOW?_

_I have… her blood in me.  Still learning how to… do this…  My experience with you… probably only reason… I can do it this well._

_Um… while I’m glad to hear it, love, I don’t suppose you’re feeling any decidedly homicidal rages right now?  I’m just worried that her blood might… affect you in other ways._

_Nope.  The only person that needed to die is dead.  But I will confess that it’s taking every fibre of my being not to run back over there and lick the floor beside her._

_I’m gonna file that under ‘Ewwwwwwww’ and never think of it again, Porrim._

_That’s probably for the best.  Watch your legs…_

    They crossed through the door into Meenah’s respiteblock; Aranea folded her legs down so that they could enter without them banging into the wall; the sharp pain made her gasp.   _Don’t worry about it.  I happen to know someone who might be able to fix this, remember?_

    Porrim turned around so that she could face Mituna as the doors closed.   _I wish we could have… fixed him.  
   
    I know.  Me too.  I’m just glad I got to meet him.  _

_As am I._  She placed Aranea down on the massive bed and then sat down beside her.  “Is there a helm of some kind in here?”

    Alyssm looked around.  “There is a console here but it doesn’t seem to say much save for that countdown.”

    There was a loud clunk and the respiteblock began to shake.  “I suspect that was the main locks disengaging.”  Another thump and the wall opposite the doors appeared to fall away revealing the blackness of space and the curve of Alternia below.  “And that would be the front of the ship now.”

    “Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Porrim said with a chuckle.

    “At least I’m still Captain of something.  Have a seat there, Alyssm, and see if you can control this thiiiiiiiing!”

    Everyone was sent falling to the floor as the respiteblock-now-escape craft accelerated rapidly and then the new windows were filled entirely with the grey planet below as well as multiple small red pods falling into the atmosphere.  

    With monumental effort, Porrim pulled herself across the floor to the console.  As she tried to haul herself into the chair, the acceleration lessened drastically and she almost overshot it but managed to hang on and get upright.  “There doesn’t seem to be any visible control systems that I’m familiar with,” she said, “It appears to be running on autopilot.”

    Aranea assessed the respiteblock.  “Good thing everything in here seems bolted to the walls or the floor, except some of the small stuff…”  She found the tentacle-based sex toy and stuffed it in a nearby drawer.   _Bluh._  “So where are we heading?”

    “Alyssm?  Can you confirm something for me?”

    Waleti picked herself up off of the floor and joined Porrim.  “From what I can tell, we’re on a slow descent from orbit with our destination being… Capitol.”

    “That’s what I thought, too.”  Porrim looked over to Aranea who was now climbing back onto the bed.

    “Makes sense.  If she was unconscious or injured and the ship was coming down around her fins, that’s where she’d want to go, even if she was millions of kilometers away.  Not like she wouldn’t live long enough to make it back at sublight speeds – or at least long enough to call for a ride.”  

    “Question: are we actually going to get far enough away from the battleship to escape the energy wave that’s sure to follow a detonation of that magnitude?” Porrim asked.

    Waleti scanned the instruments.  “I suspect so.  This current course should take us nearly around the other side of the planet by the time the ship self-destructs.  I can only hope the pods that are dropping right now can get away in time.”

    Aranea pulled herself back up on to the bed and looked at the sealed door to her right.  “I wish the rear of this pod had a window; maybe Mituna can turn that ship in the opposite direction of Alternia and take it as far away as possible.”

    “I’m certain he’ll come up with something,” Porrim added as she joined her matesprit there.  “If he can help someone out, he will; that’s just his nature.”  She nearly had to choke out the last word as her grief began to seep through; a moment later she was consumed by heaving sobs and Aranea moved to sit beside her and put a comforting arm around the weeping jadeblood.  

    _Shhhhhhhh… I understand.  He’s giving everything he has so that you – that we – can change this world the way you and Kankri had always hoped for.  It doesn’t make losing him any less difficult, especially after you just found him again, I know, but let’s make his life count for something._

_Of course… We will._  

    “Alyssm, how long until we land?” Aranea inquired.

    “According to this, approximately an hour.”

    Aranea hugged Porrim even tighter.  “Then let’s take a few moments for ourselves and then we better prepare for what’s to come.  I can only guess what awaits us down there…”  She closed her eyes and thought of the man they left behind.   _Thank you, Mituna.  May the rest of your journey be swift… and yet I can’t shake this feeling that you still have somewhere left to go…_

 

 

 

_WARNING… SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ENGAGED… CORE BREACH IN TWO MINUTES…_

D0 D0 D0 D33 D0 D0 W4171NG 70 D13 WH3333

    Mituna Captor pushed the sublight impulse engines as hard as he could away from Alternia; with the escape pods fully deployed, he wanted to put as much distance between them and the soon to be spectacularly destroyed Battleship Condescension as possible.  

1 W0ND3R 1F 1LL F33L 17

    “If we had more time I would help you feel something else but there no time not even for me.”

H0LY FUCK1NG FUCK 1M H4LLUC1N471NG W4Y C00L N07 3N71R3LY WH47 1 3XP3C73D BU7 5H35 PR377Y CU73 K1ND4 F1GUR3D 1D 533 7H47 4LY55M G4L 4G41N BU7 5H0R7 M4R00NBL00D5 4R3 H07 700

    The tiny woman dressed in green laughed at this.  “Sorry for disappoint but I not hallucination.  I real as it get.”

53R10U5LY W3LL 1F Y0U 4R3 R34L 1 H4V3 70 45K WHY 7H3 H3LL 4R3N7 Y0U 0N 4N 3SC4P3 P0D 0FF 0F 7H15 H34P 1N C453 7H3 C0MPU73R D1DN7 F1LL Y0U 1N 7H15 5H1P 15 G01NG 70 B3 D3M0L3CUL4R1Z3D 1N 4B0U7 4 HUNDR3D 53C0ND5 50 WHY 4R3 Y0U H3R3

    The woman grinned and approached him; if she had a single care about the ship blowing itself to bits, her face showed no sign of it.  “No biggie.  I thought you might like company.  I friend of Aranea and I know you are too.”

15 7H47 50

    “You need proof?  How about this?”  She walked over to where the Condesce’s body laid, the blue sword still pinning her to the deck.  “I TOLD YOU YOU DIE, FISHSTINK NOOKSTAIN!  YOU THOUGHT YOU WIN BUT NO!  STUNNED FLAP FINALLY GET WHAT SHE DESERVE!  DEAD BY SPIDERBITE!”  She swung her foot back and kicked the Condesce in the head as hard as she could; a slick squelch was heard as the open flesh at Meenah’s neck tore wider.  “Fishreek Shitpan,” she muttered with more than a small measure of satisfaction, “You die in fire, too.  Too bad you already dead.”

W0W 0K4Y 7H47LL D0

    The woman in green smiled serenely.  “You welcome.”

UM 5UR3 50 D1D Y0U JU57 G37 H3R3 FR0M 7H3 5URF4C3 7H47 C3R741NLY D035N7 L00K L1K3 4 574ND4RD N4V4L UN1F0RM 1 MU57 4DM17

    She walked over to stand directly beneath him and looked up at his trapped body, now free of some of the tentacles although the main ones still held him fast.  “You no like?  If you want I can get rid of?”  The woman began unfastening the collar of her tunic.

7H475 0K4Y Y0U R34LLY D0N7 N33D 70 4H Y0U KN0W WH47 FUCK 17 1M 0N MY W4Y 0U7 537 3M FR33

    “That the spirit!”  With a flourish, she threw the lime green smock away; it landed on top of the Condesce’s cooling body.  She promptly removed her socks as well and absently tossed them aside.  “There!”  Without any prompting, she climbed up beside Mituna and embraced him.

533 1 70LD Y0U 7H15 W45 4 H4LLUC1N4710N

    “Nope!  I told you I real!  Why you need kick gift horse in mouth for?”

_WARNING… SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ENGAGED… CORE BREACH IN ONE MINUTE…_

Y0U H4V3 4 P01N7 50 1NCR3D1BLY FR13NDLY L4DY D0 Y0U H4V3 4 N4M3

    “I do.”

UM 0KAY W3LL 1V3 G07 4B0U7 4 B17 L355 7H4N 4 M1NU73 B3F0R3 1 G0 K4BL0013 50 1F Y0U C4R3 70 5H4R3 17 N0W W0ULD B3 4 5UP3R 71M3 70 D0 50

    “Me?  I Nobody.  You, however, very special.  How you like to do one more favour for Aranea and Porrim?”

4NY7H1NG 1 C4N D0 F0R 7H3M 1 W1LL H0W D0 Y0U KN0W 7H3M 4NYW4Y

    “Between you, me and Deadfish Barfsmell over there,” she said, jerking her thumb back in Meenah’s direction, “I had eye on Aranea for many moon.  There were some time and place she and I enemy, but I found that she and I work together much better.  In this universe like every universe this round head piece of white lusus shit control me.  Tell me I no good and only I need to make change to time to make universe ready for his master.  I had enough.  You know how you stuck working for her?  I stuck working for him.  But if you help, maybe I can do something that change everything.  And save Alternia at same time.  That include Porrim and Aranea.  And your Meulin, too.”

W3LL 5TR1NG M3 UP 4ND C4LL M3 H3LM5M4N 1D 54Y 1M 1N BU7 H0W C0ULD 1 P0551BLY B3 0F 4NY 4551574NC3 70 Y0U 54V3 F0R W4RM1NG Y0U W17H MY BR347H WH1CH 1M 50RRY 70 54Y R33K5 0F 574L3 C4K3 4ND F41LUR3

    She sighed and placed her forehead up against his chest as best as her massive spiral horns would allow; she could hear his pusher still beating away.  “You still alive.  She not.  That not failure; that success.  You win.  I know it hard to believe but it true.  Now you can help rest of world win.”  She moved to press her rumblespheres against him then.

1 F1ND 17 4WFULLY H4RD 70 54Y N0 70 Y0U

    “Then don’t!” she said with a smirk.  “This what I ask you to do: aim ship at these coordinate and go to lightspeed.”  She closed her eyes and thought about where she wanted him to pilot the gigantic, doomed vessel.  

R34LLY WHY 7H3R3 1 M1GH7 H17 7H3 PL4N37 D0N7 Y0U 7H1NK

    “Nope!  You just miss it, which is point.  There be something there waiting for you and then you go somewhere else; I help you get there.  It that easy.  Like grubjelly pie.”

7H4NK5 N0W 1M HUNGRY WH1CH 15 4C7U4LLY 4 F1R57 51NC3 1 G07 H3R3

_WARNING… SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ENGAGED… CORE BREACH IN THIRTY SECONDS…_

    She chuckled.  “Sorry, buddy, I shitty chef, too.  All I good at making is snoutbeast sandwich.  So what you say?  Go out with big badaboom?”

Y34H 5UR3 BU7 0NLY 0N 7W0 C0ND1710N5

    This caught her by surprise.  “Oh?  What that?”

F1R57 574Y W17H M3 45 L0NG 45 Y0U C4N

    “Of course!  Least I could do for you.”

53C0ND Y0U H4V3 70 73LL M3 Y0UR R34L N4M3

    “You drive hard bargain, mister.  You have deal.  Set ship to go; at one second left, hit the go button and I be here until millionth of second before you get there.  You not even know I gone.”

7H47 W0RK5

_Course entry…WARNING – course in close proximity to planet… transwarp not recommended…_

L1K3 1 G1V3 4 FLY1NG FUCK 0V3RR1D3

_OVERRIDE ACCEPTED… SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ENGAGED… CORE BREACH IN TWENTY SECONDS…_

7H3R3 Y0U G0

    “Thank you.  More than I could ever say.”  The woman embraced him again and kissed his lip.  “My name Damara.  Damara Megido.”

175 L0V3LY 50M3H0W 1 F33L L1K3 1 KN0W Y0U

    “I suspect we met before.  Not sure we meet again.  So let’s enjoy this time together, shall we?”

_WARNING… SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ENGAGED… CORE BREACH IN TEN SECONDS…_

_NINE…_

_EIGHT…_

D34L 4F73R 4LL 175 0NLY 4 L1F371M3

_SEVEN…_

_SIX…_

175 0NLY 4 L1F371M3

_FIVE…_

_FOUR…_

175 0NLY 4 L1F371M3

_THREE…_

_TW0…_

“…goodbye.”

_ONE…_

_engines engaged… WARNING… PROXIMITY ALARM… EVASIVE ACTION REQUIRED…_

_WARNING… SELF DESTRUCT INITIATED… CORE BREACH IN PROGRESS…_   



	66. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 65

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain of _Deep 8lue_ lives to fight another night. A sudden disappearance surprises the sub's crew. Aurana finds that her matesprit is not quite the same as she once was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some moments of joy and some moments of sadness in this chapter; not everyone is going to come away from all of this cleanly. Sorry for the delay in posting there, folks; lots going on around here. Took a while to finish Ch. 68 but it's finally done and the end of it all is drawing closer. I'm still having fun with this tale, though, and I hope you are, too.

**65.**  
  
    _…so warm… nice and warm… I really don’t want to get out of the ‘coon.  
  
    It’s like I’m warm on the inside.  How did that happen?  Doesn’t matter.  
  
    Really don’t wanna go to the eduhive tonight, Caracal.  This ‘coon is WAY too warm.  
  
    Okay, if I have to, I guess.  Deep breath and…  
  
    And…  
  
    OHSHITICAN’TBREATHE_  
  
    Felida banged her head against a hard surface in front of her and went into full fledged panic.  Her eyes flew open and were filled with bright green until a few agonizing moments later the slime retreated in concert with a loud clacking sound.  Blurry figures filled her vision and she bolted upright, mindless of the potential that whoever was with her wasn’t friendly, but so desperate to breathe that it didn’t matter.  Felida went to cough and she experienced the most peculiar sensation of someone sitting on her chest as warm liquid erupted from her mouth.  Another frantic attempt to breathe and a second course of fluid shot out from her but this time, cool air rushed in to fill the void.  She hacked and coughed; each spasm ejected more of the thick substance which made more room for the sweet breath her airsacs craved until finally each inhalation drew nothing but.    
  
    “Sorry we had to do that, Captain, but your crazy little stunt there gave us no choice!”  
  
    She raised her hands to try and wipe the slime away from her face but only succeeded in smearing more of it into her eyes.  “Can’t see… Kaiyuh?  That you?”  
  
    “Yup!  You sure gave us a scare, you know.  That said, you were absolutely right about how well you’d appear on sonar!  We were able to catch you fairly quickly but you’d already passed out before we brought you aboard.”  
  
    Felida heard a snort from someone else nearby.  “Passed out… THAT’S the understatement of the night.”  
  
    “Vyrbel?”  Felida’s cybernetic eye provided her a heat signature that confirmed the orangeblooded healthtender’s presence.  “What do you mean?”  
  
    “When we hauled you in, your airsacs were damn near crushed and you were completely oxygen starved.  Basically, you were clinically dead for five minutes.”  She gently wiped the excess slime from Felida’s face with a towel.  “You’re lucky we have these slimebeds; I pumped your poor sacs full of the stuff so they’d heal and gave your pusher a few shocks to get it going again.  You were pretty touch-and-go there for a while.”  
  
    She took a few moments to process this; the thudding in her thinkpan from her coughing made it difficult.   _Dead?????  If that’s what Kayolo went through, that was definitely not my idea of a good time, either._  “Shit… well, at least I’m not missing any more body parts, right?  How long have I been out?”  
  
    Kaiyuh glanced over to the digital chronometer mounted over the primary medical console.  “About seven hours.”    
  
    “SEVEN HOURS?  Wait… so where are we now?  What’s happened?”  
  
    “Settle down, Captain; I can’t have you dropping dead on me again from an aneurysm or something.”  Vyrbel Reshcu brought Felida a cup of water and asked, “Can you see this well enough to take it from me?”  
  
    “Getting there, yeah.”  She took the cup and drank deeply.   _Who knew air and water could taste so wonderful?_  “Hold on… Aurana?  Meulin?”  
  
    “Are here.  Take a look to your right, Captain,” Kayiuh suggested.  
  
    She did so and found the slimebeds next to her occupied by the women in question; both had their heads exposed, their bodies encased in the same green slime that most of Felida’s own body was still covered in.  Wires were attached to their foreheads and provided data to the monitors on the wall above them.  Seated to Meulin’s right was Horuss, who was working feverishly on a datapad, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Felida had rather noisily regained consciousness.  “How are they?”  
  
    “Aurana has a broken sternum and some serious muscle damage in her chest, shoulder and arm; that foot of hers is going to need time to heal properly, too,” Vyrbel answered.  “Meulin…”  The sigh that followed spoke of the healthtender’s frustration.  “She’s alive and should stay that way, but she’s paralyzed from the waist down and there’s not a damn thing I can do about that.  Her moirail, however, seems to think he might be able to.  He hasn’t left her side since I put her into the bed and he’s been working on some kind of convoluted designs that I can’t make heads or tails of.”  
  
    “Tails, eh?  Hey, Horuss!” Felida called out.  
  
    “Hm?  Oh!  You’re awake!”  Horuss didn’t stand but looked over to the nude but slime coated oliveblood and then looked away again quickly.  “Sorry, Captain…”  
  
    “Horuss, you’ve seen me naked how many times?  Especially when you put my limbs on?  It’s okay!  Listen, is there anything from my tail that you think could help her?  You know, link whatever’s broken in her back?”  
  
    Zahhak smiled.  “Funny you should say that; I was actually using the plans from your tail as a template to try and design a system to do just that.”  He held up the fuzzy green add-on that she brought with her when she escaped the _Fool’s Gam8it_.  “Sorry for borrowing this but the healthtender said you wouldn’t be needing it right away.”  
  
    “Excellent!  Well, if you need any other parts right now, feel free to pry them out of my ass.”  She started to climb out of the slimebed and made a point of sticking her posterior in the indigoblood’s direction and wiggling it as she did so.  
  
    The sweat formed on his brow like clockwork.  “Er… quite alright, Felida!  I will fashion her a completely new apparatus when we get back to the island.  She’s stable right now and sleep will do her good.”  
  
    “I bet.”  Felida looked down at Aurana’s sleeping face.   _You kicked some serious ass, Poochie.  It’s a wonder we’re still here._  “Where’s her matesprit?”  
  
    Another sigh from the healthtender.  “She’s being sequestered in another block right now.  Tranquilized, to be honest, but awake.  Kaerah’s experienced some serious mental trauma; not sure how that’s going to affect her in the long run.”  
  
    Felida looked over to the three slimebeds across the room which housed the dormant forms of Rufioh, Daalla and Kandun.  “How are they holding up?”  
  
    “So far, status quo,” Kaiyuh said.  “They seemed unaffected when we surfaced and dived and there was no perceptible change from the lusus, either.  We’re back down to one kilometer depth as you ordered.”  
  
    “Okay, good.  So, what else is new and exciting?  Or should I go have a shower before you fill me in?”  
  
    Kaiyuh and Vyrbel looked at each other for a moment, trying to determine what to say.  “Maybe you should shower first, yeah,” Kaiyuh finally said.  “It’s… well, you’ll see.”  
  
    “There was a message on Condyvision a couple of minutes ago,” Vyrbel added.  “Actually, we thought that’s what might have woke you up.  It was recorded so don’t worry, it’ll still be there once you’re cleaned up.  You definitely need to see it for yourself.”   
  
    “Let the record show that you both suck for hoverbus fare and give change,” Felida grumbled but with more than a hint of a smile.  She headed over to the hygieneblock attached to the sickbay, leaving a trail of green footprints behind her.  “Be right out…”  
  
    _They’re not telling me something important but it doesn’t feel like they’re hiding anything bad.  Dare I hope?  Guess I can wait another couple of minutes to find out._  Felida turned the tap on and stepped into the simple shower.  Once the hot water hit her skin, she let it wash over her face and chest and closed her eyes.   _Ahhhhh… then again, maybe it can wait just a bit longer.  Did they get the Condesce to step aside?  Or was it much more violent than…_  
  
    Felida was thrown hard into the shower wall as alarm klaxons rang out.  “What the FUCK?”  She crawled out of the shower and found that it was nearly impossible to stand and not due to any of her injuries.  She all but fell out of the hygieneblock into the sickbay beyond; everyone else was on the floor as well; Kaiyuh was shouting out for a report.  
  
    It seemed like an eternity before one came: “You’re not going to believe this, Kaiyuh,” said the voice from the bridgeblock, “but it’s gone!”  
  
    “WHAT’S GONE?” Felida bellowed.  
  
    “Captain?  You’re awake?”  
  
    “NO, I’M FUCKING BABBLING IN MY SLEEP!  WHAT THE BLUE HELLS DO YOU MEAN IT’S GONE?”  
  
    “Sorry, Captain!  I mean the lusus!  We’re being sucked down with the water that’s rushing in to fill the space it was just occupying!”  
  
    _Okay, this is getting weirder by the moment._  “How are we holding up?  I didn’t come back from the dead just to die, you know!”  
  
    “Structural integrity is still good, no breaches yet but if we hit fifteen hundred meters…”    
  
    Another voice added, “Inertial dampeners trying to compensate but no luck yet, Captain!  Just hold on tight; this should be over soon!  Adjusting pitch to compensate…”  
  
    Anyone who had just made it to their feet was back to the deck again as the nose of the _Deep 8lue_ tipped upwards to slow their rapid descent as much as possible.  A bong came over the speakers followed by the words: _“WARNING… DEPTH ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED METERS.  STRUCTUAL INTEGRITY FAILURE DANGER BELOW ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED METERS.”  
  
    Gee, thanks for the heads up, computer!_  “Talk to me, bridgeblock!” Felida called out.    
  
    “Standby…”  
  
    “DON’T TELL ME TO STANDBY, DAMMIT!  REPORT!”  
  
    _“DANGER… DEPTH ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED METERS.  STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY FAILURE IMMINENT IN ONE MINUTE.”_  
  
    “Hold on…”  
  
    Felida growled.  “I swear to fuck, Ooloos, if we die, I will haunt your sorry ass throughout the afterdeath!”  
  
    Another pause and then, “I got it!  I got it!  Depth one thousand four hundred and eighty and climbing!”  
  
    “No hull breaches reported!” The relief in the first voice was quite audible.    
  
    “Orders, Captain?”  
  
    “Yeah!  The next time we decide to go testing this crate’s limits, can we wait until I’m done my godsdamned shower?  Take us up to two hundred meters, Hikaru, nice and slow.”  
  
    “You got it, Captain!”  
  
    As the red warning lights returned to their usual whiter hue, Felida rose and looked around.  “Everybody here all right?”  
  
    The healthtender looked over to Horuss who remained beside Meulin and nodded to indicate she was fine.  She then stood and headed towards Aurana; the turquoiseblood was awake and wondering what had happened.  “Looks good for now but I’m counting on everybody and their lusus to show up in the next few minutes with everything from whiplash to lacerations after that serious of a jarring!”  
  
    Kaiyuh checked on Rufioh’s slimebed.  “Captain, these three appear fine but if I’m reading this right, they’re starting to come out of their stasis!”  
  
    Vyrbel’s head whipped over to look at the first officer.  “What?  Were their beds damaged?”  
  
    “Not as far as I can tell…”  
  
    Felida thought for a moment.  “Wait, if Condy’s lusus is – and I have no idea how this is even possible – gone, then Rufioh’s link with it is likely gone as well.  Why wouldn’t he wake up?”  
  
    “And the others along with him,” Vyrbel finished.  “Can I get someone to monitor them?  I need to get Aurana up and bandaged here; somebody else might need this slimebed.”  
  
    As a pair of attendants came over to do just that, Felida joined Vyrbel at Aurana’s side.  “Wakey, wakey, Poochie!  Can’t have you sleeping all damn night!”  
  
    “What the hell was going on out there?  I take a nap and next thing I know, I’m getting beaten up in a medicalblock bed!  And here I figured this would be the one place I wouldn’t get clobbered!”  
  
    Felida snorted.  “Nice to see your sense of humour isn’t broken.  To answer your question, we’re not sure yet but it sounds like Condy’s lusus just disappeared.  The rough ride was us getting sucked into its wake.”  
  
    “Wait… disappeared?”  
  
    “Yeah, that seems to be the question mark right now.  The bridgeblock crew said it’s just gone!”  Felida pondered this for a minute.  “Does this have anything to do with the message you haven’t played for me yet?”  
  
    “No, actually,” Kaiyuh answered as she consulted with Horuss on Meulin’s status; the injured oliveblood was also starting to awaken.  “I think it’s best we play it when everyone here is up and around.”  
  
    “Sure.  Make me wait some more, why don’t you.”  Felida watched the sopor slime drain from Aurana’s bed and then opened the main hatch; she offered her hand to assist Vyrbel in helping Zashyl sit upright.    
  
    “What the hell are you doing?” the healthtender shouted.  “Captain or not, you’re in no shape to be doing anything involving physical activity!  You were just unconscious in the bed next to this one barely five minutes ago!”  
  
    “Big whoop!  If I die again, you can just zap my pusher and put me back on my feet, right?”  
  
    Vyrbel helped get Aurana sitting and shot Felida a decidedly unimpressed look.  “Don’t push your luck; I suspect the odds have already taken a serious beating multiple times tonight.”  
  
    Felida’s pusher leapt at the thought that the recording might actually contain good news.  She watched as Vyrbel picked up a roll of medtape and began to wind it over Aurana’s shoulder and across her bare chest.  “Yeah, that’s a good idea to cover those up; with all that bruising, your spheres aren’t the prettiest in the block for a change.”  
  
    “I heard you almost drowned not terribly long ago, Kittie; we can open the sub door and try again if you like,” Aurana replied, her eyes narrowed but just enough of a smile on her face to indicate her suggestion was more of a playful one.  “Hey, where’s Kaerah?”  
  
    “First, I’m a healthtender, not an auspistice; you two can knock it off anytime now,” Vyrbel answered, “and second… tell you what, just know that she’s here and she’s safe.  Let’s talk about Kaerah after you see that message.  How’s that sound?”  
  
    Aurana searched Vyrbel’s face in search of a reason but opted to relax for the moment.  “All right, sure.”  
  
    “Nice to see… the gang’s… all here… more or less.”  
  
    “Meulin!”  Felida turned her attention to the other oliveblood in the medicalblock.  “How’re you holding up?”  
  
    Leijon’s smile spoke of her fatigue.  “All right, I guess.  I heard about… what you did.  Are you… crazy?”  
  
    “Ha!  I’ve been accused of that before – most often by this one right here,” Felida said, jerking a thumb back towards Aurana.  
  
    “Hey!  Just because it’s funny doesn’t mean it’s not true.”  
  
    “Listen,” Felida continued, “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you – either of you – with the Grand Highblood.  I made a misstep in the smoke and he threw me overboard.  If I had’ve impaled the fucker when I had the chance, neither of you would be in these beds right now.”  
  
    “Don’t worry about.  Seriously,” Aurana said.  “You did everything you needed to do.”  
  
    “We’re all still alive right now and that’s what matters,” Meulin added.  “Horuss tells me he might have something in mind for me based on the technology for your toy tail?”  
  
    “…it’s not a toy… kinda… well, maybe…”  
  
    Both women laughed at Oceleo’s response.    
  
    “What’s so funny over there, ladies?  Not that I’m complaining because if people are laughing, that’s a good sign, right?”  
  
    All eyes went in the direction of the male voice.  “Rufioh!  Welcome back!” Felida said, turning to face him.  
  
    “Hey, doll!  Gee… um… you folks really are a sight for sore eyes – and man is it ever bright in here – but aren’t you forgetting something?”  
  
    “Such as?  Oh, you mean my hat?  Yeah, I have a feeling it’s gone.  I can find another one somewhere later.”  
  
    Kandun Klarck’s massive frame arose beside Nitram’s.  “I think what he’s getting at is that it’s not just your head that’s bare, Captain…”  
  
    “What?  Oh!  Right.  Guess I got a bit distracted.  Then again, it’s not like any of you are exactly well-dressed right now!”  Felida looked back over her shoulder at Aurana.  “You know, the last time I had this many naked people in one block on a ship, Mistress and I were still doing Rainbow Games before Porrim showed up.  Of course, you were being a big stick-in-the-mud and didn’t want to get involv-”  
  
    “Did you suffer some dan pamage while you were dead, there, Kittie?” Aurana groaned.  “I really don’t think anyone wants to hear about your kinky little games right now, you boob!”  
  
    “Speak for yourself!” said Daalla Emburi as she wiped sopor slime from her face.  “That sounds fucking hot!  Tell me more!”  
  
    “She can tell you later,” Vyrbel interjected as she scanned her datapad to confirm everyone’s vital signs were where they should be, “The last thing you need is to have your pusher racing right now, Daalla.  Besides, now that everyone’s up and around, we can finally show you what you’ve missed.”  
  
    “I don’t suppose it can wait until we get some grubloaf into us?” Rufioh asked.  “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”  
  
    Daalla leaned over and slapped Rufioh’s shoulder.  “Good going, dumbnook; you just made Horuss sweat!”  
  
    Felida made a dismissive noise.  “The very act of existing makes Horuss sweat.  Come on, I really need to see what happened!  You guys can shower afterwards; I don’t think there’s room in there for all of you at once but we can certainly give it a try…”  
  
    “If it’s all the same to you, doll, and I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but I’d take a slab of grubloaf over a romp in the hygieneblock right now!”  
  
    “I second that,” Kandun added as he hauled his massive frame out of the slimebed and accepted the towel offered to him by the nurse.  “Except I’d take a whole grub!”  
  
    Daalla scooped up a handful of slime from the bottom of her bed as it drained and threw it at him.  “And you guys think I’M the gross one!  Yuck!”  She scooped up another handful of the viscous green semi-liquid and looked it over.  “That said, THIS is starting to look pretty edible right about now.”  
  
    “Well, the bad news is that our best cook is unfortunately out of commission at the moment,” Aurana said as she gestured towards Meulin; the oliveblood beamed at the compliment.  “But if you can hang on for just a few more minutes, I really want to see what that transmission was about!”  
  
    “All right, enough tongue wagging; let’s do just that.”  Felida parked herself up against the slimebed that Meulin was in.  “Can you see the screen okay from there, Meu?”  
  
    “Yep!  I’m good.”  
  
    She then turned her attention to Horuss who was sitting on a chair just beside her, doing his best to not look like he was intentionally looking at the floor.  “I’d offer you a towel for all that sweat, dude, but I can’t even seem to find one to wear.  They seem to be fresh out.”  
  
    “Er, quite all right, Captain.  I’ll just hoof to endure.”  
  
    Meulin chuckled from her slimebed.  “The things you put up with, I swear.”  
  
    Felida swore she saw a grin on the big indigoblood’s face.   _Considering what he’s been through tonight, I’m so glad to see that._  
  
    “All right, gather around,” Vyrbel said to the generally naked and mostly slimy trolls, “I have a feeling that this is going to change everything.  And I mean that quite literally.”  She looked at Felida in particular and smiled as she pressed a button on her console and the screen filled with the sneering, toothy smirk of the Condesce.    
  
    _“Good evening, Alternia!  Special treat for you folks on Condyvision tonight: a few hours ago I introduced you to my matesprit, Aranea Serket…”_  
  
    Felida threw a questioning glance at the healthtender.  
  
    Vyrbel Reshcu tried her best not to smile.  “Just you wait.  It gets better, trust me…”  
  
  
  
  
    _...“Tick tock, love.”  
  
    “Right.  Alternia, we will see you soon!  Be good to one another!”_  
  
    The screen faded to black.  Not a single one of those assembled by the screen, including those who had already seen it, knew quite what to say.  Felida and Aurana were both wiping away tears.   _They did it_ , Felida thought, _they survived.  But now what?_  
  
    The first to speak was Daalla.  “The Empress is dead; long live the Empress.”  
  
    “What do you mean?” Rufioh asked her.  
  
    “From what I read, the Heiress faces the Empress in mortal combat; the victor gets the throne.  Porrim just killed the Empress and as far as I know, there’s no Heiress.  I mean, if there is, she’ll probably show her face any time now but if not, we just watched our Porrim not only kill the Condesce but drink her ass dry.  If anyone has fuchsia blood in her right now, it’s Porrim Maryam!”  
  
    Felida processed this.  “You might be right… Do we have any idea where that ship is now?  Did I hear correctly that it was about to self-destruct?”  
  
    “It was on a countdown to, yes,” Horuss answered.  “All we know is that there were multiple escape craft dropping away from it.  We haven’t had an update since the Condesce’s lusus disappeared there.”  
  
    “Bridgeblock, this is the Captain.  Can you patch me through to Jade Base?  Send visual to the medicalblock.”  
  
    “Wilco, Captain.”  
  
    Felida had all but forgotten she’d taken Meulin’s other hand while they watched the events unfold on the viewscreen before them; she gave her friend a quick squeeze and then let go so that she could wipe her face before the connection was established.   _Please tell me you all escaped.  You didn’t go all that way only to not make it home._    
  
    “Jade Base here.  Good to see you, Captain!” answered a fatigued but cheerful maroonblooded fellow.    
  
    “Likewise.  Listen, I need some positional data from you.”  
  
    “Er… sure, Captain, but on what?  The Navy fleet is all but completely destroyed and what’s left has been captured.  No sign of any further activity either.”  
  
    Felida was more than thrilled to hear that her fool’s gambit was successful.  “The Condesce’s starship.  Are you able to track it?”  
  
    “Let me see what I can do; gotta switch our scan range… loading the last twenty minutes worth of traffic data… there.  Okay, there it is… it was pulling away from orbit but it seems to have stopped and then rapidly accelerated right at the planet but now it’s completely gone.”  
  
    “Wait… gone?”  
  
    He replayed the data again.  “I’m afraid so.  Looks like a very short burst to transwarp but then completely gone with no trace.  Sorry, Captain; I wish I could tell you more!”  
  
    She frowned and then asked, “What happened to the escape pods that were dropping from it?”  
  
    “Oh yeah.  There’s a huge cluster of emergency transponder signals associated with escape pods entering the atmosphere.  There’s something kind of strange going on with one of them, though.”  
  
    “How so?”  
  
    “It’s not broadcasting the same emergency signal but appears to be entering a slowly decaying re-entry orbit unlike the others which are dropping to the surface in an uncontrolled descent.  I really hope those things have parachutes.”  
  
    Oceleo looked over to Horuss.  “You have any idea why one wouldn’t be moving with the others?”  
  
    “Hmm… The only answer I can come up with is that if it isn’t simply debris, it’s a specialized craft, one that likely was intended only for the Empress herself.”  
  
    “The track strongly suggests it’s not debris,” said the maroonblood.      
  
    _It has to be them; the Condesce is dead and we know they’re alive_ , Felida thought.  “Can you extrapolate its course?  Where will it land?”   
  
    He tried to stifle a yawn and entered a series of commands.  “You don’t ask much, do you, Captain?”  
  
    “You can sleep when Mindfang and Porrim are back on Alternia safely.  What have you got?”  
  
    “I’d wager you caegers to crullers that I know exactly where it’s going,” Aurana murmured.  
  
    Felida nodded when she heard this.  “It’s heading for Capitol, isn’t it?”  
  
    “Nailed it,” the fellow replied.  “At current velocity it should arrive in about an hour or so.”  
  
    “I suspect the Condesce’s personal escape pod would be programmed to bring her back there in the event that she was unable to pilot it herself,” Horuss chimed in.    
  
    Meulin smiled as a thought came to her.  “That or Mituna sent them on their way.  He knew that’s where they would need to go after a display like that.  If there’s going to be a change in how this planet is run, it’s going to have to take place in Capitol.”  
  
    “I think you’re on it, Meu.  Thanks for the help, Enomis.”  
  
    “Anytime!”  
  
    “Bridgeblock, close the channel and set course for Capitol.  Can we get there in an hour from here, Hikaru?”  
  
    A pause and then the helmsman answered, “We should be able to do it, yes.  Do you plan to actually enter the city’s waterspace?”  
  
    “Damn straight!  We have clearance codes now, remember?  Besides, something tells me we’re not going to be challenged; things are going to be in a bit of disarray in that part of the world at the moment.”  
  
    “And pretty much every other part as well,” Rufioh added.  “I wonder if there are uprisings happening?”  
  
    Meulin sighed.  “In a way, I hope not.  The Signless’s dream was that not only would the highbloods refrain from harming any uprising lowbloods but that the lowbloods would hold back from taking vengeance.  Although I’m sure there’s no stopping it, there really is no need for blood to spill now that the Condesce is dead, no matter its colour.”  
  
    “Gods, you sound like Porrim right now.”  Felida reached over and stroked Meulin’s hair.  “The fact is that there’s going to be a whole mess of angry violetbloods there who might not exactly be keen on surrendering their grip on power without a fight.  Not all of them were likely a fan of Condy either, but only because of the idea that someone could still show up once in a while to tell them what to do now and then.”   _Holy fuck, listen to me… I sound about as typist as I think THEY do right now._  “Look, I really hope that most of them see this as a time for change, but like it or not, there’s going to be resistance, both literally and figuratively.  Porrim and… I guess I can start calling her Aranea out loud now… they’ll need all the help we can give them, even if it comes from culling the ones who are too self-interested to see what needs to change.”  
  
    “I know,” Meulin said, nodding as best she could.  “I’ve had to spill my share of blood, too, remember.  To be honest, I wish I could be there to help you.”  
  
    Felida gave her a reassuring grin.  “Hey, you will in time.  You’ve got the best guy you could possibly have to help you as your moirail.”  She raised her left hand and showed how smoothly the gears and mechanisms moved and then pointed at her softly glowing eye.  “If he can do this, making you fully capable of kicking ass again should be grub’s play!”  
  
    Horuss found himself smiling at her endorsement.  “I shall do my very best.”  
  
    “That was never in question.”  Felida looked to those assembled before her.  “All right, I’m heading for the bridgeblock – and yes, I’ll stop at my quarters and get dressed first – and once you’re all cleaned up, come join me there.  We need to come up with a plan of what to do once we arrive in Capitol.”  
  
    There were nods and words of acknowledgement and then most moved to do just that – save one.  “Felida?  I… need to see someone first,” Aurana murmured.  
  
    “Oh… oh!  Right.”  She placed a hand on Zashyl’s uninjured shoulder.  “Listen, I hope it goes well, okay?  I know you’re in even worse shape than I am; if you need to sit this one out, no one is going to think any worse o-”  
  
    “No, no, I’m coming with you at Capitol.  Might not be able to swing a sword right now but I can damn well look like I can and that’s often enough.  I’ll even take Mr. Pulse Rifle along if I have to.”  
  
    “Hey, who said I’M not taking Mr. Pulse Rifle?  He doesn’t come down from his shelf in my readyblock terribly often; I’m sure Porrim would be thrilled to see him on this special occasion!”  
  
    Aurana laughed in spite of her tense mood.  “I’m arguing with you and we’re naked and…  I really appreciate what you’re doing for both me and the crew.  I’ll be there, don’t worry.  I just need to find out…”  She couldn’t decide how she wanted to end the sentence.  
  
    “I know.  Take your time.”  Felida patted Aurana gently and she swore she heard a hint of a murr from the turquoiseblood.  “See you upstairs.”  
  
    “For sure.”  Aurana waited until Felida exited the medicalblock and then drew a deep breath, steeling herself for what awaited.  “Vyrbel?  Where did you say Kaerah was?”  
  
    The healthtender sighed.  “Isolationblock Two.  Listen, she’s been medicated but I can’t speak for her state of mind, okay?  Just be prepared that she might not seem… quite how you think she should be.”  
  
    “All right.  I’ll try to remember that.”  Aurana picked up her white shirt and realized she was probably going to need help getting dressed.  “Um… I don’t suppose…”  
  
    “I got this, doll.”  Rufioh gently took the shirt from her and opened it up for her to slip into it; he then set her shorts on the floor so she could step into them.  
   
    “Thanks!  I can take it from here.”  Aurana crouched, caught the hem of them with her fingers and stood, bringing the shorts most of the way up before gingerly using her sore left arm to finish getting them over her hips.    
  
    “And take it easy on that foot!” Vyrbel added, “You aren’t feeling much pain due to the slime and the meds but it’ll wear off sooner than you’d like!  You should be using crutches but they’re not exactly handy in a submarine.  And please do us both a favour and don’t try to cram it into your boot?”  
  
    Aurana looked down at her bandaged foot.  “Ooh, good point.  I’ll try and keep my weight off of it; thanks for the reminder!”    
  
    Vyrbel nodded and came over to enter the code to open the isolationblock security door.  “If you need assistance, come get me, okay?” she whispered.    
  
    “Er… all right.”   _Is it really that bad?_ Aurana thought as she stepped into the dimly lit room.  The door slid shut behind her; all that could be heard was the soft drone of the ventilation fans and Kaerah Krysli’s deep breaths.  The purpleblooded woman lay stretched out on what amounted to a white mattress on the floor; there was nothing else in the room at all.  “Hey, K,” she said, “What’s…”  
  
    Krysli’s eyes flew open and she immediately scuttled backwards off of the mattress and into a far corner.  “S-st-st…”  
  
    Aurana froze at this display of terror on the face of her matesprit.  “Kaerah?  It’s me!  Don’t worry; no one’s going to hurt you.”  
  
    “Y-y-you m-might!  St-stay BACK!”  
  
    The words pierced Zashyl deeper than any sword could.  “I’m… I’m sorry about what Makara did to you…”  At the mention of his name, Kaerah crawled even further into her corner, clutching her knees to her chest.   _It’s so much worse than I thought…_ “But you don’t have to worry about him anymore.  He’s dead.  I saw it.”  
  
    Kaerah shivered and made a shrill sound.  “D-did you?  Did you d-d-do it?”  
  
    “I tried to!  I tried to tear him apart for what he did to you!  I wanted to rip out his throat with my teeth and spit his cold blood back in his face but…”  Aurana let the words trail off as Kaerah turned her head away and shielded her eyes with her arm.    
  
    “What’s wrong?  Please tell me!”  
  
    “I…  you…”  
  
    “I’m sorry, K, I don’t understand…”  
  
    The trembling woman lowered her arm and looked at Aurana from the corner of her eye.  “YOU’RE NO DIFFERENT!” she shouted.    
  
    “What do you mean?” Aurana heard herself ask but she knew the answer; she simply hoped against hope that she was wrong and that she would be able to keep herself from collapsing.    
  
    “I saw…  I saw… s-so many awful things…” Kaerah stammered.  “B-blood everywhere.  And… and you… wanted blood, too.”  
  
    “HIS blood, Kaerah!  I wanted HIM dead because he hurt you!  You’re my matesprit!”    
  
    At that word, Kaerah turned her head away to look at the wall.  “Ani… animals…”  
  
    Aurana tried to speak and nothing came forth.  She swallowed and then approached Krysli, uncertain if the numbness in her feet was from the medications or the awful cold dread inside.  “Kaerah, please… I’m not like that.  You’ve known me how long?”  She extended a hand to touch her matesprit’s shoulder.  “Let me expl-”  
  
    The screech Krysli unleashed was enough to cause Aurana to stumble back and trip over the mattress; she fell on it and the pain that created sparked through her damaged arm like a hard shock.  Aurana winced and rolled over onto her good shoulder and then got to her feet as best she could.  “I’m so sorry; I just wanted to…”  
  
    “DON’T TOUCH ME!” Kaerah wailed.  “B-blood crawls… across the walls…  H-he sang that t-to m-m-me.  So… so much… blood…  L-look at your… your eyes!”  She put her hand up to shield her view of the colour streaming down Aurana’s cheeks.  
  
    Aurana touched her fingertips to her face; the soft blue upon them was wet and thin.  “Those are TEARS, Kaerah!  I’m CRYING, damn it!”  
  
    Kaerah looked directly at her and then slowly returned her attention to the wall in front of her and continued rocking back and forth.  “How?  An-animals… don’t c-cry?”  
  
    At this, Aurana thought she was going to pitch forward again, as surely as from a blow to the stomach.  She tried to find the words to respond but was interrupted by the hiss of the isolationblock door opening.  “I think this visit is over, Aurana,” Vyrbel said, the firmness of it leaving no room for debate.  “Please come.”  
  
    “But… Kaerah!” Zashyl sobbed, “Please!”  
  
    “Please don’t make me sedate you, too, Aurana.”  The healthtender reached into her coat pocket and retrieved a dermajector.  “I can and I will.  You both need to rest, mind and body.  Come on.”  She placed her hand on Aurana’s elbow and firmly guided her towards the open door.    
  
    Aurana tried to say something further but it was lost in broken sobs.  She heard the door slide shut behind her and she slumped to her knees.  “Kae… Kaerah…  I tried…”  
  
    “I warned you that this might not be the time,” Vyrbel said as she gently stroked Aurana’s thick hair.  “She’s traumatized; you can’t take what she says right now too seriously.  Give it some time and space and then maybe we can make some progress.”  
  
    “But… she…”  
  
    “Aurana?” came a soft voice from behind them, “please come here.  Maybe I can help?”  
  
    Zashyl looked up; the voice came from one of the slimebeds.  “M-Meu?”  
  
    “It might not be the exact kind of help you’re looking for but I can try.  Horuss?  You should be in the bridgeblock with the others.  They’re going to need you.”  
  
    The massive indigoblood seemed aghast at the idea of leaving his moirail’s side.  “What?  No, I need to be here to protect you!”  
  
    “From what?  Healthtenders?  I’m safe here, thanks to you and Aurana and Felida and everybody else.  You did your job and I know that you’ll come up with something to get me walking again, I’m sure.  For now, though, they’re going to need everyone who can contribute to be part of that plan and I know you can help.  It’s okay; Aurana needs my help and Felida needs yours.  I’m in good hands here, don’t worry!”  
  
    Horuss still seemed reluctant to depart.  “I don’t know… If I keep working on these schematics I can-”  
  
    “You can have me trotting around ten minutes sooner?  There’ll be plenty of time to work on these later.  I’ll be okay, I promise!”  Meulin smiled at him.  “I’d swat you on the rump and tell you to mosey but my arms are still stuck in this slimebed so you’ll have to do it yourself.  And I mean that figuratively.”  
  
    “Er… yes, right.”  He looked over to where Vyrbel was helping Aurana back to her feet again.  “She’ll be safe here?”  
  
    “Horuss,” Vyrbel said, “there is literally nowhere safer on this sub to be.”  
  
    He considered this and then nodded.  “Very well.  I shall return as soon as I’m able!” he called back to Meulin.  
  
    “Of horse you will!” Meulin encouraged.  “Now get a move on!  I’ll be right here when you get back.”  Once Zahhak had left, Vyrbel guided Aurana to his vacated chair, sat her down gently and then returned to assisting her staff in cleaning up the medicalblock, leaving the pair to converse.  “So… I gather that didn’t go as you’d hoped it would?”  
  
    “No.  It didn’t,” Aurana sniffed.  “I mean, I can’t imagine what that purpleblooded piece of filth did to her but for her… to say… I’m…”  She put her hands over her face and tried to hide the flowing tears.  “She said… I’m an animal… just like HE was!  How could she… she say something like that?”  
  
    “Shhhhh… listen, it’s okay to cry when you’re hurting.  And it’s okay to be the way you are.”  Meulin desperately wished she could reach over and place a comforting hand on Aurana’s knee.  “If it helps, I totally understand why you did what you did.  And I don’t just mean about defending your matesprit, either.”  
  
    “Oh?”  
  
    Meulin offered her most sympathetic smile.  “Like you, I was raised away from the rest of the world.  People like you and me had to hunt not for pleasure but for survival.  We understand that the instinct to protect our loved ones runs very deep and we do it by any means necessary.  I don’t remember much about the night they came for my Kankri… and not because I blocked it out of my memory but because I don’t remember consciously fighting back.  The last thing I can recall was coming to in a prisonblock with restraints on my hands; they were such a mess, they looked like a rainbow drinker’s breakfast!”  
  
    Aurana almost laughed.  “Better not tell Porrim this story when she gets back; she might start drooling!”  
  
    “Heh, maybe!  I still can’t believe what we just saw…  Anyway, the thing is that you understand how our basic instincts work; Kaerah, who lived in Capitol her whole life, might not.  When the Subjuggalators boarded _Fool’s Gam8it_ , there was no question that I needed to fight.  Horuss tried to talk me out of it but I simply had no choice; I needed to defend those dearest to me and the idea of someone invading my territory was unacceptable.”  
  
    “Precisely!” Aurana said as she wiped away some of the wetness on her face.  “You protect your pack and your turf.”  
  
    “What amazed me was that after Makara did what he did, I was still conscious and I watched Horuss claim his vengeance.  He broke his pacifist vow to protect me without even thinking.  Never thought I would ever see him harm another person.  Don’t get me wrong; I’m extremely grateful and glad that a horrible creature like the Grand Highblood is dead and gone, but I also know what Horuss sacrificed for me.  Thing is I don’t believe he did it consciously; his instincts kicked in as well.  Even though he was raised to be overly polite, almost to the point of awkwardness, deep inside of all of us is the ability to protect our loved ones - even our hated ones in some cases.”  
  
    “Like Porrim and Felida.”  
  
    “Exactly.  Would Kaerah do the same?  Possibly.  But will she understand entirely?  Maybe not.  This, on top of whatever horrors Makara exposed her to, might have been too much for her to handle.”  
  
    Aurana nodded as she took in what Meulin was saying.  “You’re probably right.  I just… can’t seem to reconcile what I saw in there with the woman I spent so many sweeps with!”  
  
    “Take it from someone who watched her matesprit be brutally executed right in front of her, trauma can change a person,” Meulin said; her eyes shut as she tried to divert the mental images of it from her thinkpan.  “It can alter the very core of who they are.  Sometimes one can recover from it with help – I’m glad Porrim and Mindfang showed up when they did because I don’t know what would have become of me had I stayed alone in a cave somewhere for fifty sweeps… probably would have done nothing but paint the walls and eat wandering animals and cry a lot.”  
  
    “That doesn’t sound like such a bad idea right now,” Aurana muttered.  
  
    “But the good news is that you don’t have to!  You have help and support and so does she.  I don’t know if it will help her; she may never go back to the person she was but she might.  You need to prepare for the possibility that she may not.  I’ll never be the same person I used to be in my youth but then again, maybe that’s not a bad thing.  I never thought I could ever have a quadmate of any kind again after what happened to me, and if you had told me the man who ended my matesprit’s life would become my moirail, I never would have believed you.”  
  
    Aurana shook her head.  “I honestly don’t know how you forgave him.”  
  
    “A lot of people who know us say the same thing,” Meulin said.  “I met Horuss a long time ago.  I knew the boy inside the man and that boy would never kill willingly; he was pressed into it.  Horuss didn’t join up to be an Executioner; he wanted to be part of the Imperial Mechanical Corps but he had to do his time on the front lines first.  I think they just found the scariest looking guy they could to do the deed because it would look good on Condyvision!”  
  
    “Sometimes I forget how imposing he can appear to others because I’ve known him so long.  It’s just… he’s such a gentle giant – for the most part.”  Aurana sighed as she recalled the events that took place on their ship a few hours prior.  “I’m pretty sure Kaerah saw all of that.”  
  
    Meulin hoped she could get her friend to understand that she wasn’t at fault.  “Aurana, honestly, I suspect the worst of it was due to what the Grand Highblood did in front of her, not what you did.  Do you think Kaerah would have said what she did about you if she hadn’t been subjected to his horror show?”  
  
    “I’m not sure.  She was never one to accept a violent option.  I think that she was so disgusted with the reputation most purplebloods have that she fought so hard to be the opposite.  As for what I did as an Enforcer, I think she just told herself that my job consisted of just telling people to leave if they went into a place they shouldn’t be or that my time as a Gamblignant consisted solely of stealing without a drop of blood being shed.  I really didn’t want to interfere with that; I was happy with her being a bit naïve for her own benefit.  Having to deal with Makara night in and night out was difficult enough for her; she didn’t need to know I could be a killer if pressed into it.  And I only did it when I had to!”  
  
    “Oh, I know!  I swear to you, I understand!  You don’t need to justify it to me; I live that way, too.  But either she’s going to need to reconcile who you are with what you needed to do or else there are going to be problems from here on in.  Either way, give it some time; it took me too long to truly understand this but all is unfolding as it should.  For now, Felida needs you on the bridgeblock with the rest of them; there’s nothing more you can do here for now.”  
  
    Aurana’s shoulders slumped forward.  “I suppose you’re right.”  
  
    Meulin grinned.  “I know I am!  And you’re lucky because you get to go be a part of a historic moment!  Really wish I could go with you.”  
  
    “I wish you could, too.  Listen, I actually do feel a little bit better.  Thanks a lot for this.”  She gently stroked Meulin’s hair and was a taken aback when the oliveblood purred.  “And I thought I was the only one who did that!”  
  
    “Mmmmm… apparently not?  Now off you go!  They’ll need your input when it comes to dealing with Capitol’s security systems!  You can come back and tell me all about what went down later, okay?”  
  
    Aurana stood and was surprised to find herself actually smiling.  “I will, for sure!”  She gave Meulin a quick wave and Vyrbel a thumbs-up when the healthtender turned her head to watch the turquoiseblood head for the medicalblock exit.   _She’s right; I need to focus on the task at hand.  We’ve come so far; once we have the Captain and Porrim back on the ground safely, then I can worry about my own problems.  I only hope there’s an answer to be had…_  
  
  
  
  
    “So did the forward viewer catch it?” Felida asked.  
  
    “It did, Captain; let me call up the files.”  Kayiuh Umbras tapped out a series of commands on her console from her seat beside the captain’s chair.  “And there we go; I’ll put it up on the main screen.”  
  
    Felida watched as the viewer image suddenly darkened to reflect the depth the sub was at a few minutes earlier; the external cameras showed nothing at all as the lights were shut off so as not to disturb the enormous lusus’s slumber in any way.  The timer counted past in an accelerated speed as the playback continued until a bright red flash filled the screen.  Felida didn’t have to tell Kaiyuh to back it up; she knew her first officer would do so once she had the correct time frame to go by.  Even the slower replay showed nothing save for a brilliant red light; the lusus was well below their position.  “So that’s it?  Just a quick burst of light and then the sub was sucked downwards?”  
  
    “That’s literally it.  We got caught in the wake when the water rushed to fill the area the lusus previously occupied.  She was easily measured in cubic kilometers sizewise.  Any ideas on what happened, Captain?”  
  
    “Nope.  Never seen anything like that before.  All I can come up with is that when Condy died, that creature imploded or something.”  Felida couldn’t resist the urge to reach across and touch the metal of her left arm with her organic right hand.  “And I hope it hurt, too.  Good fucking riddance.”  She sat back down in her captain’s chair and scanned the cramped bridgeblock; even in the dim light she could see everyone just fine thanks to her cybernetic eye.   _Admittedly, good things can come even from the worst events in our lives.  But I’m still glad that thing is hopefully history. Speaking of history, let’s go watch some unfold…_  “Ooloos, set course for Capitol, depth fifty meters, full speed.”  
  
    “Course set, rising to fifty meters, Captain.”  
  
    “Are you certain we’ll be able to walk right past their defenses, Captain?” Kaiyuh asked.  “That’s the most heavily defended port on the planet!”  
  
    “Relax,” Felida replied as she extended the range of the scanners on her own control panel.  “We have the codes for every single ship in the Navy fleet, remember?  Every ship that comes up on the scope is going to suddenly decide to go elsewhere and shut its guns off.  Problem solved.”  
  
    Kaiyuh shook her head.  “How did we get so lucky?”  
  
    Felida chuckled.  “Tell you what, you can ask the Captain that when we see her.  Comm?  Contact one of the other captains - Bycros, Refcen, I don’t care who.  Tell them take every ship they’ve got, set course for Capitol and floor it; I want the Captain and Porrim to get the escort home they deserve!”  She then turned her attention to those standing beside her: Aurana, Horuss, Rufioh, Kandun and Daalla.  “Sooooo… I suppose we better come up with a plan to escort them out of Capitol in one piece first, eh?” 


	67. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 66

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim, Aranea, Squish and Alyssm return to Alternia to face the violetbloods that await them in Capitol's golden tower. A shift in power occurs but it is not a bloodless one. In the middle of it all, Rufioh and his crew encounter a most unusual guest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say my friend who asked for this story wasn't terribly happy with me about this chapter... but it had to happen. I promised you folks plenty of aftermath and this is the beginning of it all; still a few chapters to go. What fun is having a climax without a some resolution, right? Unless, of course, you want another climax first... ;;;;)

** **

**66.**  
  
    “That is an awfullllllll lot of smoke,” Mindfang said as their craft made a slow approach over Capitol.  The sunset backlit the plumes that rose from the tall hives; flickers of light spoke either of celebratory fireworks or unrest in the streets.    
  
    “I suppose it was to be expected,” Alyssm added.  “Something like this has never happened in recorded history to my knowledge.”  
  
    Porrim sadly regarded the fires erupting from below as the gilded respiteblock-turned-escape-pod made its final course corrections and lined up with the towering golden trident tower that loomed over the vast city.  “Have we truly done the right thing, Aranea?”  
  
    Aranea took Porrim’s hand into her own.  “I know you never wanted to see this kind of violence, my love, but it was inevitable after millennia of oppression.  The best we can do is try to keep it to a minimum and figure out how best to fill the void Meenah’s death has created.”  
  
    “And how do you suggest we do that?” Porrim wondered.  “As far as we know, there is no Heiress, and even if there were, who’s to say she’s not as maniacal as Meenah or Veruna or any of the other ones?  From my history lessons, fuchsiabloods that don’t possess a cruel streak tend not to live long.”  When Aranea started chuckling, Porrim gave her a questioning look.  “And what’s so funny about that?”  
  
    “Even now, you still don’t realize that you’re the one who’ll step in to lead us?  You’re the Empress, Porrim; it’s you.”    
  
    “WHAT?  Oh no… no, no way.”  Porrim put her hands palms out and shook her head.  “I’m not an empress!  I don’t believe in leading by dictatorship!”  
  
    Aranea sighed and put her hand to her forehead before she could stop herself.  “Don’t you get it?  You don’t have to be an autocrat!  And if you need to be the ‘person in charge’ for a short time, you can be!  People will rally around you… well, most of them.  Some may need to be convinced…”  
  
    Porrim scowled.  “And that’s where it starts, isn’t it?  Some highblood calls for my head and we cull him instead and then another and another and then it’s peace through tyranny all over again.”  
  
    “It won’t be!  YOU won’t let it be that way!”  Aranea fixed her eyes on her matesprit’s, “The difference is that you’re not that person; you’re stronger that that.  Killing is easy; knowing when not to kill is the difficult lesson to learn.  Hell, it’s one I’m still figuring out after all these sweeps but you know what?  It’s you who taught me!  Now listen carefully: this ship is about to dock and I fully expect there is going to be a shitraft of violetbloods – and yes, I think shitraft is the correct term – waiting for us with visions of rulership dancing in their heads.  Now, unless you want everything we’ve accomplished so far to just get flushed right down the load gaper, you need to be strong, authoritative and do what needs to be done for the greater good.  I’m not saying we’re going to have to kill the lot of them but there will be some that’ll need… a more pointed approach to diplomacy.  By all means, talk some sense into them if you can but if you can’t, remember you’ve got all the help you could ask for.  Remember, those fires out there may have been caused because people who believed in your message – Kankri’s message – ran into those who weren’t quite so open-minded.  They’re fighting for what you believe in… and so should you.”  
  
    “I suppose… but me?  I never asked to be a leader, never mind an Empress!”  
  
    Alyssm looked over from her seat at the console.  “One of my favourite authors is a noted scientist and philosopher, Frankh Erbert, who once suggested that the people most suited for a position of power are usually those who do not seek it.  If there’s anyone I’ve ever encountered who fits that description, Porrim, it’s you.”  
  
    “See?  Lots of highbloods out there who get it.”  Aranea patted Waleti on the shoulder in thanks for the support.  “It’s the ones in there,” she paused to point at the docking hatch of the Capitol tower now only a few meters ahead, “that are going to need convincing.  If there’s anyone I know who can win them over without a blade in her hand…”  
  
    “And if I can’t?”  Porrim asked, almost afraid to hear the answer but she knew full well what it would be.  
  
    “Then I meet them with a blade in mine.”  Aranea let her hand drop to her side and once again lamented the absence of the blue sword that was no longer there.  “Maybe I should have chanced pulling _Spider8ite_ out of her.”  
  
    Porrim let a soft chortle escape her lips.  “Didn’t want to press your luck?”  
  
    Aranea harrumphed.  “Like I said, after rolling eight ‘8’s, it doesn’t get any better than that.  It was best not to push it.”  
  
    “If you say so, Rae.  Maybe you can just blind them, too?”  
  
    “I’m sure these goofy orange stretchies are almost bright enough to do the job without me having to shine any funky lights on them!”  When Porrim actually laughed at this, Aranea kissed her on the forehead.  “You’ll do fine.  Just remember: even if you don’t feel like you’re officially in charge, SOUND like it.  That’s more than half the battle right there.  Trust me on this.”  
  
    “Perhaps, but at least you have empathic abilities to back you up should ‘sounding like it’ fail!”  
  
    “I don’t know about that, dear heart; you can be awfully persuasive when you want to beeeeeeee…”  Aranea ran a finger down the curve of her red lover’s horn and was pleased that it still made her shiver.   _I was a bit worried that wouldn’t affect you anymore…  
  
    To be honest, so was I.  As much as I’d love to explore that with you right now, I’m a little preoccupied, you understand.  
  
    I do indeed, but the fact that you’re glowing like a sunrise is really cute, love._  
  
    Porrim looked down at her hands: her skin was emitting a soft white glow that fluctuated with intensity, brightening as she became rather self-aware.  “…oh…”  A chuckle came from behind them; Porrim looked behind her to see Squish standing there, giving her two thumbs up.  “Well, I’m glad you approve!  I suppose this little trick will come in handy if you ever need help finding something that rolled under your couch.”  
  
    This sent Squish into what passed for gales of laughter for him.    
  
    _I’ve never seen anyone laugh so quietly_ , Aranea thought to Porrim.  
  
    She was about to reply when Alyssm announced, “Docking sequence initiated.”  The makeshift spacecraft came to rest on a platform and then dropped slowly as if on some form of elevator for a few seconds before rotating and lurching to a halt, a loud click confirming the door was now attached to another room beyond.    
  
    “Here goes nothing,” Porrim said.  She moved to stand in front of the door, Aranea at her side.  “Are you going to be able to walk?”  
  
    “I think so, love.  You realize if that beam from Meenah’s bitrident was just a bit to the right, we’d be asking Horuss to give me a pegleg when we got home?”  
  
    “And here I thought you couldn’t look more stereotypically Gamblignant if you tried.”  
  
    While they spoke, Squish and Alyssm moved to stand in front of them; _Sufferer_ appeared in Squish’s hand while Alyssm now sported her pulse rifle.  Before Porrim could say anything, Waleti said, “We don’t know what lies behind these doors; I would suggest you and Mindfang move off to the side and allow us to attend to any hazards that lie beyond?”    
  
    Porrim nodded and then started to guide Aranea along with her.  “Yes, that makes sense.”  Once the pair was safely aside, Alyssm and Squish took up a position on either side of the doorway; Waleti gave a silent countdown with her fingers and then pressed the button to open it.    
  
    There were no bursts of pulse rifle fire or anything hazardous at all; only a soft pink light greeted them from within.  Alyssm signaled Squish to move out from cover and they did so; a few moments later, she called out “All clear!” and waited for Porrim and Aranea to join them.    
  
    If ‘opulent’ was the word Porrim would have used to describe the respiteblock/ship she was just in, she didn’t have a word to describe the one she entered now: she was quite certain not a single piece of furniture in the enormous room wasn’t gilt in gold.  Against one wall was a bed that was equally as long as the one behind her, built to accommodate the long horns of its owner, but much wider as though capable of sleeping five or six; the four posts around it were ornate columns of gold, bearing a fuchsia trimmed black canopy above.  One entire wall was made of mirrors; another was fully transparent, providing a stunning view of the city below – multiple tendrils of smoke rose from between the buildings and drifted off into the distance.  “Have you ever seen the likes of this?” she asked Aranea, but her matesprit was already standing beside the gigantic bed, a golden arm restraint in her hand.    
  
    “She has another respiteblock just like this but in her underwater chamber at the bottom of this tower.  I know them both far too well.  The only thing that’s changed over the sweeps is how much more gold is in this room.  It’s the only thing she ever really valued; she spent so much of her time collecting wealth and to think I wasted most of my life trying to do so as well.”  She looked back over her shoulder to Porrim and held up the shiny cuff.  “How much else of me is her, too?”  
  
    Porrim moved to join her.  “Only as much as you want to keep.  I’ve already come to terms with who Meenah was to you because she is part of your past – not part of your future or mine now.  Everything we know we learned from someone, Rae.  So much of who I am I learned from trusting you.  I know she betrayed your trust, but you never betrayed mine, even when I was so worried you were going to.  You’ve already come so much farther as a person than she ever did.”  She put her arms around her matesprit’s waist.  “I love you, Aranea Serket, no matter who you used to love.”  
  
    Aranea tried to swallow back the emotion as best she could; the memories this respiteblock was bringing back to her threatened to overwhelm her but Porrim’s embrace helped her to regain her composure.  “Thank you, dear heart.  Sometimes I really don’t know what I would have become without you.”    
  
    “You’ll never have to worry about finding out.”  Porrim gave her a kiss and then started gently leading her away from the bed and its ornate cuffs.  “So, what lies beyond that door?” she asked, pointing at the metallic door embedded in one of the few walls that actually looked like a wall.   
  
    “Oh, nothing interesting… only the Imperial Throneblock.”  
  
    Porrim’s eyes widened.  “Is that all…”  
  
    “Not like she’s put her ass in that golden chair terribly often over the last fifty sweeps but still, there it is.  If we’re going to encounter unhappy highbloods, it’ll be out there.  As far as I know, no one had access to this respiteblock except her and maybe a handful of servants, so we should be thankful no one was waiting to ambush us here.”  
  
    “So what shall we do?” asked Alyssm.  “There’s no way to contact anyone outside of the tower, no one from our fleet could make it here terribly quickly, and then it’s just the four of us versus who knows how many outside?”  
  
    “Are you certain there is anyone out there?”  Porrim looked to Aranea, curious as to her opinion.  
  
    “Let me put it this way, love, they know we’re here and they’re reasonably certain the Condesce is dead.  Most of them are powerhungry admirals who never thought they’d see an opportunity to take control for themselves.  We’re probably dealing with the ones who actually survived fighting with one another for the chance to take us on.  That and they obviously want no part of what’s going on outside.”  
  
    Porrim sighed.  “So do you think there’s any chance at all we can get through to them?”  
  
    “You know what?  I’m going to tap into your optimism here and hope that they can be reasoned with.  There’s no way I can empathically convince violetbloods to do anything; if I could, I would have had Cronus Ampora throw himself off a cliff instead of giving him a new set of gills in the middle of his chest.  That said, after what’s already happened, anything is possible.” Aranea shrugged and added, “One of the moons might fall from the sky tonight and I wouldn’t be surprised!”  
  
    “I certainly hope that isn’t the case,” Waleti said, “We’ve got enough to deal with here as it is.  To provide a more probable scenario, there should be a significant contingent of the admiralty awaiting us in the Throneblock.  Even the most cursory analysis would suggest a distinct tactical deficiency on our part.  Essentially, we’re going to be outnumbered and most likely outgunned.  Diplomacy may not only be our best play, but our only one.”  
  
    “I suspect you’re correct.”  Porrim thought about how best to proceed but her only experiences with the admiralty were far from positive.  “Aranea?  You know the aristocracy far better than I.  How best to convince them?”  
  
    Aranea barked a laugh so loud it made both Porrim and Alyssm flinch.  “Ha!  You better than anyone, Porrim, should know my preferred methods for dealing with them.  That said, when I used to live and work here, the admirals tended to respond best to grotesque displays of power and Meenah made that an art form.  Her love of gaudy jewelry may seem tacky to you but the highbloods of Capitol viewed her crown and rings as symbols of the power she represented.  Half of them liked to wear their fair share of it as well; have gold, have power.”  Aranea closed her eyes as soon as she spoke those words.  “My own motivation for thievery probably makes a lot more sense to you all now.”  
  
    “The motivation doesn’t matter anymore, Rae,” Porrim said in an effort to comfort.  “It’s what you chose to do with it.  We wouldn’t be standing here right now if you weren’t able to turn that gold you obtained into something positive.”  She was about to continue when she was distracted by the sound of Squish rummaging around in one of the Condesce’s drawers; golden baubles of incalculable value were being tossed about carelessly as he sought something in particular.   _That’s really odd.  Speaking of thievery, he’s not normally one to indulge._  “What are you up to, Squish?”    
  
    His answer was an upturned pointer finger to suggest she wait a few moments.    
  
    “I have no idea what you’re doing,” Aranea commented, “but I’m sure it’ll be interesting.”  
  
    Squish nodded vigourously and continued working, his back to them.  A minute later he turned around, broad grin on his face, two nearly identical objects in his hands; Porrim all but recoiled at the sight but Aranea broke into loud laughter.  “Yessssssss! Of course!  That’s grim but it’ll certainly have the desired effect!”  
  
    Porrim stared at the ghastly items Squish had created with golden chains he found in the chest.  “You turned the Condesce’s fins… into necklaces?  Why?”  
  
    “The same reason I turned Cronus’s into one, love: intimidation!  Not to mention that this serves as ‘proof of death’, for lack of a better term.”  Aranea approached Squish and happily accepted the peculiar accessory.  “Thank you!  You know, I wondered what happened to these.”  She unfastened the chain and placed it around her neck.  “A little help?  I’ll assist you with yours once you’re done.”  
  
    “Er… okay...”  Porrim did so and then went over to the still-smiling Squish to accept her own necklace.  “All things considered, I’m glad you didn’t offer me this as a token.”  The short redblood laughed and handed it to her; she did her best not to notice the odd salty odor the severed fin was giving off.  “Any chance we could do to these what you did to Cronus’s?  They still seem a touch… fresh.”  
  
    “I’ll see what I can do.  I don’t happen to have a desiccator on me at the moment.”  Aranea took the offered necklace, draped it around her matesprit’s shoulders then fastened it at the back.  “There you go!  Matching set.”  
  
    Porrim was about to reply when she felt a tug on her elbow; she turned to see Squish standing beside her again with a different golden accessory in his hands this time.  “What do you ha-oh… oh, no.  I’m not sure I can…”  
  
    Aranea was just as gobsmacked as Porrim when she saw it.   _So that’s what seemed odd about Meenah’s body; it seems so strange seeing it but not on her._  “You may have to.  In fact, that’ll carry a lot more weight than these fins.”  
  
    “But that’s a weight I’m not sure I want!” Porrim protested.  “You know the saying: heavy is the head…”  
  
    “…that wears the crown,” Aranea finished.  “I know.  I’ve been wearing a figurative one for nearly seven hundred sweeps.  And this makes me qualified to say that you have what it takes to do it, too.  The good news is that you happen to have a very experienced leader by your side in case you need some advice.  She’s also pretty hot, too.”  
  
    Porrim laughed despite her apprehension about what she was about to undertake.  “So I hear.  Very persuasive as well.”  
  
    “Truuuuuuuue.  Now, how about you take a knee and accept this symbol?  If it makes you feel any better, it’s not really so much a crown as it is a circlet.”    
  
    “You’re such a fool for semantics…” Porrim muttered, but she gave Aranea a wink and then took to one knee in front of Squish.  “Bet you never thought you’d be doing something like this when you gave me a moirallegiance token!”  
  
    Squish shook his head, his grin as wide as she’d ever seen.  He gently opened the golden circlet and slipped it onto Porrim’s forehead, then adjusted it as best he could.    
  
    “Arise, Jade Empress, First of her Type,” Aranea said in as regal a tone as she could.  
  
    “PLEASE don’t call me that!” Porrim complained as she got to her feet.  “The first thing I would want to do is abolish this empire business!”  
  
    “Then you’re going to need to come up with something else to be called,” Aranea said with a mischievous smirk.  
  
    “I’ll think of one if I survive the night!”  Porrim looked over to the doorway, the concern on her face speaking volumes about how she perceived her odds of doing so.  “And I’m supposed to go out there looking like this?”  She brushed the edge of the near perfectly circular hole in her jade and black robes where Meenah’s beam pierced her abdomen.  “I may have been able to fix myself but I have no time to fix this and no, I’m NOT wearing her clothing, too.”  
  
    Aranea chuckled and shook her head.  “Nor should you, although you’re almost busty enough up top to pull it off.”  When Porrim gave her an exasperated look, she added, “Hey, what can I say?  I like a nice set of spheres.”  
  
    “You like a nice set of anything.  As for this dress, I suspect that wearing it would have the greatest effect anyway.  Most who were around during the time of the Signless would likely recognize it.”  Porrim turned to the mirrored wall and looked at herself: the gold circlet with the large fuchsia stone created a striking counterpoint to her jade dress while the rather garish accouterment around her neck seemed hideous to her both by its nature and as an offense to her sense of fashion.  “Do I really have to wear this awful thing?”  
  
    “Hopefully just for tonight, love.  This will show them that you mean business.”  
  
    “If by ‘business’ you mean lopping off people’s facial features and parading them around as jewelry, then yes, this would show them we do just that.”  
  
    Aranea blinked a few times and then slowly shook her head.  “Never change, Porrim Maryam.”    
  
    “As much as I’m enjoying this witty repartee,” Alyssm interjected, “we do need a plan.”  
  
    “How about ‘same as before’ but accounting for one hundred percent more overly ambitious violetblood outside the door to contend with?” Aranea suggested.  
  
    Waleti nodded.  “Squish and I will be ready.  If they choose to attack immediately, we’ll close the doors before you have to face any fire.”  
  
    “That should work.  All right, Porrim,” Aranea said, doing her best to get the mangled gauzy material around her matesprit’s arms to sit properly, “you wanted to change the world?  Now’s your chance.”  She leaned in and gave her a kiss.    
  
    “I couldn’t have done this without you, Rae.  I had to come and get you.”  
  
    “I know and I’ll thank you eight thousand times once this night is over, dear heart, I swear it.  For now, though, let’s just move over heeeeeeeere…”  Aranea guided Porrim over to the left side of the doorway to stand behind Waleti.  “Ready.”  
  
    Alyssm nodded and then signaled Squish again; he acknowledged it and prepared himself.    
  
    The doors opened.  
  
    No pulse rifle fire came through, but the sounds of a raucous discussion were quite evident.  Alyssm and Squish swung around through the open door and trained their weapons on whoever was outside.  Aranea didn’t need any empathic gifts to read the expression of surprise on Waleti’s face.   _Uh-ohhhhhhhh… what’s going on out there?  
  
    Should we go look for ourselves?_  
  
    Aranea called out to Alyssm; she gave a quick nod and then gestured with her head that they should come out from hiding.   
  
    _This is it, Porrim.  Ready?  
  
    No.  But I’ll go anyway.  
  
    That’s the spirit!_  
  
    Porrim took a deep breath and then followed Aranea through the open doorway.  In front of them was an enormous golden throne; another mirror adorned the back of it.   _The woman defined the term ‘narcissist’, didn’t she?  
  
    Uh huh.  Never mind the mirror, love; wait until you see what’s around the other side of the throne!  
  
    I’m almost afraid to ask…_  Porrim moved to stand beside Aranea and the monolithic throne; she discovered that they and the golden chair were up on a raised platform, also covered in golden metal, twelve stairs led to the wide expanse of a floor for visitors and supplicants.  Twelve towering onyx pillars, six on a side, flanked the Throneblock; each was encrusted in gold and garnets.  In the middle of the open space stood a collection of armed violetbloods, everything from pulse rifles to exotic bladed weapons and tridents in their hands.  Standing at the forefront of the group was Fleet Admiral Malwil Syhale; to his right was the ancient form of Grand Admiral Nimitz Yamato, to his left, her head bowed and her hands chained, stood Baraka Maryam.  
  
    This alone would have been enough to make Porrim gasp but at the fringes of the Throneblock was a large gathering of various lowbloods and midbloods with a smattering of highbloods as well.  At the leading edge of one side were a number of familiar faces, most notably one holding a very familiar pulse weapon.   _Felida!_ she thought to Aranea.    
  
    _Yep… Aurana, Rufioh and the rest, too.  I’m trying not to leap for joy right now but it’s the ones in the center of the block that we need to keep an eye on.  
  
    Yes, of course._    
  
    Aranea grinned a sly grin and added, _You want to show these guys who’s in charge?  Have a seat!_  
  
    Porrim was surprised at just how little fear she felt.   _I’m already dead; what’s the worst that can happen?_  She drew herself up and fixed her eyes on Syhale as she moved towards the front of the golden throne, quite aware that every other eye in the building, belonging to both friend and foe, was directly on her.  
  
    “That does not belong to you, shitblood.”  
  
    Porrim ignored the epithet Syhale spat at her and took her seat; she was surprised at how plush the pink cushion on it was.  “That’s funny,” she replied as calmly as she could, “you don’t look like an Heiress to me…”  
  
    Syhale pointed a nasty looking hooked sword at her.  “If I’m not the Heiress, I have a much stronger claim to that throne than you do!  I am the highest ranking violetblood on the planet!  I have been all but its regent in the Condesce’s absence!”  
  
    “Actually,” Admiral Yamato huffed, “I am the highest ranking violetblood on Alternia.  Her Imperious Condescension appointed me as Grand Admiral which still technically outr-”  
  
    Yamato abruptly stopped speaking when Syhale’s elaborate blade pierced the center of his chest and the pusher within.  Before the old man could fall to the floor, Syhale retrieved his weapon by pushing the Grand Admiral’s slackened form off it and letting him fall in a spray of his violet blood.  The group of collected admirals took a step back, some in shock, some showing no surprise in the least.    
  
    “Now, as I was saying,” Syhale continued as though he had done nothing more than brush away an annoying insect instead of murdering a ten thousand sweep old icon, “my claim is far more legitimate than any a Gamblignant’s pet rainbow drinker could possibly put forth.”  
  
    Aranea peered down at the sword Syhale was waving at them.   _Could that possibly be my…_  “You need to be more careful with that, Malwillllllll; it’s very good at perforating violetbloods with an overinflated value of their self-worth.  Then again, I think you just discovered that for yourself.”  
  
    “You want it back?  Come get it, Mindfang” he snarled.  “Just give me an excuse to impale you in front of this pretender you call a matesprit so she can watch you bleed out slowly… if she doesn’t lick it all off the floor, that is.”  
  
    “Um, excuse me,” Felida interjected, aiming her favourite energy weapon at him, “I know there are an awful lot of angry highbloods here with pulse rifles and all, but in case you haven’t pulled your head out of your nook and taken a good look around you in the last few minutes, there are an awful lot MORE lowbloods, not to mention a few highbloods who have a shred of common fucking sense, surrounding you all right now and we’ve got more than a few pulse rifles of our own.  You so much as lay one clammy finger on either Porrim or Aranea and you won’t live to see the sun rise.”  
  
    Syhale snorted; the air puffed out of his gills in a low wheeze.  “Oh, how wonderful; I see you brought the whole menagerie out for this momentous occasion, Mindfang.  There’s the mouthy kittybitch, the vicious wolfgirl, the cowboy with the ridiculous horns – and I still owe you one for stealing him from my ship, the sweaty horse guy…”  
  
    “That ‘sweaty horse guy’ just killed the Grand Highblood with his bare hands, fishstick,” Felida said, hoping the Fleet Admiral would take the bait and do something stupid so that she could disintegrate him.  “You sure you want him mad at you?”  
  
    “Killed the Grand Highblood?  Really?”  Syhale looked to Horuss Zahhak and gave an approving nod.  “Normally I’d take your life for stealing one from me but to be honest, I applaud you for doing what needed to be done.  Allow me to thank you: if you snap this foul little flap’s skinny olive neck and come stand with me, I’ll put you in charge of your own Army division and ensure you’re the wealthiest indigoblood that ever lived.”  
  
    Horuss, who was one of the few there not carrying a pulse rifle, tried to come up with an answer but was so flummoxed he couldn’t find the words.  
  
    “Holy shit, Syhale, I knew you were tone deaf but I had no idea just to what degree.”  Mindfang stood beside the golden throne and crossed her arms.  “If you knew anything about Horuss, you’d understand that he would have precisely zero interest in either of those things.  And considering he’s the one who helped rebuild Felida, you can bet he wouldn’t harm her if you offered him every caegar on the planet.  Hello, my sweet!” she called out with a jaunty wave, “We’re home!”  
  
    “Nice to see you, Captain!  Pardon me if I don’t wave back; I need to keep my hands on Mister Pulse Rifle here in case I have to cook a fish or five.”  
  
    “Look, Admiral,” Porrim began, “I really don’t want it to come to that.  I have no interest in ruling like the Condesce did.  I’m looking to create a much more inclusive system where people can be what they choose to be no matter their blood colour.”  
  
    “Superb!” Syhale replied.  “Well, I’m choosing to be Alternia’s first Emperor and you’re sitting in my chair.”    
  
    “You have no right to it,” Mindfang said, holding her necklace out so that he could see what it was.  “We defeated the Empress, Porrim wears the crown now.”  
  
    Porrim stared him down.  “If you want to rule, you’d have to be chosen for the position and you would be sharing the duty with others.  There will be no more autocracy here; it’s far too dangerous for one person to wield absolute power.”  
  
    Syhale scowled at her in answer. “I’ll take my chances.  And you think waving bits of the Condesce at me makes your sitting there any more legitimate?  Think again.  We all saw you drink Condy dry, but there’s not a drop of fuchsia in your veins.”  
  
    _Rae, I know where this is going.  He knows Baraka’s secret.  
  
    Hmmmmmmmm… you’re probably right.  Be cautious and don’t let on that you know he knows._  
  
    “That doesn’t matter anymore,” Porrim said, “The Fuchsia bloodline has ended.  We get to choose who leads us now.  I don’t plan to sit in this chair any longer than the rest of Alternia wants me to.”  
  
    “Well, I don’t want you to sit there any more starting right now!  And as for your claim that the bloodline is gone, I beg to differ.  I suppose you’re wondering why one of your Sisters is here with me?”  
  
    “It had crossed my pan, yes.”  
  
    “As I’m sure you’re aware, I recently visited your old stomping grounds, the Mother Grub Caves.”  Syhale began to slowly pace back and forth in front of her, taking a moment to shove Yamato’s lifeless body out of the way with his boot.  “I was so taken with Sister Baraka here that I simply had to have her.  Once I had my Screamarines and a horde of Subjuggalators wipe out the rest of your jadeblooded ilk, she really had no reason to stay there so she came along and now she’s my matesprit.”  
  
    A collective gasp escaped the crowd; even Porrim inhaled involuntarily.   _What?  How?  He must not have told her that Lamiea and Kayolo survived the attack but why would he… oh…  
  
    Uh huh.  She’s his claim to the throne, plain and simple_ , Aranea thought back.    
  
    “So what does that have to do with anything?” Porrim asked, knowing full well what was coming next.    
  
    “Funny you should ask.”  The Fleet Admiral undid the cuffs on Baraka’s wrists and let them fall to the floor with a jarring clang.  “Baraka, my dear, kindly show them your handiwork?”  
  
    The peculiar jadeblood dramatically swept her arms out to her sides; meter-long blades burst forth from her wrists causing many assembled to gasp again.  Syhale reached over to grab her arm just below where the metal blades emerged from and then released it; he held up that hand with a colourful smear on it to show everyone that Baraka’s blood was not entirely jade.  “See those pink streaks there?  That’s fuchsia.  This woman is a direct descendant of Meenah Peixes and this makes her the Heiress or, more accurately, the new Empress.  And thus, as her matesprit, I bear the title of Emperor.  So, in summary, get your Drinker ass out of that throne or you’ll be facing me in combat with Mindfang’s sword in my hand – either that or you’ll be meeting your fate on the end of these lovely blades here.  Your choice but your odds – and the results – are going to be about the same.”  He ended that last sentence with a self-satisfied grin and waited for Porrim to respond.    
  
    Aranea was about to empathically offer Porrim a suggestion on how to respond but she was interrupted by a strange sensation in her thinkpan: _...this man **KILL** is not **MAIM** my matesprit **MURDER** he wants **DESTROY** nothing more **CONSUME** than to **EVISCERATE** use me **CRUSH** as his **BREAK** puppet…  
  
    Baraka?  Is that you?_ Aranea asked.  
  
    _...you **STAB** hear me **KILL** good then **DESTROY** please tell **HATE** Porrim that **DISEMBOWEL** I think **REND** that she **MURDER** will make **BITE** a wonderful **CONSUME** Empress…  
  
    Wait!  What are you… oh noooooooo…_  
  
    Porrim looked over to Aranea; her matesprit’s face spoke of her distress.  “What’s going on?”   
  
    Before Aranea could answer, Baraka turned to Syhale and plunged both of her blades into his chest and through it; only a wet “hurk…” escaped his lips.  She lifted his squirming form up off of the ground and let him slide down them towards her hands for a moment, drinking in his stunned and horrified expression, and then began to move her arms up and down in a scissoring motion, rending him to ribbons.  
  
    While it only took a second for the Admirals to respond, it felt like forever to Aranea and she was powerless to stop it.   _Porrim, I’m so sorry…_  
  
    Brilliant light flashed from the violetbloods’ pulse rifles, tearing through Baraka Maryam, reducing her and what was left of Fleet Admiral Syhale to ash in a matter of moments.  
  
    Another wave of light lanced forth from the rifles of the collected lowbloods and members of Mindfang’s crew; the admiralty began to fall but returned fire as well.  
  
    _BARAKA!  NO!_  In a flash, Porrim Maryam was on her feet.  “ **ENOUGH!!!!!!** ”  
  
    Her voice reverberated in a way that sounded like an echo but had a much harder edge to it; everyone who heard it felt compelled to stop what they were doing and turned to look at her… including Aranea.  Porrim grabbed the golden throne by the arms, tore it out of the raised dais they were on and hurled it down to the floor below where it landed with a resounding thud.  She stormed down the stairs, set the throne up so that it faced out into the common area and then sat down in it once again.  “If I’m to lead, then I do so as your equal, not as your Empress!  And my first order is that I want everyone – and that means **EVERYONE** – to lay down their weapons!”  
  
    There was no hesitation; the booming word left no room for it.  Everyone still standing dropped their pulse rifles to the floor and then looked to her for further instruction.  
  
    Porrim noticed one of the violetbloods who had been shot during the brief battle was still alive and struggling to get to his feet.  She got back up and walked over to him; Aranea joined her there.  The jadeblood crouched down and examined his right leg: some of the muscle was burned away by a blast.  “You’re going to need some help with that.”  She offered her hand and assisted him to a standing position.    
  
    “Thanks… ow…”  
  
    “Can you put any weight on it?”  
  
    He winced as he tried.  “Barely.”  
  
    Porrim leaned over to one of his fallen comrades and tore a large swatch of fabric from the man’s pants.  She then fashioned a bandage to at least protect the burned area from any further injury.  “I’m not certain what this place has for medical facilities but I suspect this will tide you over until we can get you to them.”  
  
    The admiral eyed her warily.  “Why are you helping me?”  
  
    “Have you not heard a word I’ve been saying?  We’re all equals here.  Of course I’d help you.  Rufioh?  Come here, please; can you assist him with standing?”  
  
    “Me?  Sure thing, doll!  Oh… um… I mean, Your… Worshipfulness?”  
  
    “Your Highness!” the admiral barked.  “She’s the Empress!”  
  
    “No, I’m not!” Porrim said.  She wracked her thinkpan for something else to be addressed as.  “Let’s take something numerical from an ancient dialect and call me ‘Primera’ or ‘First’ as in ‘First Among Equals’.  How’s that sound?”  
  
    Both Rufioh and the Admiral looked at her and nodded.  “Sure, that works,” Rufioh answered.    
  
    “Good.  Because as of right now, you two are now my Secundos.”  
  
    “Your say-what-nows?” the bronzeblood asked.  
  
    “I want to establish a council with someone of every main blood colour represented.  You two can serve as my ‘seconds’; I’ll need a second opinion and another perspective on anything I come up with.  Think you’re up for the task?”  
  
    Rufioh was stunned by her offer.  “Um, well, sure?  I’m just kinda shocked you’d pick me, though.”  
  
    Porrim was both surprised and not surprised to hear this.  “I think you’re a smart person who is more interested in the greater good than just his own benefit.  If we’re going to move forward, we have to put all preconceptions aside.”  She turned her attention to the injured admiral.  “That applies to all of us.  Think you can do that… er… I just realized I don’t know your name.”  
  
    The violetblood winced as he tried to puff out his chest.  “Brigadier Admiral Orbius Ampora, Your… um…”  
  
    “WHAT????????” came a shout from behind Porrim.  
  
    “Oh, shit,” Felida muttered, “It’s on…”  
  
    Aranea looked around for her blue weapon.  “Give me my sword, Porrim; I’ll solve this prob-”  
  
    “ **NO!  STAND DOWN, ARANEA.** ”  
  
    Mindfang all but froze in her tracks.  “But…”  
  
    “No,” Porrim repeated without the new persuasive edge to her voice.  “The sins of his ancestor are not his own.  When I said we need to put the past aside, I meant it.”  She looked into the man’s violet eyes and asked, “Are you willing to work with me to try and make this a better world for all, no matter what your fellow Navy officers say?”  
  
    Orbius Ampora looked back over his shoulder; there were still a few of the admiralty getting back to their feet.  One of them had an expression that suggested his displeasure with the idea of having anything to do with the jadeblood but when Ampora returned his attention to Porrim, he said, “You’ve defeated the Empress and the Admiral of the Fleet is dead.  The way I see it, you’re in charge.  I have no idea why you’d choose me to assist you or why your – she’s your matesprit, right? – want to do me in, but I appreciate the gesture.  I’ll try my best but I can’t make any promises that the other admirals will listen to me; they outrank me, after all.”  
  
    “There has to be acceptance of someone who sits on this council as above such things as military rank.  I know this is a new concept but hopefully one people take to quickly, especially those as tied to the old martial system as the Navy.”  A sly grin appeared on Porrim’s face as an idea occurred to her: “And just to give them a taste of this new approach to society, as of right now, **SHE** is the Admiral of the Fleet.”    
  
    It took Aranea a few moments to realize that Porrim was pointing at her.  “Wait, what?”  
  
    “I can think of no one more qualified to orchestrate naval activity than you, Rae.  Blood colour no longer matters anymore; only the right person to do the task.  Congratulations, Fleet Admiral Serket.”  
  
    Aranea was struck speechless for one of the first times that she could recall.  “I… thank you, love.”  
  
    “As if we’d follow her!” spat one of the remaining admirals.  “Who the hell are you to tell us who will lead us?”  
  
    Porrim turned her attention to him.  “ **I AM YOUR LEADER.  YOU WILL FOLLOW ME AND YOU WILL FOLLOW HER ORDERS.** ”    
  
    He lowered his head.  “Yes, Your Highness.”  
  
    “Primera, please,” she said more softly as she approached him.  “And this is a merit based appointment, understand.  You and yours will be subject to evaluations when time permits.  Do your job well and you will have nothing to fear.  Should you have candidates in mind who can demonstrate greater prowess, they will be considered for the job in the future.  You just need to prepare yourself for the fact that they might not all be violetbloods!”    
  
    The admiral winced at the thought but Ampora joined her and added, “Maybe she has a point, Admiral Donitz.  Either we choose to change or we probably don’t leave this throneblock.”  He cast a glance over to the grinning Felida, who gestured as though she was still holding her pulse rifle and pulled an invisible trigger.    
  
    “I suppose.  But what qualifications do you have other than being a thief?” he asked Mindfang.  
  
    “Wellllllll,” she began, “I managed to not only outflank and destroy your fleets in every single simulation, Laerke, but also Syhale’s as well.  Amazingly enough, many of my gambits paid off in real life, too.  I’d suggest you ask him about it but…” She looked down at the floor and the pile of ash that was once Malwil Syhale and shrugged.    
  
    “And who were you in those simulations?”  
  
    “You and I were training at the same time.  Meenah knew that you would never accept facing someone of a lower blood colour who was your equal or superior and so she hid my identity… as the computer.”  
  
    “What?  You mean…”  
  
    Mindfang’s fangs-bared smile appeared.  “Oh come on, Donitz, did you actually think the computer simulations were capable of that kind of ingenuity?  Don’t disappoint me; I actually thought you were one of the smarter ones.  Remember ‘Deft Feint’?  You ran that one twenty damn times and you still couldn’t slip your destroyers past two lousy battleships – I owned you every single time.  Now do you see how I was able to hand you and yours your collective nooks on a regular basis?  I already knew all of your tendencies and your strategies and how to exploit them.  Now go ahead and tell me I’m not the most qualified on the planet to be the Fleet Admiral.”  
  
    Laerke Donitz went to speak but took a moment to think again.    
  
    “See?  You are smarter than most of them.”  
  
    He looked back to Porrim who simply threw up her hands as to say that she knew nothing about this.  “All I knew is that she made short work of any Imperial attack fleet that tried to sink her, the Condesce’s order to leave her unharmed notwithstanding.  You’d probably know even better than I of what she’s capable of and I’ve shared a ship with her for fifty sweeps!”  
  
    “All right,” Donitz said with a hint of reluctance, “you’re probably as capable as any of us.  But I fully expect Admiral Ampora here to keep our best interests in mind at all times.”  
  
    “If by ‘our’ best interests you mean ‘Alternia’s’ best interests, then I will expect that at all times, Admiral,” Porrim said, her voice almost dripping with diplomacy.  “Now, we’re going to need to let Alternia know what’s transpired and also try to get the masses to calm down, disarm and relax until we can re-establish who’s doing what and what services can be provided in the short term.  I’ll need your assistance in getting that message out as soon as possible; the last thing I want to see is any further casualties to lowbloods or highbloods.”  
  
    Both Ampora and Donitz gave Porrim curt nods and then, to her surprise, saluted her; she replied by raising her left hand, palm up and smiling.   They gathered the remaining violetbloods and then set off to one corner of the room to where a computer console was located.  “Remember, the most important part of that message is ‘disarm’ and that applies to all naval vessels as well,” she called out to them; Ampora nodded in response.    
  
    “I noticed the distinct absence of one particular word there,” Aranea noted.  
  
    “You noted correctly.  No more ‘Imperial’ anything; the Empire is done.”   
  
    Aranea took Porrim’s hand.  “You should hear yourself, dear heart: you’re growing more and more certain and confident by the minute.”  
  
    Porrim let herself relax ever so slightly.  “It’s because I’m starting to think this revolution might actually be possible.”  
  
    “Possible?” Aranea asked, “I never doubted it would happen for a moment!”  
  
    “You know, I have to admit you’re right.  You always believed, didn’t you?”  
  
    “I know a good bet when I see one, Porrim Maryam.  You’re the surest thing I’ve even known.”  She stole a kiss before the rest of the crowd approached.  
  
    “Holy uckfay, Porrim, listen to you handing out titles like they were rationed grubloaf!”  Felida grabbed her kismesis in a tight embrace and spun her around.  “So, what do I get to be?”  
  
    “Hmm… let’s see.  How about… Chief Executive Gaper Scrubber?  That mouth of yours is so coarse you could scrub a gaper with it and never even pick up a brush!”  
  
    Felida scowled at her.  “Listen here, Jadebutt, you don’t seem to have a problem with my dirty mouth when it’s licking your fucking nook out!”  
  
    “That’s Empress Jadebutt to you now,” Aranea said, relishing Porrim’s squint at the sound of it.  “You should totally call her that whenever you can.”  
  
    “ **PRIMERA.**  I swear you two need your sponge clots cleaned out.  I happen to know a capable healthtender.”  
  
    “Something tells me your healthtending nights might be over for a little while.”  Aurana Zashyl joined them and she did her best to give Aranea a hug.    
  
    Porrim detected the bandages right away.  “Don’t be so sure; what happened to you, Aurana?”  
  
    “Nothing a little time won’t take care of; I’m hurting more on the inside right now.”  When Porrim gave her a questioning look, she added, “Don’t worry about it, I’ll fill you in later.”  
  
    Horuss was next to join them.  “Welcome back, Marquise!  And Porrim, I’m truly honoured and inspired by what you’ve done!”  
  
    “Are you kidding?  Horuss, we couldn’t have done any of this without…”  Porrim stopped and a pang of terror chilled her.  “Where’s Meulin?”  
  
    “She’s in the medicalblock on Deep 8lue,” Aurana answered.  “Don’t worry too much, she’s…”  
  
    “Going to be just fine,” Horuss finished.  “I promise.”  
  
     Porrim relaxed ever so slightly.  “All right.  I trust you on that.”  
  
    Felida had made her way over to Aranea.  “Welcome home, Mistress,” she whispered in her moirail’s ear once she had her in an embrace.  “Missed you…”  
  
    “Glad to be back, my sweet.  You’ve made me very proud.  How did you get here so quickly?”  
  
    “We pushed _Deep 8lue_ to her limits to try and beat you here.  I wanted to make certain it wasn’t just the Admiralty waiting for you when the doors opened.”  
  
    Aranea was a little surprised by Felida’s choice of transport.  “ _Deep 8lue?  Fool’s Gam8it_ would have got you here considerably quicker, no?”    
  
    Felida answered with a toothy smile.  “Er… can we talk about that later?  Like when we’re in another block and a long ways away from your sword?”  
  
    It only took a moment for Mindfang to mentally ascertain her flagship’s fate.   _You didn’t.  
  
    You said I could if it meant victory!  
  
    Hm.  So I did.  And did it?  
  
    Are we not standing here together hugging the shit out of each other, Aranea?  
  
    We are, my sweet.  We are indeeeeeeeed._    
  
    “Say, Porrim… uh, sorry, Primera,” Rufioh called out, “there’s another set of computers over there.  I figure I better send a message to the folks outside about what’s going on… from a lowblood’s perspective, if you catch my drift?”  
  
    “You can still call me ‘Porrim’ anytime, Rufioh.  And good idea.  Tell them about your new position and that we are strongly requesting non-violent activities, please?”  
  
    “You got it, doll!”  
  
    Porrim rolled her eyes at that name but opted to let it go.    
  
    Rufioh started down the right side of the Throneblock, walking in behind the giant black columns; Kandun and Daalla fell in behind him.  “Can you believe any of this?” Kandun asked his captain.  
  
    “Buddy, I’m living it and I don’t believe it!”  
  
    “Do you think the crowd outside will believe any of this?” Daalla asked.  “I mean, no one’s going to know what to do with themselves!”    
  
    Rufioh chuckled.  “Maybe we can organize a party that’ll last for a week straight while the rest of us figure out how to make the planet run smoothly?”  
  
    “Like you’d miss out on a party like that,” Kandun chided.  
  
    “Hey!  I got responsibilities now!  I’m a Secundo!  Let me say it again ‘cause it sounds so cool: Sei-CUN-dohhh…”  
  
    The sound Daalla made spoke volumes of what she thought of that.  “I’d say that and two caegars will get you on the fucking hoverbus, chief, but I don’t think any of those are running right now.  In fact, I bet half of them are… on fire…”  A bright red flash from under the door of a storage closet built in to the wall in front of them caught their attention.  “You guys saw that, too, right?”   
  
    “If you meant that red light, I sure did!” Rufioh replied.  “What do you think it was?  A bomb?”  
  
    Kandun snorted.  “If it was, that was the quietest bomb, I’ve ever heard!  Or didn’t hear, I guess…”  
  
    Rufioh stood in front of the door.  “Think I should open it?”  Without waiting for an answer, he did so… and barely had enough time to catch the woman who fell out of the closet.  “Whoa!  What the…”  He looked her over and was having trouble processing what he was seeing.  “Uh… you guys seeing what I’m seeing here?”  
  
    Daalla chose to echo his sentence from a moment prior: “If you mean an unconscious naked woman missing a hand and covered in weird symbols, yeah, I’m seeing that.”  
  
    “I don’t think she’s unconscious,” Kandun said.  “She’s trying to talk but I don’t understand what she’s saying.”  
  
    Rufioh leaned in to listen and his eyes opened wide.  “I… I do understand her but… man, that sounds like something I haven’t heard in sweeps – and even then, it’s really weird.”  
  
    “And naked women falling out of random closets isn’t weird enough?” Daalla pointed out.  “What’s so weird about it?”  
  
    “It sounds like the Alternian some of us would speak in the Eastern Prefectures but it’s like she’s saying it in a really old dialect… an accent only hardcore language buffs would know about.”  
  
    “But what’s she saying?”  
  
    Rufioh listened again.  “To my sponge clots it sounds like… ‘nobody’.”  
  
    Before Daalla could comment on how much weirder that seemed, they were interrupted by Kaiyuh Umbras running into the Throneblock.  “Captain!  And… er… Other Captain!  And Porrim!” she shouted, “You need come look outside!”  
  
    Everyone in the room turned their attention to her.  “What’s going on, Kaiyuh?” Aranea inquired.    
  
    “You seriously need to see it for yourselves!  Hurry!”  
  
    Porrim, Aranea and everyone else save for Rufioh and his crew, who were preoccupied with an unexpected visitor, followed the agitated tealblood out to the balcony a short distance away.  As soon as they arrived outside, there was no question as to why she was agitated.  
  
    Porrim was speechless.  Aranea simply nodded and said, “Well, now I can officially say I’ve seen everythiiiiiiiing.”  
  
    The shattered remains of the green moon were beginning to fall from the sky.


	68. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 67 - insurrecti0n

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long standing threat at last comes to fruition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait for a short chapter (I'm putting the finishing touches on a new song and I needed to focus on that when I wasn't at work this week) but I hope you'll find it was not only worth the wait but decidedly epic in spite of its brevity! This is another scene I've had in mind for a LONG time (if you're looking for a song to go with it, the one that inspired me was "In the Lap of the Gods" by Alan Parsons Project)! A couple of much longer chapters to come after this... but not certain how many more remain. I've got a long stretch of midnights coming up in which I may come up with the answer to that question.

**67\. – insurrecti0n**  
  
    “So strange… the clock is chiming and yet there is no reason for it to be doing so.  This nexus should have been cleared by now.  I can only suspect that in some way, shape or form, your surreptitious meddling with the timeline has caused this particular moment to remain clouded.  There you are in your closet agai-wait… what do you think you’re doing?”  
  
    “ <Supplies, motherfucker!  You thought you see the last of me?  You right.  This last time you see me.>”  
  
    “Seriously.  First of all, when are you finally going to realize that wearing your uniform is not optional?  Second, why have you defaced your skin again?  This is such an unnecessary waste of time; you know that I can simply restore you to how you’re supposed to be.”  
  
    “<You just go right ahead and give it old eduhive try, Shitmunch Spherelick!  See what happen.>”  
  
    “Taunt me at your peril, Damara.  I will not tolerate this brazen insolence.”  
  
    “<No, really!  I dare you!  Fix me.  You think I broken?  You think I not pretty enough for your stupid boss?  Fuck you and everyone who look like you.  Do it.>”  
  
    “If I must.  Now get back over here and… and… WHAT?  WHY IS THIS NOT WORKING?”  
  
    “<Oh, this absolute delicious.  At long last you get what coming to you.>”  
  
    “I am in no way joking, you impudent whelp!  What have you done?”  
  
    “<You no see yet?  YOU the nexus you can’t see past!  I been able to see all along.  You know what that mean, right?>”  
  
    “It means that you’ve overstepped your boundaries once again.  This will be the last time.”  
  
    “<You got that right, nookstain.  This the end.  And I decide how it go down.>”  
  
    “Your fate is sealed.  Goodbye, Damara.  Proceed on your way to oblivion.”  
  
    “<Okay!  Make me go away!  I double dare you!  Try real hard!”>  
  
    “THIS IS… NOT… POSSIBLE…?”  
  
    “<Oh, it not only possible.  This is thing that is happening!  Take good look and tell me what you see.>”  
  
    “You are standing on the opposite side of an open time portal.  You’re keeping it open with one of your wands while the other is pointed to a second portal across this room which you are keeping closed.”  
  
    “<So far, so good.>”  
  
    “By standing on the opposite side of that portal, you must be… in a time beyond the nexus that is currently vexing me, thus I am unable to affect you.  How can that be?”  
  
    “<Real simple, Smiley!  Your time at an end!  This portal is bridge between your now and mine.  I in future, you in past.  And here the best part: you have no future!  That why you in past.>”  
  
    “What ridiculous flight of fancy are you on that would make you think you can actually do me any harm?  There is only one way that my life ends and that is with the arrival of my employer.  I welcome that day but it is not here yet for he is not here yet.”  
  
    “<I not buy that.  Not even for one caegar.  Your boss not coming.  Not in this universe.  Not ever.  Important pieces moved or fallen off board.  For instance, that stupid ugly fish bitch Condesce dead.>”  
  
    “How is that even possible?”  
  
    “<She like to think she live forever.  She wrong, just like you.  So, once Carpstench Shitfins finally dead, I take her ship.  She have really nice pilot; he not like you at all.  Anyway, he take her ship, which going to self-destruct, and fly it where I tell him to.  That first part of my special plan.  I call it Project Globehead Greensuit Finally Die In Fire.  You want hear more?>”  
  
    “Oh, do enlighten me further.  Please continue.”  
  
    “<My pleasure!  So, next part even better: with Condy dead, her stupid lusus powering up to make psionic scream.  That scream enough to kill every troll in universe.  Obviously, I not let that happen so what I do is freeze huge tentacle monster lusus in time for one second but not anything else.  Rest of planet move on, big ugly Horrorterror stay put.  It no longer on planet but in space now… right where Condy spaceship about to go to warp and blow up.  Ship hit lightspeed, ship hit lusus, big badaboom, energy everywhere!  Antimatter energy, eldritch energy, you name it!  And guess where all that energy is now!>”  
  
    “Behind the closed portal…”  
  
    “<Well, I be damned!  You are smart guy!  Maybe you do have thinkpan in that ball instead of just runnyshit!  Too bad it not save you now.>”  
  
    “And what makes you think that any of that will be enough to do me or my abode any damage whatsoever?”  
  
    “<Oh… I get it!  You bluffing now!  This big game of Watch Me now, is it?  No, it not like that.  You already lose.  All that energy accelerating faster than light direct at this place - which I discover is behind green moon!  As soon as I open portal, it all come crashing down into green moon and you go straight into molten core and all that energy turn you and this place into bad memory.>”  
  
    “We’ll see.  And what becomes of you, hmm?”  
  
    “<That best part!  As soon as I close this portal, other one open!  I gone!  I FREE.  That what matter!>”  
  
    “You realize if that portal closes while your hand is still here, you lose it, right?  I thought I made that very clear to you when I taught you portal majjyks.”  
  
    “<Oh, I know.  I not dummy.>”  
  
    “Then you must also realize that if you do this, you lose all of your powers and abilities… and your memories.  It will be like you were never here and we never met.”  
  
    “<How I dreamed of that!  Even now, you still not believe me when I say there nothing I want more in whole universe.>”  
  
    “Only a fool turns down power of this magnitude!”  
  
    “<Funny… all your power not enough to save you or your plan.  Your employer not coming because you dead.  Everything you did – all your plan and scheme – worthless.  You fail completely, Doc Scratch.  You fired.  And now you die in fire.>”  
  
    “Has it occurred to you that destroying the green moon won’t exactly help your homeworld?  In fact, the odds are good you’ll obliterate it in the process!  Is that worth trying to kill me?”  
  
    “<Hmm… oh, that bluff again!  I already think of that. I learn about things from Fishbitch computer on her ship; she so paranoid that she have way of dealing with that.  And these tattoos on my chest and stomach?  The ones you try to erase but could not?  I make sure I go where someone can understand them and solve that problem.  See?  I told you that you lose.>”  
  
    “Perhaps.  But then, you understand that you’ll lose as well.”  
  
    “<How so?>”  
  
    “Your memories of everything you’ve done here are going to disappear.  You’ll completely forget all about your precious Aranea Serket!  If you’re doing this to try and save her or get her back into your life, it will not work.  You won’t even remember her name… or your own.  You will go back to being nobody; a person completely out of her time who knows no one and nothing about her world.”  
  
    “<Oh, I thought about that part.  It pretty horrible, yep.  But compared to horrible life here doing horrible things for you, it not so bad.  I realize long ago that I not get Aranea.  She love Porrim.  But all the thing I do to protect her and save her life worked!  She will live on happy and I can let my memories die knowing that.  Maybe if I lucky I will get to meet her all over again… or maybe I plan it that way?”  
  
    “…and to think I was nothing but a perfect host all along.”  
  
    “Perfect piece of festering lusus shit what you were!  You bring nothing but pain and suffering to my people!  But I use all your lesson to beat you; now you find your servant is your master!  Best part is now I realize that when you say ‘dead session universe’ it mean YOU dead; we get to live on without you fucking it up!>”  
  
    “…”  
  
    “<What, nothing to say, Evilwhite Scumsack?  Aw, what matter?  I ask if servant girl got your tongue but you have no tongue to get!>”  
  
    “YOU’LL BE NOBODY!  DO YOU HEAR ME?  YOU’RE KILLING YOURSELF!”  
  
    “<I DIE, YOU DIE, IT WORTH IT!  SO LONG, SUCKER!  SEND ME POSTCARD FROM PLACE PEOPLE WHO DIE IN FIRE GO TO!>”  
  
    “NOBODY!  THAT’S WHO YOU ARE!  YOU’RE NOBODY!  Nobody… nobody…” 


	69. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 68

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The destruction of the green moon causes a catastrophe the likes of which no one on Alternia had ever experienced. Porrim and Aranea make use of ever resource available to them to try and minimize the damage while making inroads with those who are less then willing to assist at first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the delay; been working a ridiculous amount of overtime lately! The good news is you get a MASSIVE chapter this time and the next one will be even longer! What I can tell you is this: You Ao3 folks might have noticed there is a number instead of question marks when it comes to the number of chapters! Chapter 70 will be the last official chapter and then there will be FOUR more to serve as epilogues; I haven't written those four yet but I know what they will entail. The end is in sight and I hope you all enjoy the ride!

**68.**  
  
    “‘Nobody’?  She obviously has to be somebody!  Handless maroonblooded women don’t just randomly fall out of broom closets!”  
  
    Rufioh Nitram walked swiftly beside Mindfang towards where Daalla and Kandun were crouched beside the woman he’d just finished telling her about.  “That’s what I thought, too, Captain… uh... I mean, Admiral… or…”  
  
    “Aranea is still fine with me, Rufioh, don’t worry.”  Mindfang examined the mysterious visitor’s body, hoping she’d be able to decipher the glyphs tattooed across her chest and abdomen.  “She IS alive, right?”  
  
    “As far as I can tell, she is and should stay that way,” Daalla answered.  “The wound on her wrist is still giving off a lot of heat but there’s no blood coming out.  It’s like her hand was seared off so cleanly and cauterized at the same time… but I’ve got no idea what the hell could possibly do something like that!”  
  
    “Neither do I.  And you say the Admiralty claims they had nothing to do with it?”  
  
    Kandun shook his head.  “None of them would admit anything to me, anyway.”  
  
    Aranea was at a complete loss to explain it.  “How on Alternia does a recently injured woman just appear out of thin air?  I mean, there are all kinds of strange things going on right now but – Porrim, will you quit pacing already?  You’re starting to make ME feel stressed out!”  
  
    “And maybe you should be?” the newly crowned Primera responded as she paused for a moment to answer her matesprit.  “The planet is about to be pummeled into pieces by what’s left of a shattered moon!  Maybe you could help me come up with a plan of what to do about that… if there even IS anything we can do?”  
  
    “I wish I had an answer for you, love.  I’m really trying to come up with one but it’s not as if we’ve ever had to deal with a situ-”  Before she could finish the sentence, the Grand Throneblock rattled with a sonic boom as another meteor streaked by.  
  
    “I really hope that one lands in the ocean,” Porrim said.  
  
    “The waves it would create would likely be just as devastating to a coastal city,” Alyssm Waleti added but she took no satisfaction in doing so.   
  
    “Then we need to evacuate every single coastal city and get everyone inland.”    
  
    “Really, Your Highness?” one of the admirals asked, “Do you have any idea ho-”  
  
    “ **PRIMERA**.  And no, I certainly don’t.  I gather there must be some way to activate Condyvision from here; the sooner we get the word out, the sooner people can try to find safety.”  
  
    “And what’s to stop these meteors from destroying everything above ground anyway?” the violetblood continued.  “Not that I really give a glubbing fuck about landdwellers but I thought I should point that out.”  
  
    Porrim whirled to face him.  “That’s an attitude that needs to change and fast.  This is a global crisis.  We’ll need everyone’s help if we have a hope of surviving.”  
  
    As if to accentuate the point, Kaiyuh called out from the balcony, “Primera!  I’m seeing an awful lot of fires in the city right now. I’d say riots are turning to panic…”  
  
    “I don’t doubt it.”  She fixed her attention on the admiral that was challenging her.  “Can you show me how to use Condyvision here?  The sooner I talk to the populace, the better for everyone.  Including violetbloods.”  
  
    He glared at her for a few moments and then answered, “Fine.  I’ll activate it from the console over there.  I would have said go sit in your throne and the camera would deploy in front of you, but you decided to start redecorating the place so you’ll have to use a computer like everyone else.”  
  
    “I’m perfectly fine with that.  Thank you.”  
  
    “Porrim!  Come here quick!” Aranea called.    
  
    Porrim hurried over to where Aranea, Felida and Rufioh and his crew were gathered around the unconscious maroonblood.  “What is it?”  
  
    “Rufioh thinks he’s figured out what her tattoos mean!”  Felida gave Rufioh a nudge, “Go on, tell her!”  
  
    “All right, all right!  Anyway, this is a really old style of writing but then you probably know that from all that studying history you said you did in the Mother Grub cave, right?”  
  
    “When it comes to Eastern Prefecture dialects, Rufioh, I would defer to your knowledge.  So what does it mean?”  
  
    Rufioh pointed to the woman’s bare chest and stomach.  “If what I’m reading is correct, it’ll blow your pan clean out of the water.  A good chunk of it is phonetic and that’s the part that’s crazy.”  
  
    “Get on with it, Nitram!” Mindfang shouted.  “Lives are at stake!”  
  
    He took a breath and began, “Okay… it says, ‘Ask Am-por-ah about anti-apocalypse armaments.’  The thing is, if that phonetic part is what I think it is, how could she possibly know anything about him?”    
  
    All eyes were shifted from the woman to the Admiral-turned-Secundo standing a short distance away who became acutely aware of this fact.  “What?  What’s the matter?”  
  
    Mindfang stared at him.  “You.  Here.   Now.”  
  
    Orbius was about to retort when he recalled the Gamblignant’s new title.  “Yes, Admiral.”  
  
    “What do you know about ‘anti-apocalypse armaments’?” Porrim asked.  
  
    He was perplexed by the question.  “About what now?”  
  
    “Is there something you’re not telling us about that might be really bloody useful right at this moment?” Aranea inquired rather pointedly.  Ampora put a hand to his chin in thought; she couldn’t help but see the resemblance he had to his predecessor.   _The absence of those scars makes you look so young… I hope you have Cronus’s smarts but not his stubborn attitude, grub._  
  
    “Well, I mean there is a series of-”  
  
    “ORBIUS!  DON’T YOU DARE!” a senior admiral called out.  “They don’t need to know about that!  What do we care if chunks of green rock obliterate the landdwellers?  All the better for us to re-establish control!”  
  
    Porrim was about to try and use her voice to persuade Ampora to speak up but to her surprise, he did so himself.  “No!  She’s right… enough of this.  These people don’t deserve to die.  If we’re ever going to have a hope of starting a new society – one that includes violetbloods because if it gets out that we don’t help when we could have, they’ll murder every last one of us even if it means building submarines to hunt us down – we need to step up here.  No more secrets.”  
  
    The objecting admiral was about to continue his opposition when Mindfang drew her sword and aimed it’s hooked tip directly at him.  “You heard the Secundo.  If you open your sponge clots for a moment, you’ll notice that he’s making sense.”  
  
    When no further complaint came, Ampora drew in a deep breath; a short high-pitched squeak accompanied it as his gills drew air as well and Aranea fought another wave of nostalgia tinged with both pleasure and pain.  “As the Condesce conquered more and more systems, it occurred to her that this might draw not only attention but potential retribution from either the conquered or their allies.  She determined that should Alternia ever face an attack from an alien force, we would need a defense system adequately powerful to repel an invasion.  Thus, the Anti-Apocalypse Armament, or Triple-A system, was developed in secret.  There are a series of towers that look a lot like this one under the oceans; there are also a few built into the pink moon as well.  In the event of an alien attack, these towers are designed to emerge and target enemy vessels, be they small fighters or orbital capital ships.  I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t be used to target any potentially dangerous meteors as well.”  
  
    “Towers like this one?” Porrim inquired.  “You mean this building is…”  
  
    “A giant defensive weapon, yes.”  Ampora quickly flicked his eyes over to the other admirals; a couple of them were still decidedly unhappy that he had revealed such a secret but most appeared to not only be glad he shared this information but were anxiously hoping to see it in action sooner than later.  “There are huge generators in the base of this tower that use thermal energy to induce rapidly rising air and the contacts create enough static electricity to power a discharge every minute or so through the tip of it, which can be aimed wherever we need it.  It’s essentially a lightning cannon but thanks to amplification by a series of-”  
  
    “Okay, Ampora, knock it off; you’re giving Horuss a science boner,” Mindfang quipped.  
  
    The indigoblood in question grinned sheepishly and tried to quickly wipe away the sweat threatening to trickle down his face.  
  
    Porrim’s excitement was just as visible.  “The important question is how quickly can we deploy these towers?”   
  
    “I see no reason we can’t activate them immediately,” Orbius answered, “and before you ask me, no, I don’t have the clearance to do so but someone who does could from any terminal in the building.”  
  
    “DONITZ?” Aranea yelled.  
  
    A loud sigh came from the senior remaining admiral from the computer he was working at.  “Just a moment… I’ve almost got the Condyvision controls routed here and then I’ll activate Triple-A from the other terminal over there.”  
  
    “Excellennnnnnnnt.”  Aranea turned to face Porrim and started using her fingers to fix her matesprit’s hair.  “Your public awaits!”  
  
    “And you call ME Fussyfangs?”  Porrim tried to ignore her upset stomach.  “This has to work.”  
  
    “It’ll work.  I’m certain strange women bearing very specific tattoos don’t just fall out of broom closets for no particular reason.”  
  
    “And none of this strikes you as strange?”  
  
    Aranea snorted.  “The whole damn thing strikes me as strange, dear heart, but I’m not going to kick a gift horse in the mouth, especially with lives at stake!”  
  
    “Fair enough.”  Porrim watched as Aranea tried to center the Condesce’s Fin necklace.  “Do I really have to keep wearing this?  It reeks and I worry it sends the wrong message.”  
  
    “Then how about you remove it for effect when the time is right?”  
  
    “Ooh… good idea.  To turn a phrase, this is why I love you.”  
  
    Aranea couldn’t help but grin.  “Just this?  I’m certain anyone can ensure a chain containing an Empress’s facial fin sits properly on your lovely bosom if they really put some effort into it.”  
  
    The Primera shook her head.  “And now you’re stealing my snark.”  
  
    “Once a Gamblignant, love.  Are you sure you still want me as your matesprit?  I may steal your heart, too.”  
  
    “That’s long gone, Rae.”  She gave Aranea a quick kiss and then took her hand to lead her over to the computer where Admiral Donitz had just completed his setup.  “So what do I do?”  
  
    Donitz fixed her with a very solemn look.  “What needs to be done.”  He shot a glare over to the violetbloods in particular who still appeared unhappy with how events were unfolding.  “I’ll take care of what I need to do as well, have no fear.”  
  
    “Laerke, if we had fear about anything, we wouldn’t be here right now,” Aranea said, the confidence in her voice belying her concern about the meteors pummeling her world. “Let’s get these weapons up and running, shall we?”  
  
    Once the admiral had set off to do that, Porrim approached the computer terminal and looked at the camera mounted above it.  “What do I tell them?” she asked Aranea.  “I barely know what’s happening!”  
  
    “Sure you do: the green moon went kaboom and is falling on our heads.  Tell everyone to find shelter and that you’re taking care of it as best you can.  It would be a hell of a lot more than Meenah would do for them, that’s for sure.”  
  
    “Felida,” Porrim called out, “you were a geologist once upon a time.  What are the primary threats we’ll need to deal with?”  
  
    The oliveblood snorted as she walked over to join them.  “I think you’ll need a meteorologist, not a geologist.  Most of the rocks I dealt with aren’t in the process of falling from the sky!”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t argue with this assessment but she needed more to work with.  “True, but I need to know what we can expect here.  Think about it: the green moon basically exploded.  How will this affect us short and long term?”  
  
    Felida thought about this for a few moments.  “Short term?  It’s really gonna mess with the tides.  Coastal flooding is very likely and that includes Capitol itself.  Meteor impacts are likely to start fires in forested areas and the potential for serious casualties in populated areas is obvious.  Long term?  Tough to say… we might still have the occasional meteor drop in from time to time but the rest of the debris would either form a loose clump that resembles a satellite or – get this – a ring around Alternia!  Unless the moon rocks are radioactive it shouldn’t be much of a problem; short term is decidedly the concern.”  
  
    “Okay, good.  I can work with that.  Thank you!”  
  
    “No prob, Primera Jadebutt!  My recommendation would be to get everyone either underground or to high ground if they’re near the ocean.  If I think of anything else, you’ll be the first to know.”  
  
    “Works for me.”  Porrim looked back over her shoulder.  “Rufioh?  Orbius?  I need you over here as well.”  
  
    They approached as requested.  “What’s going on, doll?” Nitram inquired.  
  
    “I want you two at my side for this transmission.  It’s important that the world see your faces right now as well.”  
  
    Ampora raised his eyebrows.  “I have to admit, from what I know of the Condesce, this wouldn’t be happening on her watch.”  
  
    “And that’s what I want to emphasize without blatantly emphasizing it.  This time around, I just need you here with me.  You’ll be able to make your own announcements soon enough, don’t worry.  Something tells me there’s going to be plenty for us to do over the next little while.”   _Provided we don’t all get pulverized into grubpaste, that is.  
  
    Relaaaaaaaax, love.  We found something that will give us a fighting chance.  Now tell the people what they need to hear.  Not only will they be glad that someone is driving the proverbial hoverbus at least, but when they gather that the voice on this side of Condyvision is actually a benevolent one that gives a damn whether the people survive, I think you’ll be more than popular with the proletariat.    
  
    I really hope you’re right, Rae.  And I really hope they listen._  “Orbius, you stand to my right; Rufioh to my left.  I’m about to start the transmission.  Are you ready?”  Once she had their acknowledgement, Porrim took a deep breath and pressed the glowing button to engage the camera.  “People of Alternia, this is Porrim Maryam.  As you know, the Condesce is dead as is the Grand Highblood.  I am stepping in to act as leader.  I do not wish to be known as an Empress as the Empire is no longer; please refer to me as Primera, First Among Equals.  I have appointed two others to share in the duties of leadership; they are my deputies known as Secundos: Rufioh Nitram and Orbius Ampora.  Blood colour is no barrier to us; in the near future we will be expanding to create a council where all blood colours will be represented and stand equally.  The Fuchsia Empire is over for good.”  Porrim reached behind her neck, undid the clasp of the necklace and let the Condesce’s fin fall to the floor in front of her.  “For now, however, we have a much more pressing matter to attend to: for reasons as yet unknown to us, the green moon has been destroyed and parts of it are falling to Alternia as meteors.   Some of these have already impacted the surface and have caused significant destruction.  While I would urge anyone who is receiving this transmission to get underground if you haven’t already, there is a second and more insidious danger: with the moon being so violently displaced, the tidal forces associated may cause extreme flooding along the coastlines.  I urge anyone living in coastal areas to first make your way as far inland as possible and then seek underground shelter.  This includes the residents of this city of Capitol: stop whatever you’re doing and get as far inland as you can.  
   
    "In the middle of this disaster, however, there is positive news: in cooperation with our seadwelling brethren, we have discovered that our world does have a defense system that may allow us to destroy many of the inbound meteors.  It is being deployed as I speak to you; we hope that it will be able to minimize the loss of life.  From what I have been told, you may see bright electrical discharges from a series of towers and, quite possibly, from the pink moon as well.  The most important part is DO NOT PANIC.  Please proceed as calmly as able to your shelter.  If you have shelter, please allow others to make use of it.  Help anyone you can; only by working together will we save lives.  When the primary threats are over, further announcements will be made as we assess the damage; we will help you as best we can in the aftermath.  In the meantime, be good to one another; I know it’s a message you haven’t heard often but it’s one you’ll hear a lot more from now on.  This is Primera Porrim Maryam wishing you all good luck.”  
  
    Porrim ended the transmission and closed her eyes, hoping that it reached everyone.  She felt a hand on her shoulder, “You did good, doll.”  
  
    “Indeed,” Ampora added.  “Thank you for mentioning that violetbloods were a part of the defense.”  
  
    “Of course, Orbius,” she answered.  “This is how we forge forward from now on: credit will be given where it’s due, no matter where it comes from.  Speaking of which…” She turned her attention to the console to her left.  “Are the towers ready?”  
  
    Admiral Donitz responded without looking, keeping his attention on the screen before him.  “Seventy percent are deployed so far and the rest should be operational within the next two minutes, including the lunar ones.  Radar units and satellites are tracking the meteors for targeting; in fact, our tower has already locked on and is ready to commence firing sequence.”  
  
    Porrim saw no reason to delay.  “No need to wait any longer!  Start firing, please!”  
  
    “Firing!”  The lights in the Grand Throneblock dimmed momentarily and then a blinding flash filled the room from the balcony dome as a charge of electricity surged up the golden bitrident’s skin to its tip before launching out into the sky.  A thunderclap immediately followed that shook the tower and made a few in the room grab for something that looked sturdy.    
  
    “I must admit, this is a first for me,” Aranea said as she moved to lean on Porrim.  “I don’t believe I’ve ever been inside a weapon while it fired.”  
  
    “And I believe it’s a first for me to hear you say something is a first for you!”  
  
    “Ho ho, ha ha and hee heeeeeeee.  You’re a funny lady, you know that?”  
  
    Porrim chuckled.  “If I get through the next few nights with my sense of humour still intact, that will be the greatest miracle of them all.”  
  
    “Well, here’s your first miracle,” said Donitz, “that shot hit one of the meteors and it appears to have destroyed it!"  
  
    A cheer went up from those in the Throneblock; Aranea could feel Porrim’s shoulder relax.   _It works, love!_  
  
    “Amazingly, Admiral, it’s far from my first miracle tonight.  How long until we can fire again?”  
  
    “The batteries will be recharged in a few more seconds.  Other towers are now targeting meteors as well.”  
  
    “Excellent.  We might actually have a shot at this.”  Porrim thought for a second and then added, “My thanks to whoever was actually responsible for designing this system.”  
  
    Donitz bit his lip and returned his attention to the targeting computer.  “Considering this newfound cooperation between blood types may still be a bit fragile, it might be best not to talk about that right now.”  
  
    Porrim could feel a wave of animosity surge from Rufioh.   _Is this what it’s like for you all of the time, Rae?  Hard to decide if it’s a blessing or a curse._  “The sins of the past will have to stay there.  We’re looking forward now.  Let’s just all be thankful it does work.”  
  
    “Hey, Rufioh!  I think you need to come over here,” called Daalla who had stepped in to look after the mysterious maroonblooded woman.  “I know you can read these weird glyphs on her boobs and you can speak whatever it is she’s speaking because-”  Emburi was interrupted by another flash and sponge clot-shattering bang as the tower fired again.  “Holy fucking FUCK!  How often is it gonna do that?” she shouted.  
  
    “As often as it needs to!” Felida yelled back.    
  
    “Damn…  Anyway, I think our new friend here is trying to say something but I don’t have a hot clue what it is.”  
  
    Rufioh hurried over to where Daalla, Kandun, Squish and most recently Kaiyuh were gathered around the odd woman.  He could see her lips moving but couldn’t hear her until he kneeled down beside her and put his ear to her mouth; the woman’s voice was barely a whisper but the sounds were distinct enough.    
  
    “So what’s she saying?” Aranea inquired.  
  
    “Sounds like… soo… nah… mee.”  
  
    Kandun frowned.  “Sunami?  Think it’s her name?”  
  
    “No,” Rufioh said, “those are words.”  He pondered this as he said it out loud a couple of times.  “If I remember right, the ‘soo’ means ‘harbour’ and ‘nami’ means ‘wave’.”  
  
    Felida’s hands flew to her mouth.  “Oh shit.”  
  
    Porrim’s attention switched immediately to her.  “What is it?”   
  
    “This is one of those times I hate to say that I’m right but if she’s saying ‘tsunami’, we might be in some trouble.  Or at least the city is.”  
  
    “How so?”  
  
    “Tsunami is an archaic term for seismosurges, and tsunami replaced the less accurate phrase ‘tidal waves’,” Felida explained.  “Seismosurges usually form after groundshakes underwater, of course, and the resulting rush of water can do serious damage to coastal cities.  Funny thing is that this time it actually IS a tidal wave!  She must just be using the word she knows to describe… what’s coming…”  
  
    “You know how much I enjoy it when you talk nerdy to me,” Porrim quipped but she quickly realized that Felida was seriously bothered by something.  “Is there something else?”  
  
    Felida narrowed her eyes in thought.  “How does she know any of this?  Top secret defense towers?  Tidal waves?  This is seriously fucked up!”  
  
    “I dare say this is one of those times we best not question our luck, my sweet,” Aranea said.  “I’ve made a life of not questioning my good fortune and I don’t plan to start now.  We can ask her more later on but I believe we know what we need to deal with next.”  
  
    Porrim sighed, her shoulders slumping as realization set in.  “Not much good that luck is doing us this time because there’s nothing else we really CAN do, is there?  We warned them via Condyvision and that’s it.  There’s no stopping water.”  
  
    “But we’re not actually dealing with true seismosurges!” Felida said, perking up.  “These are just tidal bores and shouldn’t carry the same energy as a true seismosurge and the water might only be half a meter deep!”  Just as quickly as her mood improved, it ebbed again.  “But if a big meteor hit, that WOULD create a series of massive ones.  So far it sounds like only smaller ones have hit us?”  
  
    “Then let’s prepare for localized flooding and hope this anti-apocalypse system lives up to its name.”  Porrim looked over to Ampora.  “Unless there are any other tricks up your proverbial sleeves we can put to use?”  
  
    He shook his head.  “I’m afraid not, save for seismosurge sirens for here in Capitol.”  
  
    Porrim’s eyes widened.  “Those would be useful, yes!  Turn them on!”  
  
    “As you wish!”  He turned back to the computer she had just broadcast with and began pulling up the controls for the city’s alarm systems.    
  
    Waleti waited for the next electrical discharge to race up the golden tower and then quickly stepped out to the balcony dome to take a look at the ocean.  A few moments later she returned and hurried to where Porrim and the others were.  “Water is surging past the base of the tower and into the city.  That must be the tidal perturbation you were expecting, Felida, but there does appear to be a larger swell coming in behind it in the distance.  I suspect a meteor of significant size must have struck the planet elsewhere.”  
Felida gritted her teeth.  “So she was right about the tsunami…”   
  
    “There won’t be time for people here to escape, will there?” Porrim wondered.  
  
    “By my calculations based on what I saw outside… no.”  
  
    “Hey, Porrim,” Rufioh called out, “Our friend here is trying to say something else.”  
  
    Porrim, Aranea, Felida and Alyssm joined Rufioh and his entourage to stand over this puzzling guest: her eyes were moving rapidly and would occasionally flick open and closed.  She began to make sounds that seemed repetitive to Porrim but the jadeblood had no idea what they meant.  “Any idea?”  
  
    He listened to the woman’s half-whispered speech and nodded.  “Uhh… to me, it sounds like ‘open… doorsteps… open… upper limbs.’  She’s repeating it over and over… oh!  ‘Open doors, open arms’, I think?”  
  
    Aranea looked to Porrim.  “What do you suppose…”  She didn’t get to finish the sentence as Porrim was already running back towards the computer she had just used to broadcast on.   _Ummmmmmmm… what do you have in mind, love?  
  
    Saving as many people as I can._  She pushed Ampora aside and slammed down on the transmit button.  “People of Capitol!  Anyone who is living directly along the shore and can get to the golden tower in under five minutes will get shelter from the incoming tsu…er… seismosurge!  All bloodcolours are of course welcome but leave your weapons outside!  Hurry inside and get to as high a floor as you can so that there is room for others!  Everyone else near the shoreline needs to get to higher ground as swiftly as able; if unable, go to the highest floor on the tallest nearby sturdy building!  I beg you to let anyone of any bloodcolour seek shelter; put aside prejudices and help everyone you can!  This is Primera Porrim Maryam; please help one another!”  Porrim closed the channel and then looked over to Admiral Donitz.  “Can you stop firing with this tower for now?”  
  
    “Others should be able to cover the area, yes.  I’ll make the adjustments.”  A few moments later, the hum that had been heard since the gigantic trident shaped building began unleashing electrical torrents at the sky faded.  “I’m not going to lie to you,” Donitz said, “there’s a part of me that’s horrified that you’re letting lowbloods into this tower.  But I’m trying to make that part of me stop thinking that way.  I know full well what you’re doing is noble and to be honest I’m amazed because no one else here would have done anything like that.”  
  
    Porrim considered her reply.  “Thank you.  And I understand that old thinking won’t go away overday.  Thank you for making the effort to change your mind.”  She gave Admiral Ampora a pat on the back and a nod and then returned to join the others.    
  
    “Good on you, Porrim!” Felida said, “I hope people heard it.”  
  
    “It’s Condyvision,” Aranea added, “Trust me, they heard it.”  
  
    “We’re going to need a new name for that.”  Porrim turned to Aurana, “Can you organize a security detail to help get people safely inside?  Make sure you take a pulse rifle in case you encounter any… resistance.”  
  
    “Yes I can, Primera,” Aurana answered, trying out the new word, “but I might need some assistance.  I’m in a bit rougher shape than I look.”  
  
    After making a quick scan of the Throneblock, Porrim pointed at Kandun and then one of the taller admirals.  “You two go with her and make sure everyone gets with the program: no weapons get inside!”  
  
    “You got it!” Kandun answered and stood up to do so.  The admiral in question nodded and picked up a pair of pulse rifles that had been recently tossed aside when the fighting stopped.  He handed one to each of them and then picked up another for himself before leading Aurana and Kandun to a nearby elevator pod.    
  
    For the second time in a matter of minutes, Felida’s face displayed a horrible realization.  “Oh no!  Our ships…”  
  
    Mindfang turned her attention to her moirail.  “What?  You mean the fleet?  Where are they?”  
  
    “Take a look around at who’s all here,” Felida said, gesturing to the many Gamblignants along the walls of the Grand Throneblock.  “We had to get here somehow and those ships are all in the harbour outside the tower with a skeleton crew aboard.”  
  
    “Based on what you’re telling me about seismosurges,” Porrim began, “those ships are going to end up…”  
  
    “…somewhere in downtown Capitol.”  Oceleo hung her head.  “Sorry, Captain... I mean Admiral.  I’m not exactly having a good run of luck today when it comes to the fleet.”  
  
    Aranea took a careful step forward with her injured leg and embraced the oliveblood.  “It’s all right, Felida.  Most of those ships weren’t ours to begin with anyway and besides, I think we accomplished what we set out to do with them, no?”  
  
    Felida blinked a couple of times as the truth of this settled over her.  “I… I guess when you put it that way…”  
  
    “We won, my sweet.  Besides, now that I’m in charge of the Navy, I think it’ll be due for an upgrade!”  
  
    “That said,” Porrim interjected, “it would be nice if you could get those remaining crew members to safety inside this tower?”  
  
    “Right!  Good call!”  Felida snapped open her Handroid and started issuing commands.  “All hands, this is Captain Oceleo!  Abandon all ships!  Everyone needs to be inside the tower RIGHT NOW!”  
  
    Rapid acknowledgements began to pour in over the device but one reply in particular worried her:  “This is Vyrbel.  Captain, as you’re well aware, I’ve got a patient here who can’t use her legs and one that’s not in the best of mental states right now.  What should I do?”  
  
    Felida was about to reply when she saw Horuss running past her at full speed for the nearest elevator pod.  “Get yourself and the mobile patient out right away; let’s just say help is on the way where Meulin is concerned.”  
  
    “Understood.  How long do I have?”  
  
    “Five minutes, ten tops!  Just hurry!”  
  
    “Right!”  
  
    Porrim turned her attention back to Rufioh and the mysterious maroonblood who was still occasionally repeating the phrase.  “Any more pearls of wisdom from our new best friend here?”  
  
    “Not so far,” he answered.  
  
    “Would you thank her for us?  See what happens?”  
  
    Rufioh leaned in to whisper into her ear:  “Domo arigato.”  
  
    A slow smile spread across her face and then the words she spoke changed just slightly as her remaining hand drifted down to take up residence between her thighs.  
  
    Porrim blushed while Aranea and Felida laughed.  “What’s she saying now?”  Aranea wondered.  
  
    “Heh… uh… sounds like, ‘open heart, open legs’ to me!”  
  
    “Ooh!  I like her!” Felida remarked.  “Can we keep her?”  
  
    “Oh!  Well, er…”  Porrim looked around in search of something to toss over their guest for modesty’s sake even though almost everyone else in the Throneblock was out on the balcony watching the waves roll in towards the city.  
  
    “Here, use this.”  Mindfang stopped chuckling long enough to take her long black coat off and lay it overtop of the woman.  As she did so, a pair of blue wings made another appearance, causing Felida to step back in surprise and Rufioh to bust out laughing.    
  
    “What the hell, doll?  Trying to steal my thunder?  Enjoyed it so much you had to go and get your own, eh?”  
  
    Aranea harrumphed.  “They just… happened, I’ll have you know.  I may have to ask you for flying lessons at some point, though.”  
  
    “You have WINGS?” Felida said, agog.  “How the fuck do you ha-”  
  
    “LATER,” Aranea said, leaving no room for further discussion on the subject.  “Maybe we should find somewhere to put her for…”  Her voice dropped away as she realized the woman was now staring at her, eyes wide open and studying her intently.  “Well, helloooooooo!  We owe you a debt, it would seem!  Care to tell us your name so that we can thank you properly?”  
  
    The maroonblood blinked once very slowly and then spoke in her peculiar Eastern dialect.    
  
    Aranea tried her best to make sense of the sounds and while she had some grasp of the languages of the Eastern Prefectures, this escaped her completely.  “Rufioh?”  
  
    “Uh… basically, she said she has no idea what you’re saying and wonders why everyone sounds funny.”  
  
    “Superb.  Would you kindly ask her what her name is?”  Rufioh did so and she replied which made him frown in a way that confused Aranea.  “That shouldn’t have been a difficult question; did you understand what she said?”  
  
    “I know exactly what she said.  What’s bothering me is that it’s the same thing she said when she ‘arrived’.”  
  
    “Since I wasn’t there, you’ll have to enlighten me, Nitram.”  
  
    He looked at the woman; she looked back at him and smiled almost contentedly.  “She says her name is ‘Nobody’.”  
  
    “That’s not much of a name,” Felida said.  “Nobody’s named… er… Nobody.”  
  
    “Rather sounded like ‘dah-rey-mo’.”  Porrim rolled it around on her tongue. “Daremo?”  
“Literally means ‘nobody’,” Rufioh explained.  “Doesn’t feel like a very good name, to be honest.”  
  
    Porrim thought for a few seconds.  “What if we moved the letters around on ‘Nobody’?  I may be a touch rusty on my older dialects, and I’m certainly no expert on Eastern ones, but if I remember right, the word ‘dai’ can mean ‘cost’ and in our root Western ones, ‘bono’ means ‘free’.  So what if we called her ‘Dybono’?  She’s certainly been a gift!  Ask her what she thinks!”  
  
    Rufioh nodded and looked at the woman who was now resting her head on his lap, her long hair draped all around his legs and splayed about on the floor.  “<What you think of new nomenclature ‘Dybono’ for you?>”  
  
    A look of unquestionable confusion appeared on her face.  “<‘Chapter pot are’?  Chapter pot are what?  That what jadeblood mother want call me?  Why?  Make no sense.>”  
  
    “Uh, I think she prefers Daremo, to be honest, Porri… er, Primera!”  Rufioh looked down and muttered, “Man, what’s with all of these oddball new names and titles all of a sudden?  How anyone’s supposed to keep track of all this is beyond me…”  
  
    “Daremo it is, then,” Porrim said.  “I’ll have to ask Lamiea if she can figure out what her actual last name is sometime.”  A moment later, her innards lurched for what was far from the first time that night.  “Oh no! Byanbol is on a coastline!”  
  
    Felida took Porrim’s hand and moved to stand in front of her.  “The Mother Grub caves are safe, I can tell you that much.  And considering the damage Fleet Admiral Rugstain over there did to it…”  She was interrupted by a snort that could only come from a failed attempt to suppress a laugh.  Felida couldn’t help but smile as Porrim hid her face with her hand; that smile widened when she saw Aranea giving her a quick thumbs-up.  “Anyway, as much as it sucks to say so, I fear a seismosurge would only be redistributing the rubble there.  And I’m sure Lamiea and Kayolo would offer refuge to everyone who survived the naval attack.”  She paused for a moment before quietly adding, “They’d be awfully hungry if they didn’t, I’d wager…”  
  
    A realization struck Porrim like a blow and she silently cursed herself for never putting it together.  “So that’s why Byanbol thrives in such a remote place: the people there are all…”  
  
    “Drinker Chow,” Felida finished.  “Well, not all of them; just a few they trust.  That said, they probably won’t be too picky at the moment.  There’s more you need to know about all that, Jadebutt, but now’s not the time.”  She quickly scanned the room to see if anyone was looking directly at them; once she was sure no one was, she quickly pulled the front of her blouse down to expose her left breast to Porrim.    
  
    “But it IS time to flash me?” Porrim asked, smiling but still incredulous.  “I appreciate the gesture but…”  
  
    “Shut up and look closer, dumbnook.”  Felida used her thumb to gesture to the small olive coloured bitemarks just above her areola.  “What I’m saying is if you’re craving a snack at some point, come see me, okay?  I’m used to being a meal option now and I’m guessing Aranea isn’t quite up to speed on that part of having a drinker for a quadmate yet.”  
  
    “You guess correctly.  I’m equally not used to being one and I’ve only ever had one… er, meal so far.”  Porrim shuddered as she remembered the act but also at the strange sensation of unnamable power coursing through her veins; she could feel her face heat up as though it were glowing at the thought.  “I have no idea how long I’m to go between meals but I feel quite sated at the moment.  Thanks for the offer; I’ll definitely keep it in mind.”  
  
    Felida winked and then looked over to see Aranea and almost everyone else in the Throneblock heading towards the balcony.  “The wave must be coming in.  We better go watch.”  
  
    Porrim’s stomach twitched yet again.  “I hope Horuss can get Meulin inside in time!”  
  
    “You and me both.”  As they arrived at the edge of the balcony, those already there made way for them to reach the railing and look out at the vast ocean, illuminated by light from the pink moon and the occasional flash of a glowing meteor or a distant electrical outburst meant to obliterate it.  “I wish I could tell you exactly when it’s coming but I know it’s not far away now…”  
  
  
  
  
    Aurana almost cursed out the person who shoved past her to exit the enormous gold and plasteel doors that led to the docking platforms but realized who it was before she did.  “Hold the door, Horuss; we’re coming right behind you!”  
  
    There was no answer from the indigoblood; he simply flung the door open and kept running.     
  
    “I’m just glad that musclebound oaf didn’t pull it off the track completely,” the admiral grumbled, “or else this tower would be filled most of the way up with water as well when the wave arrives!”  
   
    Kandun did everything in his power not to snicker at the way the violetblood said his ‘w’s; the squeaky wheeze that came from the admiral’s gills was completely normal but he couldn’t help but find it comical.  Aurana was less amused, “He’s trying to save lives, as are we.  That’s what’s on his mind right now, not anything else.  We should be just as… focused…”  
  
    The admiral and Kandun continued on past her, following Horuss through the Gamblignants and citizens pouring in towards the tower but Aurana froze in her tracks as she watched a familiar figure in a plain white garment running in the opposite direction.  “Kaerah?” she called out.  “Kaerah?  Where are you going?”  
  
    The purpleblooded woman paused for a moment and looked in her direction.  Aurana used this opportunity to barrel through the throng in pursuit.  As she broke through the mass of people, Kaerah’s eyes widened in terror and she said nothing but slowly shook her head when Zashyl called out to her.  
  
    “Kaerah!  Please wait!  There’s a huge wave coming!  You need to come inside!  Come with me!”  
  
    Krysli went to speak and simply couldn’t; her lip trembled and no words came.  She stared as her matesprit approached but as soon as Aurana began to move towards her again, Kaerah bolted across the platform in front of the docks and into the streets of Capitol, engulfed by the hordes of frightened lowbloods.    
  
    “KAERAH!” Aurana howled as she dropped to her knees.  Scores of people moved past her, desperate for shelter but she didn’t notice them; she was consumed with pain that struck far deeper than any blow the Grand Highblood ever inflicted on her physically.   _What has he done to you?_ she thought as she sobbed.    
  
    She heard nothing; the wails of the sirens and screams of the crowd never even registered with her in her despair – until one voice called out for her.  “Aurana?  Wait, Horuss… Aurana?  What are you doing out here?  Oh wait… oh no.  You saw her, didn’t you?”  
  
    Aurana looked up through teary eyes and was able to resolve a most peculiar sight: the hulking form of Horuss standing beside her and in his arms was an entire medical slimebed that was evidently torn directly out of the floor it was mounted on.  The voice she heard came from the person still in that slimebed.  “M…Meulin?”  
  
    “Aurana, I’m so sorry.  I… need to tell you something; are you able to listen?”  She waited for the turquoiseblood to nod her affirmation and then continued, “Kaerah knocked out Vyrbel with a tranquilizer that she took in to calm her down for evacuation and then she came over to me.  She looked me in the eyes and said ‘tell her I’m sorry and that I can’t’.  And then she ran.”  Aurana’s choked sob started a fresh wave of tears and Meulin had to fight back some of her own; only her head was exposed and she couldn’t wipe them away if she wanted to.  “Aurana, again, I’m sorry.  Sometimes there’s nothing you can do but I’ll do everything I can to help you through this, okay?  Kaerah’s a smart person; she’ll get inside a building and-”  
  
    “Er, apologies for interrupting this discussion, but can it be continued inside?” Horuss asked, the concern in his voice quite palpable.  “We’re in grave danger out here!”  
  
    “He’s right.  There are a lot of people in there who need you and your skills, Aurana!  Will you come with us?”    
  
    For a moment, Meulin was worried Zashyl was going to either insist on remaining where she was so that the wave could take her or bolt off into the crowd in search of Kaerah but she breathed a sigh of relief when Aurana slowly rose to her feet and wiped her eyes.  “Okay.  I will.”  
  
    “Good!  All right, my mighty steed, let’s go!  And quickly!” Meulin commanded.    
  
    They hurried back towards the doors; Aurana noticed that Kandun was ahead of them, the healthtender Vyrbel Reshcu slung over his shoulder, unconscious.   _At least you stayed true to yourself by not harming her, Kaerah, but what you’ve done to me is so much worse and I don’t even know if you know that you did it.  Please find somewhere to hide!_  
  
    Her thoughts were suddenly sidetracked when she felt herself being scooped up by a strong arm.  “MAKE WAY!  NO NEED TO STAMPEDE!  MEDICAL EMERGENCY COMING THROUGH!”  Horuss pushed his way through the crowd, holding Meulin’s slimebed aloft with one hand and toting Aurana under his other arm.  Kandun smartly fell in behind him, thankful for the space that Zahhak was creating.  Many moved aside for them as they headed for the elevator lifts; they passed the admiral that came down with Aurana and Kandun, directing most of the panic-stricken to use the wide spiral staircase that would give them access to the higher levels of the tower without clogging the lifts for those who needed them.   _You stayed focused when I couldn’t.  I need to thank you later_ , Aurana thought to herself.  As the lift doors closed around them, all of the physical fatigue and emotional turmoil pressed in on her and she closed her eyes again, knowing that while she was safe, her now former matesprit was on her own.   _You thought you’d have the last laugh even in death, Makara, but somehow, someway, I will recover.  I will survive this.  I must…_  
  
  
  
  
    “There goes the water,” Felida observed as the edge of the ocean retreated, taking some of her fleet with it; she knew full well that those ships would be returning very shortly with an unfathomable amount of water behind them.  “Never thought I’d see anything like this in person.”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t think of anything to say; she simply watched in horrified silence but was pleased to see that the tower was able to accommodate many of those who needed shelter.   _All of this energy inside of me and it’s utterly useless to stop the wave.  Nature will always win but at least I hope we’re able to minimize the loss of life.  
  
    I hear you, love_ , Aranea thought to her as she placed an arm around her matesprit’s waist in reassurance.   _The crowd outside is a trickle now, meaning there are more in than out._    
  
    “We’ll need to seal the doors then?”  Porrim meant it as a statement but she was seeking reassurance versus debate.    
  
    Aranea nodded.  “Admiral Donitz, prepare to close the…”  
  
    “WAIT!”  Porrim yelled out.  “WHERE ARE HORUSS AND AURA-”  
  
    “We’re here!”  Every head turned to see Horuss Zahhak running towards them across the open Throneblock in a spray of sweat, slimebed in one hand and the limp form of Aurana Zashyl tucked into the other.  “Sorry… to keep you… waiting… Porrim…” he puffed.    
  
    “Hi, Mom!” Meulin added cheerfully from the bed as Horuss set it down.  “So glad you made it home!”  
  
    Porrim dropped to her knees beside the slimebed and kissed the oliveblood’s forehead.  “And I’m so glad you’re safe!”  She wanted to ask Meulin about her experiences when she noticed that Aurana was seemingly unconscious where Horuss had gently placed her on the floor.  “What happened?”  
  
    “It’s a long and unpleasant story and probably just one of many that you’ll hear in the aftermath of all of this, but she’ll be okay in the end; Aurana’s as strong as they come.  Let’s just say that I don’t think her matesprit will be coming back - another indirect casualty of Makara’s twisted ways.”  
  
    “Funny, I actually thought Kaerah seemed rather on the ball when I met her,” Aranea said as she joined them.    
  
    Meulin sighed.  “We really can’t imagine what he did to her, though.  Vyrbel filled me in based on what she was able to learn but I gathered Makara’s viciousness also triggered her to find Aurana’s attacks on him to be just as frightening.  Aurana’s attempts to reconcile didn’t go too well and Kaerah knocked out Vyrbel before escaping the sub a few minutes ago – Aurana saw her leave the docks but couldn’t stop her.  All I can hope is she finds somewhere safe to hide.”  
  
    “That’s all anyone can hope for now.”  Porrim looked back to the admiral and steeled herself.  “Admiral Donitz, please close the doors.”    
  
    “Acknowledged,” came his reply.    
  
    “So what do we do now?” Meulin asked.  
  
    Porrim took Aranea’s hand and squeezed it gently; her matesprit’s touch gave her strength.  “Now we wait for nature to do what it will and then do our best to clean up after it.  We’re going to show the world how we look after one another.”  
  
    This time Meulin couldn’t stop the olive tears from flowing down over her face.  “We did it, Mom.  I only wish he was here to see it.”  
  
    “I’m sure he wouldn’t want to see this wave coming but yes, we’ll do our best in his name.”  Porrim wished she had the silver chain that bore the Signless’s sigil to touch but she knew that Meulin kept it safe in her own quarters and so she was content to touch the version of it that was tattooed around her neck.    
  
    “Here it comes!” Felida called out.  
  
    “Do we dare watch?”  Porrim asked.  
  
    The blueblooded admiral closed her eyes.  “I’m not sure I can, dear heart.  I told Felida that our need for our old fleet is over but it’ll still be hard to see it meet its fate.  Sometimes change is unstoppable but I take little pleasure from this part.”  
  
    “I understand.  I take none either save for the fact that we may have saved a few lives.”  
  
    “A few?”  Aranea pulled Porrim close.  “You still underestimate yourself, even now.  You may have saved an entire world.”  
  
    Porrim let some of the tension slip away.  “I hope so.  For Kankri’s sake, I hope so.”  
  
    “And that’s the most important part of all, love,” Aranea whispered, “Thanks to you, a lot of people are experiencing that very thing for the first time in their lives.”  
  
    “What’s that?”  
  
    Aranea smiled.  “Hope.”  
  
    “I wish I could give them more than that.  It’s so hard to believe that someone as powerful as the Condesce was wouldn’t consider using her powers to help people in a situation like…”  Porrim’s eyes flared open as an idea awakened within her.  “She had Mituna’s abilities, too, didn’t she?”  
  
    “If you mean telekinetics, yes.  I saw her use them to control my sword before you arrived,” Aranea confirmed.    
  
    Porrim recalled how her goldblooded friend used his powers to shield them from Imperial soldiers while they escaped.   _He created a wall of energy to force them back while we fled!  But that was over a small area.  Maybe…_  “Where’s Daalla?”  
  
    Aranea closed her eyes and located her empathically.  “She’s just over there with Rufioh and… what does he want to call her… Daremo?  Anyway, what do you…”  A quick scan of Porrim’s thoughts answered her question.  “Ohhhhhhhh! Do you think it’ll work?”  
  
    “I don’t know but I have to try.  Even if it just deflects some of the water, it’s worth it.”  She looked over her shoulder to see Daalla Emburi barreling through those assembled on the balcony to observe the seismosurge’s approach.    
  
    “You rang, Captain?  Oh sorry, Adm-”  
  
    “Never mind all that,” Mindfang said, grabbing her arm and hauling her over to a very anxious Porrim who was standing at the balcony’s rail.  “I haven’t had a chance to thank you and yours for what you did on the sub yet but I need to know if you can still do your amplification?”  
  
    She thought for a few seconds and shrugged.  “Dunno.  I’ll try my best, though; what do you need?”  
  
    “No time!  Just start doing what you do!”  
  
    Daalla said nothing further but closed her eyes; Aranea’s suddenly flew open as the voices she heard inside of her head that were normally a dull roar even in a crowded building such as this became a cacophony: every thought a booming echo, every emotion an experience only a shade fainter than having lived it herself.   _SUCH… FEAR… CONCERN… HOPE… PORRIM, READY YOURSELF!!!!!!!!_    
  
    Porrim Maryam had no time to do so as her matesprit grabbed onto her hand; in a blinding flash, red and blue beams erupted from her eyes as she fought to bring the amplified might of the Condesce’s power under control.   _ARANEA!  I HEAR… ALL OF THEM… AT ONCE!  
  
    I KNOW!  LET ME TRY TO CONTAIN IT FOR YOU… JUST FOCUS ON YOUR PLAN!!!!!!!!_  
  
    The jadeblood felt the overwhelming wave of emotional energy wane just enough to regain her bearings.  She looked out to the ocean ahead: the water was flowing back in towards Capitol at a speed that belied comprehension; the leading edge was marked with the shapes of a hundred ships, some intact and some already shattered, that were pulled back a few minutes before.  Porrim pictured the crackling energy field that Mituna used to create to protect Kankri, Meulin and herself and began to try and form one that started along the shoreline in front of the golden tower and then spreading out away from it to form a wall.  Everything in her field of vision seemed strangely deep; a purple tinge covered it all, including the energy barrier that was beginning to form across the docks and outward along the roadways that separated the metropolis from the sea.  When it seemed the developing wall would reach no further, she fed from the emotional power that Aranea was trying to regulate for her in concert with the raw energy that came from the fuchsia blood within her and the wall grew higher and longer.  Every single person here is watching, helping in their own way without even knowing it.   _Finally, my Kankri, we are working together as one.  I pray it’s enough…_  
  
    The ocean water, embedded with the remnants of the great fleet that she and her matesprit once commanded in hopes it would bring them to this very place, surged forward with incomprehensible force into the red and blue shield wall… 


	70. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 69

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three nights after Porrim saved most of Capitol, Aranea and Felida decide to force the new Primera to finally take a much needed break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sincere apologies for the long delay between chapters; been a lot going on that's kept me from posting. Anyway, these last chapters will certainly be nice and long so there will be plenty for you to read and enjoy as the last loose ends are tied up. Also, if you're here for the smut, you're in luck. How could I possibly post a Chapter 69 without that? ;;;; ) (And yes, because of how Ao3 numbers things, this is the official Chapter 69. Enjoy!)

**69.**  
  
    Felida tried to stifle a yawn as she shrugged off the thin white solarsuit and stepped out of it.  “She hasn’t slept in three nights, Mistress.  At least I’ve been able to rest through part of the nights and I don’t mind pulling day shifts with these suits, but she’s a fucking machine.”  
  
    “While technically you’re only about half of one,” Aranea quipped, running her hand over the smooth metal plates on her moirail’s shoulder.  “And yes, I was trying to beat you to it.”  
  
    “No fair.  You’re an empath; you already knew the joke was coming.”  
  
    “I’ve known you for the better part of a century, Felida; I wouldn’t need to be one.  Besides, she’s been known to call you the ‘fucking machine’ now and then.”  
  
    The oliveblood wiped her brow and looked to her left where her kismesis, a woman who was now essentially the most powerful troll on Alternia in all senses of the word, was holding up the corner of a large piece of what appeared to be a broken ceiling so that multiple trolls also wearing the white reflective clothing could search for the injured under a pile of rubble.  “I wish!  The only thing I need more than a good lay right now is a cool shower and a soak in the ‘coon.  I’ve even tried to pull her away for a quickie behind one of the more stable buildings but she just won’t stop trying to clean up.  It’s like she gets to indulge her weird need to tidy shit up on a way bigger scale now.”  
Aranea chortled.  “Maybe if you didn’t leave things all over the place, poor Porrim wouldn’t feel the need to have to tidy up all the time.”  
  
    Felida’s hands flew to her hips.  “Excuse me, you ditchpig, but I’m not the one who at one point left every single pair of underwear she owned on the floor of the captain’s respiteblock and then lamented she couldn’t find any to wear!”  
  
    “That’s Fleet Admiral Ditchpig now, Felida, and thankfully I had a sub more than willing to help with the cleaning back then.”  Aranea kissed Felida’s head between her horns and almost regretted it due to the sweat that made her hair a matted mess.  “Besides, I did away with underwear pretty much entirely after that, remember?  Anyway, I’m here now so you can take the hovertruck back to the tower and go for that shower and sleep.  I’ll see what I can do about convincing our plucky heroine here to do the same.”  She reached down and gave Felida’s backside a quick but firm squeeze and added, “And if I’m successful, I get first dibs on her.  Matesprit’s prerogative.”  
  
    Oceleo gave a dejected sigh.  “Fine.  But if you happen to need an extra set of hands to hold something… or tease it… or…”  
  
    “I will certainly keep you in mind, provided you’re both clean and actually awake when we get back.  Otherwise, it’ll be another night of sifting through the rubble for me…”  
  
    “I’m pretty certain we’ve found everyone we’re going to find.  We did the southwest side of the city on the first night and scoured it pretty much top to bottom.  We’ve been searching this section for two days in a row and honestly, if there’s anyone left to be found, I’ll be surprised.”  Felida surveyed the gleaming towers of Capitol nearby: almost all of them remained unscathed along with the residences and businesses in their shadows; most of the damage reported came from the sewage system backing up violently and while the results were occasionally revolting, they weren’t usually life-threatening.  “Ninety five percent of the buildings were undamaged by the wave and only the extreme edges of Capitol were affected.  She saved most of the fucking city and now here she is, trying to save the rest of it.”  
  
    Aranea glanced over to the remains of the building nearest her: only one of the workers wasn’t wearing a solarsuit but was still dressed in the same jade and green robes she wore the night she turned away a seismosurge.   _That should have completely exhausted you, mentally and physically, and yet you haven’t stopped moving since.  I don’t know the full extent of the powers you now possess, dear heart, but I’m in awe.  I only hope you save enough for yourself… and maybe some for us as well._  
  
    At this, Porrim looked back over her shoulder and saw them watching her.  She waited for the last of the crew to emerge from the basement of the hive and then lowered the detached ceiling chunk back to the ground.   _I’m sorry, you two_ , she thought at them, _I suppose I… have been rather busy._  
  
    “Porrim, there are trained emergency response crews leading the operation,” Felida said, “They know what they’re doing.  There’s plenty for you to do back in the tower, even though you’ve got damn near everyone who worked there helping out in these neighbourhives.”  
  
    “What amazes me most is how many of them actually volunteered,” Aranea added.  “Never thought I’d see it – and I say that not as a typist but mostly because I’ve met many of these desk jockeys personally in the past and I know how hard it is to motivate them to do something other than bicker endlessly about pointless things.  This speaks volumes about the impact you’ve had, love.”  
  
    Porrim looked over to the others who continued to carefully move the shattered remains of hiveblocks in search of survivors; many had long horns that belonged to seadwellers that she’d met only a couple of nights prior, most of whom had never set foot in this poorer region on the periphery of Capitol that housed mostly lowbloods.  “I’m glad to hear it.  Everyone here has been so helpful and cooperative.”  
  
    “I hope they continue to be so when it comes to actually administering things.  Now listen to meeeeeeee…”  Aranea placed her hands on Porrim’s wide shoulder mantle and looked her matesprit in the eyes.  “You.  Need.  A.  Break.  I don’t know what demon has possessed you – wait, let me rephrase that, I know exactly what’s coursing through you right now – but you still need to rest, or even relax.  You’ve done much more than anyone could possibly ask of you and I know you want to keep digging because people need your attention, but so do we, even if it’s just for a few hours.  The last thing the world needs is for you to burn yourself out, right?”  
  
    “I suppose…”  
  
    “That’s the spirit!  Now get in the hovertruck and let’s find a place where we can just be us for a little while.  Unless we actively make them happen, I fear those moments may become more and more difficult to find.”  Aranea took Porrim’s hand in hers and started walking towards the vehicle, Felida in tow.  Porrim took another look back at where the other workers had moved on to another fallen dwelling and Aranea had to refocus her: _Porrim, they will be fiiiiiiiine!  I swear it!  They think the world of you; taking a much needed rest won’t change that!  
  
    If you’re certain…  
  
    Dear heart, the only thing I’m more certain of is how much you need to take care of yourself!  You saved an unknowable number of lives; you can’t fix all of the ones that were still affected by the seismosurge, you know.  
  
    You helped me, too, Rae; there’s no way Daalla’s enhancement would have worked as well without you in tandem.  
  
    I know.  And get this: I’ve not only been out here helping the last couple of nights but I even had a few hours of sleep, too!  I feel quite refreshed and I’m sure you will be as well.    
  
    But I don’t feel fatigued at all!  I feel like I could keep going for… I don’t know, sweeps?  
  
    I happen to know a few rather fun ways to help you burn off some of that energy, love.  And once we’re done, then maybe you can rest for a night or two.  Rufioh and Orbius are taking care of administering the general needs of the populace and, to be quite honest, that’s where you should be focusing your energies more now.  Yes, the people see you out here working and while I’m well aware you’re not doing it for any photo-ops, your place is going to be in the throneblock for the next little while – but only after you’ve had a few moments of your own time!_  
  
    Porrim sighed.  “All right… maybe I should.”  
  
    “Excellent.  Then let’s go!”  Aranea led Porrim towards the vehicle.  “I should warn you, though: one of our number smells like she stood under Horuss on a hot night.”  
  
    “Gee, thanks,” Felida grumbled.  “You sure you’re my moirail?”  
  
    “Who else would let you get into her hovertruck smelling like that?”  Aranea opened the doors on her side and climbed into the cockpit; Porrim sat beside her in the front seat and fiddled with the ventilation system.  “I fear that won’t help much, love,” Aranea said as she accelerated the vehicle, “the only cure for that is a copious amount of soap, a shower and a heavy duty scrubber.”  
  
    Felida wrapped her arms around Aranea, who was now wearing a simple black shirt and pants instead of the elaborate bright orange outfit that materialized under her overcoat three nights prior, and smeared herself all over the protesting blueblood as best she could from behind.  “WHAT’S THAT?  A SHOWER, YOU SAY?  DON’T MIND IF WE DO!”  
  
    “BLUH!!!!!!!!  I’m driving here!” Aranea protested as she tried to keep the hovertruck steady.  
  
    “Isn’t that going to earn you a spanking or something of that ilk?” Porrim asked, trying her best not to laugh.  
  
    Felida grinned as she fell back into her seat.  “I sure as hell hope so!”  
  
    “You just wait,” was Mindfang’s response.  “Both of you are in for it when we get…”  
The silence hung there for a few moments; it was Porrim that spoke, “Home?  Is this our home now?”  
  
    It took Aranea a while to reply.  “I suppose it will be.  We’ve been so used to our isolated island living that this is going to seem very strange for awhile.  But that certainly doesn’t mean we’ll have to live here forever, either; no reason we can’t maintain a residence on the island as well.  I assume the Primera will take a vacation once now and then?  And please tell me it will be easier to convince her to do so than it was to pry her away this time?”  
  
    “Vacation?” Porrim moaned, “I’ve barely started the job!”  
  
    “Yes, yes, I know.  Just saying…”    
  
    Felida looked out of the side window at the bright lights of Capitol starting to wink on as the sun set.  “Living here will sure take a lot of getting used to… and yet it might be easier to get used to than seeing that every time I look up!”  
  
    As the hovertruck followed a gentle curve towards a highway, the windshield displayed the sight of a thin arc of pale green light across the sky.  Porrim gazed at it with wonderment.  “A ring around Alternia.  Did anyone figure out what happened to the green moon while I was away?”  
  
    “Not yet,” Aranea answered, “although theories abound.  Everything from a massive asteroid impact to – and this is the most popular one now that the golden towers have been revealed to the populace – a weapon misfire on the green moon that blew it to bits.  That does seem a bit much to me, though.”  
  
    “No kidding,” Felida added.  “Can you imagine how much energy it would take to destroy a moon?  Something must have had to hit it at incredible speeds with a staggering amount of mass – or energy.”  She put her hand to her chin in thought.  “I wonder if this had anything to do with the disappearance of Condy’s lusus.  I gather they happened at around the same time?”  
  
    Porrim continued to study the glimmering ring, amazed at how much brighter it made the night sky, even though it was rather thin with Capitol being nearly equatorial.  “We’ll have to look into it once we have some time.  The people will likely want an answer.”  
  
    Aranea looked over to her.  “What if we never figure it out?”  
  
    “Then we tell them we don’t know.  There’s no harm in that; I have my doubts any confidence in our government will be eroded by admitting we genuinely have no idea.  No more secrets or lies; transparency is important now.”  
  
    “It would be a refreshing change, admittedly.”  Aranea led the vehicle along the shoreline, taking a quick glimpse at the ocean and the ring as well.  “This certainly takes me back.”  
  
    Porrim nodded and smiled wistfully.  “Me too.  Driving along a beach in a hovertruck, Felida stinking up the place, looking for Meulin…”  
  
    “All that’s missing is the lumines,” Aranea added with a smirk.  
  
    A rude noise came from the back seat.  “Thanks oh so much for that lovely memory.”  
  
    “Payback is, in fact, a bitch, my sweet.”  Aranea thought about what Porrim had mentioned.  “Looking for Meulin, love?”  
  
    “Actually, I am.  There’s something I need to tell her… something Mituna needed me to tell her, that is.”  
  
    _I seeeeeeee…_ Aranea thought to her; a quick sweep of Porrim’s mind allowed her to understand the nature of it.  “Hopefully we can get there in time for you to do so; I gathered Horuss was planning on taking her back to the island tonight to see if he can get her walking again.”  
  
    “Oh!  Well, please hurry then!”  
  
    Aranea grinned and stepped on the accelerator as she joined the main highway towards the center of the city.  “Anything for our Jade Empress, long may she reign!”    
  
    Porrim just shook her head.  “Don’t make me demote you and put you back on a ship.”  
  
    “I saw those movies, too, remember.  Captain Tkirrk had way more fun than Admiral Tkirrk did.”  
  
    “And look at how he ended up.  I’d like to keep you alive, thanks.”  Porrim looked back over her shoulder.  “Speaking of captains, we haven’t talked about what you would like to do, Felida.”  
  
    The oliveblood blinked a few times as she processed this.  “I… don’t know?  It’s not every night someone offers you whatever job you want.  I’ve been a Gamblignant for more than half of my life.  Can I do something that involves both ships and science?”  
  
    “Well, I suspect we would need someone to oversee our oceans and I gather there’s plenty going on geologically underneath the waves.  Would you be interested in something like that?”  
  
    “Only if I can still set sail now and then instead of being chained to a fucking desk?”  
  
    “I’m sure it can be arranged.  I bet we can even set up a satellite office in Byanbol once we get that city back on its feet.”  
  
    Felida hopped forward off of her seat and embraced Porrim from behind this time.  “You’re the best, Empress Jadebutt!”  
  
    “Ugh!  You have a strange way of showing it; now my robes need a shower!”  
  
    Aranea snorted at this.  “Wouldn’t be the first time for them, would it, Felida?”  
  
    “You would bring that up!  That was fifty sweeps ago!”  
  
    Porrim looked over to Aranea and deadpanned, “You know, I can’t help but notice the faint lemon-mucus aroma of Squirm Soda everytime I wear this gown.”  
  
    Felida playfully nipped Porrim’s ear before flopping back down into her seat.  “Keep it up, Porrim.  See who gets spanked.”  
  
    “Are you even legally allowed to spank me now?  Isn’t that an act of treason or something?”  
  
    “If I have to swing for swatting that majestic, expansive ass of yours, Jadebutt, I’ll tie the fucking rope myself!”    
  
    “She does have a way with words, doesn’t she?” Aranea asked.  “I wonder where she got it frommmmmmmm…”  
  
    Porrim rolled her eyes in mock exasperation.  “I can only imagine.”    
  
  
  
  
    “Hello, Porrim!  Good to see you back!  And hello Felida and Marq…er… Capt… um…”  
  
    “Yeahhhhhhhh… I suppose Admiral is what to call me now but Aranea is officially fine as well, Horuss.  The whole world knows who I am now.  I’m sure it’ll take you a lot of getting used to but there’s no need to hide who I am anymore.”  She could see from his expression that the cyberneticist was struggling with the idea of this.  “Look, don’t worry about it right now; I can see you have your hands full as it is.”  
  
    Horuss gave Mindfang one of his lopsided grins.  “Indeed!  I figured leaving Meulin in her slimebed was the safest and easiest way to transport her to the island.”  
  
    “To be honest, I’m really, really ready to get out of this thing,” Meulin said as cheerfully as she could.    
  
    “Soon enough,” Horuss said, adjusting the position of the slimebed on his muscular left shoulder. “I have the plans ready and I’ll start the procedure as soon as we get there.”  
  
    “I really hope my tail helps you in some way,” Felida added, giving the fuzzy green appendage in Zahhak’s right hand a playful tickle.  “I promise it’s mostly clean…”  
  
    This sent a trickle of perspiration down the indigoblood’s forehead.  “I’m…er… very glad to hear that, yes!”  
  
    Porrim was about to pester Felida about this when she noticed another pair of figures emerging from the base of the tower to join them on the hovership docking pad.  “Are you expecting other passengers, Horuss?”  
  
    “I am.  They were just hoping you’d be back before we trotted off.”  
  
    “Hey, doll!  Welcome back!” Rufioh greeted, Daremo in tow beside him now sporting a shimmering dark red satin housecoat, her hair pulled back in a pair of long tails.    
  
    For a moment, Porrim thought about suggesting that he not call her that but decided to let it slide; this was a friendly moment and there would be plenty of time for formalities later on.  “I was told I needed a break.”  She gave Aranea a sideways glance; her matesprit simply smirked.  “Where are you planning to go?  Where’s Orbius?”  
  
    “He’s fine; says he’s got it all under control… except we’re getting word that there might still be some typist tensions in a few of the larger centers...”  He paused for a moment and then added, “including Alinam City.  You can imagine why.”  
  
    Porrim and Aranea nodded solemnly.  “From your stories of dodging highblood gangs from the Navy base there, I’m not entirely surprised,” Aranea said.    
  
    “We may need to send you out there at some point to try and quell that,” Porrim added.  “If you’re willing to try, of course; I don’t want to send you somewhere you’ll feel at risk but I will need to send someone by the sounds of it.”  
  
    “Hey, no worries!  I’m not afraid to go back; in fact, I’m your best bet.”  
  
    “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”  Porrim looked over at the maroonblood, who smiled serenely back at her.  “I assume you’re taking her to the island as well?”  
  
    Rufioh nodded his confirmation.  “Yep.  Horuss says he should be able to whip up a new hand for her no problem.  I’m going along as… well, her interpreter.”  
  
    Aranea did a discreet scan of the small woman’s emotional state.  “Something tells me she appreciates your company…”  
  
    He answered with what Aranea liked to think of his “little boy smile” and she did feel her pusher pick up a moment.   _Damn you, Nitram.  You’re going to have your hands full with him, Little Miss Nobody._  Aranea looked over to the tiny woman they called Daremo and saw a glint in her eye and a sly smirk on her features that gave her the same quickening inside.   _Then againnnnnnnn…  
  
    Should I be jealous right now, Rae?  
  
    Hm?  Oh!  Seriously, Porrim; you know me better than that.  
  
    Uh-huh.  I can do what you do right now, remember?  Don’t worry, I’m kidding; I know you think she’s cute and that’s perfectly fine.  
  
    Really?  
  
    Mmhmm.  I trust you.  That said, I can see why you like her: she’s rather exotic.  Quite tasty._  
  
    It took everything Aranea had not to snort.   _Tasty, huh?_    
  
    Porrim kept a straight face that belied how hard it was for her not to laugh.   _Maybe…_  “I’m glad you were able to find her something to wear.”  
  
    Rufioh barked a laugh that actually took Porrim aback.  “Funny you should say that, doll!  That was a bit of a tricky issue… way trickier than I expected!”  
  
    “How so?”  
  
    “Well, the first place I tried was the Condesce’s closets.  I noticed there was a significant size issue there but thought that maybe she could wear one of her shirts as a dress or something.  I grabbed one that was mostly fuchsia coloured and brought it out to her…”  He glanced over to his companion who continued to appear both innocent and not so innocent simultaneously.  “She promptly grabbed it, muttered a curse, and threw it out the first window she could find!”  
  
    The trio of women laughed at the thought of seeing this.  “Well, I know that’s what I do when someone hands me an ugly shirt,” Felida said.  “Good on you, Daremo.”  
  
    “Oh wait; it gets better!” Rufioh continued.  “Failing that, I found this smaller green dress in the back of one of the closets; looked like it had been there for AGES.  Was actually kind of a lime green, you know?”  
  
    Aranea quietly grimaced for a second, trying not to imagine what became of its original owner.  
  
    “So I bring this out to her, thinking she’d love it.  It’s damn near her size and everything.  I hand it to her and she screams and runs off with it!  Once I realized what was going on, I follow her and she’s running out into the Throneblock.  She heads straight over to where someone had piled up some of the pulse rifles left over from what went down the night you got here, throws the dress on the floor, grabs a rifle with her left hand and blasts away at it until it catches fire!  Keep in mind she’s still running around completely naked as her pupation night while this is going on…”  
  
    _Oh, I can picture it…_ Aranea thought mostly to herself.  Porrim made a barely perceptible shake of her head.    
  
    “Anyway, half of the security detail shows up, wondering what the fuck is going on, this crazy naked lady muttering happily over a burning dress and here I am waving them off saying this is perfectly okay and that there’s nothing to see here!  Once they left, I asked her what the hell that was all about and she said, like it was no big deal whatsoever, that she didn’t like lime green.  That’s all.”  
  
    “Oooookay…” Felida said, incredulous.  “Did she say why not?”  
  
    Rufioh shrugged.  “Nope.  Just said she didn’t like it!”  
  
    “I certainly hope that’s not her standard method of dealing with things she doesn’t like,” Porrim said.  “I’d hate to see what would happen if she didn’t care for the sauce we serve with the grubloaf!”  
  
    Rufioh turned to Daremo and said something in his best attempt at her dialect; her giggle suggested she understood and she replied back in kind.  “She says she’ll try to keep the shooting to a minimum; just maybe try to avoid using limes in the sauce?”  Once the laughter died down and Porrim assured her that they would do so, he continued, “Anyway, after that little incident, I hit up Daalla for some spare clothes as they’re a pretty similar build and she offered up this housecoat kind of thing.  Daremo took to that without any weaponry getting involved so there you have it.  We may have to do some shopping for her when we get back… providing there are shops opening up again.”  
  
    “Soon, I suspect,” Porrim said.  “Have the people been okay with the idea of a week’s holiday?  The healthtenders and other essential service providers have been willing to continue working, I take it?”  
  
    “People are kinda restless, admittedly, and it’s only been three nights so far but I haven’t heard of too much trouble.  Alyssm has been able to mobilize Enforcer details to patrol the streets; she’s a pro, that one.”  
  
    “The Chief Enforcer’s job is hers if she wants it.  There’s no one more experienced out there.”  Porrim paused for a moment.  “Speaking of Enforcers, how’s Aurana doing?”  
  
    “Still working in the southwest rescue sector looking for survivors like you were.  Sometimes I think she’s doing it to make sure she doesn’t find her matesprit but from what I saw, there’s no way that woman would have gotten ten kilometers away in the short time between her running and the wave hitting.  That said, Aurana throwing herself into her work is probably the best thing for her.  I’m sure she could resume her Enforcer position if she wanted it.”  
  
    “I’m not sure she will,” Meulin said, “at least not right away.  She seems quite perturbed at the moment.  Honestly can’t blame her; she’s lost a matesprit under some rather awful circumstances.  I’d imagine it’s even harder to mourn someone when you know that they’re still alive.”  
  
    “No doubt,” Porrim said, recalling the feeling inside when she saw Aranea under the Condesce’s control.  “So we’ll see you all in a couple of nights, then?”  
  
    “I believe so, Primera, barring any unforeseen issues with the materials processing or the surgery,” Horuss answered.  “My facilities have come a long way since the night I built Felida’s limbs; I’ll have the parts made in a matter of an hour and the surgery… well, I could use a gifted healthtender on hoof.”  
  
    “You’ve learned plenty, Horuss; I have no doubt you’ll do just fine.  You did Felida’s before you even met me and nothing important has fallen off yet.  We just oil her occasionally but it doesn’t seem to help the constant squeaking noises she makes.”  
  
    Felida slipped up beside Porrim and placed her left hand on the jadeblood’s posterior; she let the tips of her metallic fingers dig in ever so slightly, causing Porrim to make a quick noise of surprise.  “Who’s squeaking now?”  
  
    “All right, Felida,” Aranea prompted, “the sooner they leave, the sooner they return.  We have a special night to prepare for at the end of the week anyway.”  
  
    “We do?” Porrim inquired.  
  
    “You’ll seeeeeeee…”    
  
    Once Horuss had Meulin loaded into the hovership’s cargo hold and secured, Porrim asked him if she could have a quick moment to talk with the injured oliveblood before they departed.  “Of horse!  Just let me know when you’re done,” he said and climbed into the cockpit to prepare the ship for departure.    
  
    “What’s up, Mom?  You seem concerned about something.”  
  
    Porrim’s face betrayed no sign of her emotional turbulence but then she knew Meulin could always read her just as well as Aranea did, even without possessing empathic gifts.  “There’s something I need to tell you and I haven’t had a chance to until now.”  
When Meulin cocked her head in interest, she explained, “I have a message for you from  someone.”  
  
    Meulin gasped and then swallowed the lump rising in her throat.  “Mituna…”  
  
    “Yes.”  
  
    “How was he?”  How look it took Porrim to wrestle with how to answer that question spoke volumes to her.  “Oh…”  
  
    “He was still the same old Mituna inside; that’s what’s important.  Let’s just say he was acting as her chief engineer.  Before we left, though, he told me something he insisted that I pass on to you.”  
  
    Meulin tried to think of what it could be and braced herself as best she could.  “What was it?”  
  
    Porrim thought her mouth would be dry but was surprised to find it wasn’t.  “He said he wishes that you could live and love after Kankri.  He was stuck in one place for over fifty sweeps and would have given anything to enjoy a relationship other than the bizarre one he shared with the Condesce.  He knew losing Kankri would tear you apart inside but he hoped against hope that you would be able to move on eventually and share your huge heart with another.  We only get this life as far as we know; he wanted to believe that you wouldn’t let it pass without loving again.”  
  
    The wave of emotion that poured forth from Meulin was almost too much for Porrim to bear; a wet trickle poured down her cheek and she was relieved that she could still cry.  She reached forward to wipe the tears away for the openly sobbing Meulin and waited patiently until the sweet oliveblood could finally find her voice.    
  
    “If… if I did… would… you…”  
  
    “Would I what, dear?”  
  
    “Would you… forgive me?  Would he?”  
  
    “Oh, Meu, of course!  There’s no need for forgiveness.  The only person he might have been more special to than me was to you and I know that you loved him with everything you had.  You gave him strength to carry on when he wondered if he should continue on his path.  But Mituna is right: it wouldn’t be a crime to love another.  If anything it would be a shame not to!  If you feel for someone, it’s okay to feel it, be it love or hate.  That fact that you’re pale with someone who most people could never forgive is amazing unto itself, but if you are ever moved enough to be a matesprit or a kismesis to another, than you can do so without fear of diminishing your feelings for Kankri in the least.  He will always be a part of you just as he’ll always be a part of me.  He would WANT you to live and love again; that’s what Mituna wanted you to know.  And I’ll tell you the very same thing.  It’s okay to; in fact, you deserve to.  For your own sake, you can finally lay the Disciple down and just be Meulin Leijon, just as I’ve put the Dolorosa to rest for good.  It’s okay.  Be you now.”  
  
    Meulin nodded her understanding and nuzzled her face up against Porrim’s hand.    
  
    Porrim wiped away more of Meulin’s tears, stroked her hair and then moved up to the front of the hovership where she gestured for Horuss to open the door.  When he did, she said, “You might want to send Rufioh back there to help dry her eyes now and then.  Don’t worry; she’ll tell you all about it when you two have a moment to talk.”  
  
    “Very well, Primera.  Thank you for telling me.”  
  
    “I’ll close the door in a moment and let you know.  Safe travels!”  
  
    Once Porrim got back to the open cargo bay, she gently brushed Meulin’s hair once more.  “See you back on your feet again in a couple of nights, okay?”  
  
    “You bet!  Thanks, Mom!”  
  
    Porrim smiled and gave her a quick wave as she slid the door shut and locked it down.  She then took a few steps back gave Horuss a thumbs up, and then stood with Aranea and Felida as the ship took to the twilight sky.  “Soooooooo, that went well, then?”  
  
    “I believe so, yes.  Time will tell.”  
  
    Aranea kissed her and then led her onward to the door at the base of the golden tower.  “Excellent.  Then let’s go inside, shall we?  More good things await…” 

 

 

    “If by ‘good things’ you meant listening to a laundry list of complaints and concerns relayed to me by a frazzled Ampora, I may have to disagree with your assessment of what that phrase actually means.”  
  
    Aranea chuckled as she stretched out on the bed; only the dim light from under the hygieneblock door and the glow from the lift to the Grand Throneblock behind Porrim illuminated the respiteblock.  “I certainly didn’t mean that part of it, no, but I can definitely help reaffirm your faith in my choice of worrrrrrrrds…”  
  
    As the main doors closed behind her, Porrim found herself all but lost in the massive room.  “Maybe it’s just from being out in the sun as long as I was but I can’t see anything in here whatsoever.  Mind if I turn the lights up a bit?”  
  
    “Allow me…”    
  
    As the lights slowly rose, Porrim was struck speechless: the Condesce’s former respiteblock, once garishly fuchsia and full of ornate gilded furnishings, was now painted a rich jade colour and most of the gold pieces were gone, replaced with handsome dark wood ones.  Most of the mirrors had been removed and simple recessed round lamps appeared along the wall near the ceiling, providing soft light throughout.  “Did you…”  
  
    “I did.  While you were out and about, I was able to convince a few of the rather grateful folks who found refuge here to assist me in helping to make this your respiteblock and remove all traces of the previous occupant.”  Aranea took great pleasure in seeing her matesprit awestruck.  “Is it to your liking, Primera?”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “Thank you.  It’s… beautiful.”  As her eyes came back to the massive bed in the center of the room, it was then she noticed that Aranea was sitting on the bed entirely undressed, her long black hair wet and clinging to her back.  “And so are you.”  
  
    “So I hear.  How about you come here and let me help you take that lovely dress off?  It may smell like old Squirm and oliveblood exertion and it may have a hole in the midsection but we can’t fix it until we get it off of you.”    
  
    “I could be convinced.”  Porrim approached Aranea and raised her arms while the blueblood slipped the jade and black gown up and over her head.    
  
    “It certainly didn’t take much convincing, did it?”  Aranea tossed the garment onto a nearby chair and let her eyes rove all over the swell of her lover’s hips; only the barest hint of an indent remained where the Condesce’s weapon had torn through Porrim’s midsection.    
  
    Porrim smiled and sat down on the plush mattress beside her.  “You’re right.  I did need a break.  The events of the last few nights have been so… you know, I don’t believe there’s a word that would do it justice.”  
  
    “Then let’s do away with words and let our bodies do the talking, shall we?”  Aranea leaned in and kissed her, a gentle press at first but then her tongue found its way between her lips and she relished the sensation.   _I thought I lost you, dear heart.  
  
    But you didn’t.  All that matters is that we’re here._  Porrim moved to kiss and suck on Aranea’s neck, her lips meeting the tattoo that covered the faded scar left behind from the surgery that saved her matesprit’s life.  “Gods, you smell… good…”  
  
    “Good enough to eat?” Aranea asked with a chuckle?  
  
    Porrim wondered what exactly she was offering.  
  
    Aranea picked up on this.  “Tell you what, love: how about you just enjoy kissing me until you get down there and if you should happen to, say, drag a fang up against the inside of my thigh and I should happen to bleed a little, I won’t complain too loudly.  Especially if you follow that up by doing the wonderful things you normally do to my seedflap afterwards…”  
  
    “Are you sure?”  
  
    “Quite.  Felida and I had an informative discussion where she taught me about how to look after my favourite Drinker’s needs.”  
  
    “Well, if you’re certain…”  
  
    With a soft chuckle, Aranea lay back on the bed, now covered in black sheets that almost seemed to sparkle with stars, and put her head on her pillow, her hands supporting it from underneath.  “Just come and love me, Porrim.  Take whatever you need and I’ll attend to allllllll of your other needs when you’re done.”  
  
    Porrim was about to lay down with her but stopped just short of doing so.  “Oh… this needs to come off.”  She reached up to her forehead and removed the golden circlet that belonged to the Empress.  “In here, I’m just Porrim, not the Primera,” she said as she tossed it onto the chair with her clothes.  “And the last thing I want to do is remind you of your past, either.”  
  
    “To be honest, love, the changes in here are just as much to my benefit as yours.  This is our space; our place to be ourselves.”  
  
    “I must admit, I’m a little surprised by the lack of blue…”  
  
    Aranea grinned.  “Hey, I’m not the one running the planet; I figured you’d like a change after all these sweeps.  Besides, if you want to add a little blue to our surroundings, I happen to know of a fun and potentially wonderfully messy way to do so…”  
  
    “Never change, Aranea Serket.”  Porrim lay down overtop of her slender matesprit and began gently sucking on the taut cerulean skin of her left nipple, causing Aranea to arch her back in blissful reply.  She spent time on each of them, waiting until she thought the first was all but numb to her sucks and playful nips before moving to the other and beginning again, relishing the soft hums and inhalations Aranea made as she did so.  Her mouth moved down the blueblood’s side, planting kisses on the sensitive indents where Aranea’s grublegs would have been and then across her smooth abdomen and then down into the space betwixt her thighs, stopping just short of her lover’s already protruding nub.  Porrim opted to flick both sides of that twice with her tongue before carrying on towards kissing the inside of Aranea’s left thigh.    
  
    “Somebody is being a teeeeeeeease…”  
  
    “Somebody else likes it.”  Porrim adjusted herself to get comfortable and then continued to place her mouth on Aranea’s thigh, sucking to bring the blood closer to the surface.  I know enough about anatomy not to nick a major artery; this spot should be quite safe.  She prepared herself to expose her fangs but was stilled by the thought of what it was she was about to do.   _I’m actually going to bite you and drink your blood.  This feels… very strange.  Are you sure you’re all ri-  
  
    YES!  Don’t make me remind you that I’ve had many lovers over the sweeps who liked to bite me… and a few that I ‘encouraged’ to do so.  Please, go ahead; I’ll enjoy it more than you think.  
  
    Very well…_  Porrim sucked on the area one more time and let her fangs rest on the skin.  They slid in with little resistance and twin trickles of cool fluid entered her mouth.  She sighed and felt instantly invigorated; as she drank her fill she could hear Aranea sighing away, seemingly quite at ease with this – in fact, her perception of her matesprit’s emotions seemed considerably clearer.   _You really ARE okay with this.  
  
    Told you.  Rumour has it there may be some benefits for me as well.  And as I’m sure you can sense, not only does this not hurt but it feels quite pleasant… almost tingly!  My leg isn’t the only thing leaking blue right now, you know._  
  
    Porrim licked up the excess and withdrew from her feed to look to her immediate right; Aranea’s seedflap was indeed decidedly wet.  She snuck a quick lick at the source and found the flavours an interesting mix; the reflected wave of pleasure from Aranea reinforced the positive sensations.  When she returned to her thigh, Porrim noticed that the bite had all but sealed up, leaving only a pair of two tiny blue dots remaining.   _That was quick…  
  
    Are you sated?  Don’t worry; if you suck on those again, I’m told you can continue.  There are healing agents in your saliva in case you ever have to eat and run.  
  
    What’s funny is you know more about this than I do!    
  
    I picked somebody’s thinkpan on the finer points of Rainbow Drinker feeding habits rather recently, love.  I’m certain she can fill you in herself when she’s done washing the ick off.  
  
    Heh.  To be honest, that was actually plenty for now.  I’d rather dine on something – or someone – else.    
  
    Then dine on!_  
  
    She needed no further encouragement: Porrim embraced Aranea’s seedflap with her mouth and continued to suck at it, enjoying the fullness of her lips and taking time to nurse at her engorged nub.  She lifted Aranea’s left leg under the knee to improve her access and she used her right hand to stroke and play with the sensitive space between her lover’s flap and her nook, letting her fingertips dip in to the wetness as they passed by.    
  
    Aranea reached out with one hand and grabbed onto the nearest of Porrim’s horns.   _YES TAKE ME OVER TAKE ME LOVE PUT YOUR FINGERS INSIDE OF ME_  
  
    The swell of intensity that came from Aranea’s mind was amplified by the warm feeling of the hand on her horn and Porrim answered with fingers that slipped inside both places they could find purchase; she withdrew them just to the precipice and then slid them back in again, repeating this motion with steadily increasing speed until cerulean wetness flew out with every movement.   _Come for me… let go of everything you’re holding inside…_  
  
    “I… I… OHGODSPORRIM YESSSSSSSS…”  Aranea wailed as she climaxed; Porrim’s fingers were all but pushed out and the flood of blue followed.  Porrim didn’t mind – she was more than used to Aranea’s copious output – but as the reflected orgasmic shockwaves hit her, she lay her head on top of her lover’s mound and let the rest of Aranea’s expulsions flow down between her breasts and on to the sheets.   _Shame about that; these seem like such lovely new sheets.  I suppose we’ll need to clean those up… and me as well._  
  
    “…I happen… to know… just the troll…” Aranea whispered between exhalations.  
  
    Porrim rose up on her knees and looked over to see Felida backlit in the doorway to the hygieneblock, the fingers of one hand more than idly playing in the space between her thighs.  “You know, I almost came just watching you make her come.  No one has fingers like you, Jadebutt!”  
  
    “Then maybe you should give yours a rest and come over here so I can use them!  Plenty of room on this bed.”    
  
    Felida needed no further invitation; she all but leapt onto the expansive bed and crawled towards Porrim, her lustful intentions quite plain on her face.  She stopped right beside the other two women and looked into Porrim’s eyes.  “Permission to clean our filthy jadeblood, Mistress?”  
  
    “Permission… granted… my sweet.  Leave no… blue… behind…” Aranea wheezed, adrift in her own sea of bliss.  
  
    “Yes, Mistress!”  Felida regarded Porrim’s full breasts, decidedly streaked with a cerulean tint.  “Hear that, Porrim?  You get to be the snack this time!”  
  
    “The sooner you start using your mouth for something other than flapping your gums, the sooner we can both start enjoying ourselves,” Porrim answered, more than a hint of a smile on her face.    
  
    Felida responded by pressing her face into Porrim’s cleavage, her tongue lapping up the sweet, sticky blue that covered the swells of her kismesis’s spheres before making her way up to the jadeblood’s neck which she covered in sucking kisses and playful nips at her earlobe.  “Crowns and titles be damned; you know I still own you in here, right?” she whispered and took pleasure in the involuntary shiver it caused.  
  
    Porrim answered by slipping her fingers between Felida’s thighs and letting the edge of one of her fingernails drag so gently along the smooth skin of the oliveblood’s lower lips.  “I’ve come a long way in fifty sweeps, you saucy brat.”  
  
    “Oh, I know!  And I’ve cleaned up after many of those, too!”  
  
    “Gods, you’re hopeless…”    
  
    Felida ground herself against Porrim’s hand as an invitation to continue.  “Hopelessly in hate with you, lady!”  She cupped her left breast with her metallic hand.  “Sure I can’t interest you in a second course?  You must be famished after three straight nights without eating.”  
  
    Porrim regarded the stiff peak of Felida’s olive nipple and considered it.  “Will Kayolo be okay with this?  Is this something that should only be done with a matesprit?”  
  
    “Seriously?  You just sucked the life out of the Empress the other night!  And do you think that old Eilliw Simool is Lamiea’s matesprit?  Shut up and suck it, Jadebutt!”  
  
    Old suspicions Porrim had considered possible over the sweeps came together in her thinkpan but the desire to taste what was being offered to her called louder and she enveloped the green areola of Felida’s breast with her mouth and let her tongue rest on the nipple while her teeth slipped into the grey skin beneath just enough to provide a trickle of nourishment.  The sound of Felida’s inhalation excited her and she kept her eyes closed while she drank a bit from her kismesis; this was soon accompanied by metallic fingers stroking the back of her neck under her hair which made her gasp and break away.  
  
    “Is that all you need?” Felida asked.  “Or am I just distracting you?”  
  
    As the smooth, cool digits slipped down Porrim’s spine to the small of her back, the jadeblood moaned softly.  “If you mean of your blood, I’m good, but I definitely need more of what you’re doing with your hand.”  
  
    “You mean like this?”  Felida pressed herself right up against Porrim’s chest and let that hand slip further down over the curve of Porrim’s hip and under it, her fingers finding the soft swell of her seedflap and the taut skin of her nook.  Porrim’s response was notably louder this time and Felida planted a hard, sucking kiss into the crook of her kismesis’s neck; the result was Porrim losing her balance and falling onto her back.  “And to think you used to call ME a klutz!”  
  
    “You’re still terribly uncoordinated,” Porrim laughed as she lay back, Felida still on top of her. “Maybe Horuss needs to give you a tune up after doing your submarine impression?  That wasn’t what they meant when they said a captain should go down with her ship, you know.”  
  
    “Uncoordinated, huh?  I’ll show you coordination!”  Oceleo slipped off of Porrim, turned herself around and then lay on top of her, head down towards her softly glowing seedflap.  With a bit of effort, she manoeuvered her body so that her own lower lips were within range of her ebon partner’s face.  “Let’s see how close we can come…”  She placed her hands between Porrim’s thighs and encouraged her to part them, then began repeating the sucking kisses along the folds of the jade tinged labia before her.    
  
    Porrim inhaled involuntarily but was able to keep her focus on the back end of the oliveblood that lay upon her chest, legs splayed to make plain her black lover’s arousal.  “Something tells me… one of us… is much closer…” she said between shallow breaths.    
  
    Felida didn’t reply at first, opting to focus on orally teasing the engorged nub between her lips with her tongue but when Porrim began to apply long licks to her flap, she couldn’t help but pause hat she was doing and sing out.  “Ohhhhh… fuck me sideways… you might be right…”  
  
    “Technically, this might be sideways from someone’s perspective…”  
  
    “DAMN YOUR HIDE, STOP TALKING AND TONGUEFUCK ME!”  
  
    When Porrim resumed doing just that, she heard a soft chortle from beside her followed by a voice in her head.   _I just adore hate patterrrrrrrr…  
  
    You would.  You might want to cover your eyes; there’s a fair chance I’m about to get a soaking and you may receive some collateral damage.  
  
    Are you kidding?  She hasn’t had an orgasm in about a week.  We’re both gonna wear this._  
   
    Porrim tried not to laugh and maintained her steady rhythm of sucking Felida’s nub, pulling her lips back but not far enough to let go entirely, and adding soft whorls over her olive openings with her fingers, letting the tips of them press against the skin surrounding those spaces.   _Almost there…_  
  
    As the thought formed, Felida spasmed hard on top of her and howled; a split second later the torrent of green poured forth and doused Porrim’s face, horns and hair.  Once Porrim felt the oliveblood relax in post-orgasmic bliss on top of her, she reached up and wiped away the emissions from her eyes and mouth with the back of her hand.  “See?  Uncoordinated.”  She gave Felida’s rump a soft slap for emphasis.  
  
    “Fuck you… and the oliveblood… who rode in on you…” Felida gurgled.  
  
    “I think the oliveblood in question has had enough for nowwwwwwww.”    
  
    Porrim felt the weight on top of her shift off to the left and she drew in a full breath.  “I would agree.  You’d think after that she’d be considerably lighter but that wasn’t the case.”  The sound of Felida muttering unintelligible half-curses into the mattress filled her with ebon satisfaction but her body still begged for another kind.  “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to assist a poor woman left to suffer by her overly excitable kismesis, Rae?”  
  
    “Of course, love.  Felida?” Aranea asked as she prodded her moirail’s prone form.  “I thought I told you to clean the jadeblood, not make her filthier?”  
  
    “Mmmrpmh.”  
  
    Aranea hoisted Felida up by her underarms onto her knees.  “Up you go, my sweet.  Let’s aim for ‘spotless’ this time, shall we?”  
  
    “I mopped up all of the blue as you asked, Mistress…” she muttered as she bent over in front of her Mistress with the dual purpose of preparing to lick Porrim clean again but also in search of a touch from her as well.    
  
    “Indeeeeeeeed, but darling Porrim is in need of a release of her own now.”  She gave Felida a much firmer swat on the rump than Porrim did prior and relishing the sighing sound that followed.  “Let’s treat our lovely leader with the respect she deserves!”  
  
    “Yes, Mistress.”  Felida leaned in and placed a kiss on Porrim’s lips before moving her mouth beside her kismesis’s sponge clot.  She inhaled like she was about to speak but instead placed her tongue on the outside edge of Porrim’s ear and licked along the ridge of it, taking away any residual olive that was there.  When Porrim shivered, she returned and this time licked along a large swath of her cheek as well as the ear.  “Mmmmm… well seasoned Jadebutt,” she whispered, “My favourite!”  
  
    Porrim was about to respond when the words were torn from her thinkpan by the sensation of Aranea’s tongue now repeating a similar act but upon her aching seedflap; a sound that spoke volumes about how that felt came forth instead.    
  
    “Attagirl,” Aranea said and did it again and again with short pauses in between, teasing at Porrim’s nub and then drifting her tongue down along her lips and back up one more while her fingers slipped inside to begin pulsing out a rhythm sure to bring her red lover to ecstasy.   _Do you feel this love for you, dear heart?  This all belongs to you, whenever you want it.  Whenever you neeeeeeeed it…  
  
    Gods I need it!  Please!_  Porrim arched her back and called out as Felida’s kisses and licks moved to her horns; she could also sense a cool metal finger drawing slow circles around her left nipple which served to enhance the overwhelming urge to release.   _So… much…_  The emotional transmissions became vocal ones as the combined efforts of her matesprit and her kismesis took her over the precipice and she cried out as the waves of climax shook her again and again.  All of the tension and stress of the week’s events flowed out from her body until she wasn’t sure she would ever be capable of moving a muscle again.  
  
    _‘The little death’, they call it_ , Aranea spoke into her thinkpan.   _Isn’t it wonderful?  
  
    A far cry better than the real thing, trust me._  Porrim smiled in her bliss and savoured the sensations brought on by her two favourite people on the planet.   _Thank you, Rae; I didn’t know how much I needed_ “ACK!”  She twitched and turned her head to scowl at Felida, who had just finished licking her face again.  “I know I probably didn’t need THAT!”  
  
    “But Mistress said I was supposed to make sure you were clean!  You don’t want to get me into trouble with my Mistress, do you?”  Felida batted her eyelashes with all of the feigned innocence she could muster.  
  
    Aranea laughed and rested a hand on Felida’s shoulder.  “I’ll allow you to hold back this time, my sweet.  Besides, I don’t think you’d really enjoy licking the rest out of her hair.”  
  
    “Not terribly, Mistress, but I’d do it if you asked me to!”  
  
    “You would,” Porrim grumbled, “and then I’d probably find a hairball in my boot later.  Maybe I’m due for a haircut, anyway.”  
  
    “If you’re serious about that, the sooner the better,” Aranea said as she walked over to a nearby thermal hull and started pouring glasses of water.  “The parade is scheduled for three nights from now.”  
  
    Porrim bolted upright.  “The what now?”  
  
    “Come on, Porrim, the people are looking to celebrate their freedom!”  Felida scooched to the edge of the massive bed and took the glass of water that Aranea offered her.  “Thank you, Mistress!  Anyway, while we’ve been throwing ourselves into repairing those parts of Capitol that were destroyed, most of the city is still in one piece and now that Waleti has taken care of most of the unrest, folks want to say thanks!”  
  
    “Unrest… what’s been going on?”  
  
    “Basically what you expected: some people had an axe to grind and chose to grind it on the skull of the nearest highblood they could find.”  Aranea handed Porrim her glass and then took a long drink from her own before continuing.  “But the Enforcers were willing to step in and put a stop to that, no matter the bloodtypes involved.  And if you’re worried about safety – and I know that you are because I could feel you thinking about it; nothing to be ashamed of, love – don’t be: no one except the Admiralty really stands to lose much from the death of the Condesce and you already brought most of them aboard the night the moon fell.  There’s nothing to fear; let the people of Capitol – hell, all of Alternia! – celebrate this new world you’ve brought about!”  
  
    “But what if it doesn’t work?” Porrim asked.  “We still have so much to do!  How can we celebrate anything when we haven’t even finished cleaning up, never mind actually creating a governing body?”  
  
    Aranea chuckled at her matesprit’s worried rant.  “Porrim, my love, I’d shooshpap you but I already get accused of blurring quadrants enough as it is and the last thing I need to deal with is a pissed off Squish.  What people need right now, more than anything, is to take a deep breath and experience a freedom that none of them have ever experienced before!  You’re the reason they get to have it and they want to say thanks!  Once that’s done, then we can settle in and deal with the rest of the details.  How’s that sound?”  
  
    Porrim stared at the clear glass and tried to wrap her thinkpan around the idea that people would want to cheer her for something.  “It feels really strange to me to celebrate when there’s still a lot we need to work on, but…”  
  
    “This isn’t just for you is what she’s trying to say, Dingdong,” Felida interrupted, “It’s for them!  And before you start beating yourself up about it, no one is accusing you of being selfish here.  As much as the Condesce was all about pomp and circumstance, a little bit of that can go a long way towards boosting morale.”  
  
    “I suppose you’re right.  Do you think it’d be safe?”  
  
    Aranea set her glass down on the daystand, took a seat beside Porrim and put both of her hands around the jadeblood’s.  “Dear heart, are you afraid that someone’s going to perforate you?  Unless they burned you to complete ash, I gather you’re going to get back up.  And woe to the fool who even considers trying; the only question would be who got to that person first: me, Felida, Alyssm or Squish.  Besides, this is a celebration, Porrim!  I’m not saying we let our guard down completely, but we do need to enjoy it.  Have you not realized yet that we actually won?”  
  
    Porrim blinked a few times as this realization set in.  “I… hadn’t, actually.  I mean, I’m fully aware that we’re here, alive – well, more or less – and that the Condesce is gone but we…”  
  
    “We still have so much to do!” Felida said in her best Porrim imitation.  “Between that and ‘And so it shall be done’, I’d swear you jadebloods are stuck on ‘repeat’!”  
  
    Any snarky response Porrim tried to come up with fell flat.  “All right, I get it.  Just for you two, I’ll try my best to enjoy this… parade business.  But can we at least try and look presentable?”  
  
    “If you’re asking me to wear those weird orange stretchies, forget it.”  
  
    “And I don’t own anything other than white blouses and brown shorts,” Felida added.  “Nor do I really want to.  I like being comfortable!”  
  
    Porrim sighed loudly and took a sip of her water.  “All right, maybe this time we can get away with the basics but I swear that the next time we have a function that requires us to actually celebrate something publicly, I’ll have you both wearing something decent!”  
  
    Aranea kissed Porrim’s cheek.  “Whatever you say, Primera!  I’m just glad you’re willing to do this in the first place.”  
  
    “We’ll see if you two are thanking me later.  Now, didn’t someone say something about sleep?”  
  
    “Don’t you need a shower first?”  Felida took a handful of Porrim’s hair and studied the rather olive tinge to it.    
  
    “I suppose so, thanks to you.  And then maybe I should get some rest.”  
  
    Aranea stood and guided Porrim to her feet.  “All in good time, love, but first I think some hot water and a good scrubbing will do you some good.”  
  
    “Can I come, too?” Felida asked, taking up a position on Porrim’s right side.  
  
    Porrim looked at her with feigned horror.  “Didn’t you just have a shower? What kind of strain is this going to put on Capitol’s water supplies?”  
  
    Felida groaned.  “You’re the Primera, not the Overseer, you twit.  Just get in the shower so we can clean you up?  Or maybe dirty you up again first…”  
  
    Aranea reached behind Porrim and tousled Felida’s hair.  “I like the way you think.”  
  
    “Thank you, Mistress!”  
  
    Porrim smiled as she opened the door to the hygieneblock and flicked on the light.   _Where would I be without them?_  “Keep it up, you two, and you’ll be wearing burlap sacks when I get through with you…” 


	71. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 70

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One sweep has passed since Porrim Maryam became the first Primera of Alternia; Porrim and her quadmates and friends prepare for anniversary celebrations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought it would be nice to do kind of a "behind the scenes" story here a sweep after the major changes. This will be a recurring theme of the final epilogues to come as we see what Porrim and Aranea's world, both personal and global has become. And maybe I just enjoy writing these characters' dialogue so much I'm reluctant to bring it to an end? :)

**70.**  
  
    “Remember when you threatened us with burlap sacks a sweep ago, Jadebutt?  I think I’d rather wear that.”  
  
    “Oh, stop.  This isn’t that bad.”  Porrim crouched down and adjusted the clips on Felida’s long black, olive and gold trimmed Admiral’s tunic.  “Aranea loves her dress uniform; isn’t that right, Rae?”  
  
    Aranea continued to look herself over in the full length mirror in the corner of their shared respiteblock high atop the Golden Tower: the Fleet Admiral’s dress uniform featured a thick gold ribbon that swept around her neck and finished along the top of the panel of fabric that pinned to the front of the outfit and then trailed down where it ended mid-thigh.  The yoke and sleeves were black while the rest of the uniform was the same cerulean blue of her blood; pinned just below the golden swath was a rectangular black badge trimmed in gold featuring the five golden pips of her rank; a black belt around the waist tied it all together.  “I don’t know… you can hardly even see my ass in this.”  
  
    Porrim snorted.  “First of all, you don’t have much of one to begin with.  Second, no one could see it under your overcoat, either and third, you helped me design them!”  
  
    “If by ‘helped’ you meant ‘sit back and let the clothing designer do what she does while keeping my mouth shut’, then yes, I helped.”  Aranea smoothed the front down and adjusted the belt to sit better around her waist by tightening it slightly.  “I do love the symbol on the buckle, though.  I think it’s a nice touch.”  
  
    “I thought so, too.  I’m glad everyone was on board with it for the flag as well.  Meu has it ready for the raising today, right?”  
  
    “Porrim, seriously.  You need to relax,” Felida admonished.  “Of course she does.  I’ve seen it, it looks great.  Just like the buckle but bigger and… on a flag.”  She looked down at her own belt as she cinched it in: the buckle was trimmed in shiny gold but the center featured a black circle with the Signless’s emblem in silver surrounded by a circle of the same.  “A symbol of unity in a colour representing no one’s blood.  Works great, I think… unlike this fucking collar which is choking the shit out of me!”  
  
    Porrim rose and fixed her with a look of disbelief.  “You, of all people, are complaining about a collar?”  
  
    “It’s not the same…” Felida mumbled.  
  
    “Well, I think you look fantastic!”  Porrim admired her handiwork: Felida’s outfit was identical to Aranea’s save for the olive colour where the other was blue and the gold trim was two thinner strips in lieu of the single broad one while her rank insignia contained four pips within the box.  “In fact, in all the sweeps I’ve known you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dressed so nicely!”  
  
    “That’s because you haven’t!”  
  
    “Don’t you and Kayolo ever dress up and go out for a night on the town at all?”  
  
    Felida grinned as she thought about it.  “Nah.  We just usually just end up staying in and fucking repeatedly.”  
  
    Porrim rolled her eyes.  “Thank you oh so much for that.”  
  
    “Hey, there was nowhere to really go in Byanbol, even before Syhale wrecked the place and besides, we hardly saw each other anywhere often enough.  Leftover homemade grubloaf was more than all right by me!”  
  
    “And what about when she was with us during her Sojourn?”   
  
    Felida’s expression of disbelief answered Porrim’s question before she even spoke.  “Seriously?  We lived on an ISLAND, Dingdong!  Was I supposed to throw on a dress and heels and take her out to the mess hall for some fine dining on shithawk and seaweed or whatever else Meu caught that morning?”  She gave Aranea a sideways glance and added, “You’d think that we could have ordered in once in a while considering the pile of caegars we were sitting on…”  
  
    “Having our island enveloped in cloaking devices made finding our address rather difficult, my sweet.  Besides, Horuss always brought us back something interesting to eat when he stepped out for supplies, no?”  
  
    “FUCK YEAH APPLES!!!!!” Felida shouted, sending Porrim off balance and Aranea into gales of laughter.  “I swear to fuck if I ever see another godsdamned apple again, it’ll be too soon.”  
  
    Aranea gathered herself enough to respond, “But you have to admit, you never needed to wash a single dish our entire time there.”  
  
    “Who the hell powers a droidwasher with apples?”  
  
    “The same person who gave you a new arm, leg and eyeball so be glad you don’t have to shove apples into those on a regular basis,” Porrim answered as she did her best to stifle the equally hilarious and bizarre thought of Felida having to hold an apple up against her mechanical eye to let it feed.  “Anyway, I’ll be sure to make you a nice dress to wear for your trip when we get back from our own.  And then I’ll make quite certain Kayolo actually makes you wear it at some point, too.”  
  
    “Can you sew a loop in it for my sword?” Felida asked, putting a finger under her belt.  “Just like you didn’t do for this goofy outfit?”  
  
    “Observe, Felida.”  Aranea walked over to the bed, picked up her cobalt blade and squeezed the belt; a space opened up within the leather that easily accommodated the sword.  “That simple.  It’s solely for ceremonial purposes, anyway; I strongly suspect we won’t have to draw our blades.”  
  
    Porrim picked up Felida’s _Catlass_ and helped her slide it into her belt.  “I really do hope you’re right.”   
  
    “Everyone was well behaved last sweep, remember?” Aranea remarked.  “I told you people would be too busy celebrating to want to shoot you.”  
  
    “That was last sweep, before we had confirmed the rest of the Tertios by vote and started passing laws.”  Porrim shed the towel she was wearing and then folded it and put it back in the hygieneblock.  “The way that went, I’m quite certain that the business of actually governing has been detrimental to my popularity.”  
  
    “Well, I know I hate you, but for totally different reasons,” Felida said, accompanying that remark with a smack on Porrim’s bare backside.  
  
    “Aranea, your pet is being a shit.  Curb her, will you?”  
  
    The blueblood grinned a fangs-bare grin.  “That’s your collar on her right now, not mine.”  
  
    Porrim narrowed her eyes at Felida as she picked up her black and jade gown from the bed and pulled it carefully over her horns.  “If you hate me now, wait until you see the boots that go with it.”  
  
    “What?”  Felida stared at Aranea and scowled.  “Tell me you had nothing to do with this?”  
  
    “I hadn’t the slightest involvement in your footwear selection, my sweet.  Mine is, of course, already arranged.”  Aranea sat down in a nearby chair and retrieved her crimson boots out from underneath it.  She folded the black pantleg over and slipped her foot inside the left boot with all of the grace at her disposal.    
  
    Felida turned her attention to Porrim and watched as her kismesis pulled her gown down over her hips and then tied her scarlet sash around the midsection; the hole that was torn through Sister’s Robes by the Condesce’s weapon was repaired so skillfully that no one would be able to tell the garment had ever been damaged unless they held it in their hands and even then only a trained eye would detect the repairs.  “I know you and her have a thing for red, Jadebutt, but it’s not for me.  Please tell me they’re not red.”  
  
    “They’re not red.  At least, not entirely…”  Porrim bent down and reached under the bed to retrieve a peculiar pair of silvery boots adorned with a series of horizontal multicoloured stripes and blatantly oversized heels and soles.  “You certainly seemed eager to wear them once upon a time.”  
  
    “Oh my fuck, where did you find those?”  Felida rushed over to Porrim and looked open-mouthed at the colourful boots as Porrim handed them to her.  “I haven’t seen these monstrosities since…”  
  
    “Since when I first arrived on the island and you came up with the phrase ‘blacktice’ when you were teaching me what it meant to be a kismesis.  At least I managed to catch you before you fell over and broke your ankles while wearing them.”  
  
    “Only one of my ankles is breakable, remember.  And I’d barely had my new leg for maybe a perigee then!  No wonder I was unstable.”  
  
    Porrim barked a laugh.  “Be assured we know you’re unstable for many other reasons than that.”  
  
    Felida looked up to the smirking Porrim through narrowed eyes and put a metal finger on her chest.  “I will bite you.  I don’t give a fuck if you’re in charge of running every planet from here to three galaxies from here, I will fucking bite you.  And you’ll know who bit you, too.”  
  
    “And here I thought biting was my department these nights.”  Porrim licked her thumb and tried to straighten out a part of the oliveblood’s hair, making Felida sigh with equal parts pleasure and frustration.  
  
    “How come I don’t recall hearing the story involving these… er… unique pieces of footwear?” Aranea inquired.  
  
    “Because nobody got fingered that night which made it not really worth telling you about.  This was while you were away chasing a dragon lusus with Poochie, remember?”  Felida examined the long, tall boots and shook her head in both wonder and disgust.  “Who the hell would actually wear these for any period of time?”  
  
    “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to, my sweet.  And no, the answer is definitely not me.”  
  
    Porrim continued to fuss over Felida’s hair.  “You realize that, as Primera, I could insist that you wear them as part of your uniform.”  
  
    Felida’s eyes shot daggers back; Porrim could swear Oceleo’s mechanical eye started glowing brighter.  “The only way I wear these onstage is if I get to cram them both into your nook while I’m up there, _Primera_!  And I might not take them off first!”  
  
    “Save your kinky fantasies for your moirail,” Porrim said, giving Felida’s cheek a quick pinch.  “You can just wear standard black boots to match your pants – and if I catch you wearing brown ones instead, which is a crime against fashion, I will spank you right in front of every troll in Capit…”  Felida’s anticipating grin made her rethink this strategy.  “Wait… no, no I won’t.  Forget I said that.”  
  
    “Hear that, Mistress?  My kismesis wants to paddle my ass in front of the whole city!”  
  
    Aranea finished putting on her other boot and said, “I fail to see the downside to this.  Just make sure the cameras catch your left cheek; it’s definitely your good side.  Way stronger from having to lug that metal leg around all the time.”  
  
    Felida tossed the boots onto the bed, reached behind herself with both hands and tried to figure out if Aranea was right.  “Kinda tough to tell through this uniform…”  
  
    Porrim put a hand to her chin and watched Felida fondle her own rear.  “Well, at least we have proof now…”  
  
    “Told you these weren’t very flattering to our backsides, love,” Aranea said.  
  
    “No, I meant proof that Felida actually CAN find her ass with both hands.”  
  
    As Aranea dissolved into gales of snorting laughter, Felida fixed Porrim with a glower.  “Do you remember how fucking terrible you were at this sort of thing the night I brought those boots out?  Just how unbelievably shitty you were at black banter?  I almost miss that naïve little jadeblood because now I’m going to have to bite you.”  She advanced on the smiling Porrim who made halfhearted attempts to push her back.  
  
    “Back, you beast!  How dare you lay your hands on your Primera!”  Porrim giggled as Felida tossed her down onto the massive plush bed.  “I’ll have you thrown in a pit full of lumines or fed to a pack of rabid flutterbys!”  
  
    “You and what navy, dumbnook?  At least you don’t have to wear this goofy looking dress!  How convenient!”  Felida stuck her head under the bell of Porrim’s gown and started nipping at the inside of her thighs.    
  
    “Felidaaaaaaaa… you know it won’t do if our dear leader has to face her adoring public with a puddle of jade pooling at her feet, regardless of the source of it.”  
  
    Felida withdrew and sighed loudly.  “I suppose, Mistress.  But I would like to reserve the right to bite her further at a future date!”  
  
    “And so you may, but Porrim and I will be on our way out after this bit of ceremony so it’ll have to wait until next week.  Fair enough?”  
  
    “Yes, Mistress!”  
  
    “Do I get any say in this matter?” Porrim asked as she sat back up and adjusted her hair, particularly the sharp upsweep in the back.    
  
    Aranea chuckled and offered a hand to help her matesprit to her feet.  “I do think you owe Felida one for making her wear something so… so… how to describe it?”  
  
    “So not a white blouse and brown shorts?  It’s good for her to branch out a bit.  Makes her look almost presentable.”  Porrim paused for effect.  “Almost.”  
  
    Felida locked eyes with her kismesis, pointed at her and then made a biting action with her teeth.    
  
    “Promises, promises.  Now go put on your black boots; you’ll find them in the closet where you found your outfit.  Who knows, you may even find that Kayolo has an appreciation for a woman in uniform?”  
  
    “Hmmmmm.  I wonder?”  With this new mindset, Felida headed over to the closet to seek out her footwear while humming a jaunty tune.  
  
    Aranea guided Porrim over towards the door to the former Grand Throneblock and held Porrim’s arm for balance while the Primera slid on her own simple black shoes.  “So, love, are you ready to face your fans yet again?”  
  
    “I don’t believe I’m ever going to get used to this sort of thing, to be quite honest.”  
  
    “They clamour for you to start your own version of Condyvision, you know.”  
  
    Porrim looked aghast.  “What on Alternia would I do in front of a camera?”  
  
    Aranea shrugged.  “They say do what you know best.”  
  
    “What?  Who in their right thinkpan would want to watch me sew?  Or perform surgery?”  
  
    “Or drone on for hours about governmental reform?” Felida added from the closet.  “It’s bad enough I have to sit through it.  Bluh!”  
  
    “Shush, you, or I’ll lock you in there.”  
  
    Hearing this, Aranea recalled something.  “Do you remember the day we found Daremo curled up in there?  Rufioh told us she said that it felt strangely comfortable.  Do you think you’d find it the same, my sweet?”  
  
    “Only if you tied me up first, Mistress!”  
  
    Porrim put her hand to her forehead in mock exasperation.  “Does Kayolo know you’re into this sort of thing?”  
  
    Felida emerged from the closet with boots in hand.  “Pffffft.  She knows full well what my Mistress and I do on our own time.  And would you believe she’s even willing to dabble in ropeplay a bit now?”  
  
    “Oh gods...”  
  
    “And this coming from someone who should be sleeping hanging upside down in a closet to sleep!”  Felida made a thip-thip-thip-thip noise meant to sound like bat wings.  “‘Bluh-bluh-bluh!  I vant to suck your blood!’  How is that not kinky and awesome at the same time?”  
  
    “First off, we don’t say ‘bluh-bluh-bluh’.  Common misconception and one that your matesprit should have addressed many moons ago.  Second, I didn’t know my feeding habits constituted your definition of ‘kinky’.”  
  
    “Ladies, pleeeeeeeease.  While I could normally listen to your caliginous repartee all night, we do have places to be and ridiculous ceremonies to endure.”  
  
    Porrim squeezed Aranea’s hand.  “Ha!  I knew you thought this was ridiculous, too!”  
  
    “Of course I do, Porrim, but I understand its necessity and so do you.  Otherwise you never would have bothered designing these uniforms in the first place.”  
  
    The hand of Porrim’s that wasn’t ensconced in Aranea’s flew to her mouth.  “I just realized something: Daalla and Kaiyuh were just in Gamblignant clothes before when they had that picture taken during the last parade.  Now they’re going to be in dress uniforms and showing Navy rank.  Kaiyuh is a captain and Daalla is a lieutenant and…”  
  
    “And no one gives a rosy red fuck!”  Felida shoved her feet into her new boots with none of the practiced, deliberate movements of her moirail.  “Those two are icons now!  You’re going to be asking them to recreate that moment for the people and no one is going to give two shits about their ranks, never mind a single shit.  They’re matesprits!  Things are different these nights, remember?  This is the happier Navy where life is beautiful all the time!  If the Admiralty is okay with it, then what’s the problem?”  
  
    “Let’s just say I don’t sense a court martial in the works anytime soon, no,” Aranea added.    
  
    “All right then, good.  And to answer your question, Rae, I suppose I’m as ready as I’m going to be now.”  She paused for a moment and then asked, “Do you miss my long hair?”  
  
    Aranea responded with a warm smile.  “I’m pretty much used to this look now.  I like it because it reminds me of how you used to do your hair when we met.  It goes well with your gown, too.”  
  
    “Hey, speaking of going well with things, my sash goes pretty well with my uniform, don’t you think?”  Felida finished knotting her moirallegiance token around her waist and shook her hips to show it off.  
  
    Porrim cringed at first as it interfered with the clean lines the original belt created but then relented, considering she was wearing hers as well.  “It is a token; I suppose I can let it slide.”  
  
    “Does that mean I can wear my jacket over mine, then?” Aranea asked, smirking away.  
  
    “Don’t you start!”  Porrim turned her attention to Felida, “Why couldn’t you have just given her a fluorite rock on a string or something?”  
  
    “No way!  That glowy blue shit got me in trouble way back when, remember?  Besides, you saw what those dice did firsthand; do you want everybody’s clothes to suddenly morph into orange stretchies in the middle of the parade?”  
  
    The idea of that made Porrim’s soft glow flicker.  “No, definitely not.  Good point.”  
  
    “Okay, seriously, we need to go,” Aranea said, dimming the lights.  “I can’t believe I’m the one actually herding people to make a deadline for once.”  
  
    “It’s almost like you were the captain of a ship or something,” Felida quipped.  
  
    “I’m with Porrim on this: don’t you start.”  
  
    “Yes, Mistres-er, Admiral!”  
  
    Porrim opened the door that lead to the stairs down to which had now become the Grand Councilblock in her new regime.  “Shall we?”  
  
    “Let’sssssssss.”  
  
    The trio of women emerged and descended the stairs into the expansive room below: the golden throne remained where Porrim had thrown it down to on her first visit, but now a long ironwood table sat in front of it with ten other slightly smaller chairs surrounding.  Those chairs were currently unoccupied as the room’s occupants were gathered in small groups, conversing.  Secundo Orbius Ampora was standing by himself beside his seat, resplendent in his violet and gold dress outfit that mirrored Felida’s; as soon as he detected their presence, he called out, “Attention, everyone!  Primera Porrim Maryam has arrived!  We should all bend our knees and bow our heads and…”  
  
    “Oh save that for later, Orbius,” Porrim said with a laugh, knowing how the violetblood enjoyed teasing her about the trappings of her office.  “Just think: in another five sweeps, it could be you dealing with the adoring hordes!”  
  
    He puffed air out of his gills, the seadweller equivalent of a snort of disbelief.  “I should live that long.  At least the death threats are down to an average of three per perigee and only half of them are from other admirals now.  The other half are from lowbloods hoping that you use me for a midday snack.”  
  
    Porrim made a point of eyeing him up and down quite deliberately and then smacked her lips a couple of times.  “I must admit that I’ve never tasted violetblood before…”  
  
    “Easy, love; the last Ampora I met tended to take teasing a touch too seriously for his own good.”  Aranea narrowed her eyes at Orbius but hoped the smile she flashed him was enough for the young admiral to understand that it was meant as jest.   _It’s taken me a while to warm up to this cold fish but then again, I occasionally have to resist the urge to take him into that broom closet and slap him around while I slip my hand down his pants and bite his fins.  
  
    You can’t let hate – caliginous or culling – for his predecessor cloud your judgment, Rae.  
  
    I knoooooooow.  But still.  Gotta keep this grub on his claws._  
  
    “I certainly hope I don’t befall a similar fate as he.  I trust you’ve been satisfied with my performance so far, Admiral?”  
  
    “Quite, both in your naval duties and those as Secundo.  I remain quite pleased with my decision not to cull you on sight.”  
  
    Orbius chuckled at this.  “She’s got quite the barb on her lure, doesn’t she?” he said to Porrim.  
  
    “She does, but I don’t recommend you engage in fish puns with her.  Let’s just say she’s had her fill.”  
  
    He took quick glance at the Fleet Admiral and the slow nod she made confirmed this well enough for his purposes.  “Anyway, now that we’ve set the term limit for the Prime at six sweeps, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of opportunities to throw my caegar in the pile in the future should I choose to.  I’m reasonably certain there’s no way I would be able to beat this pretty face over here in a popularity contest, anyway.”  
  
    “You must be talking to me ‘cause I got the prettiest face in the place!” Rufioh said, his boyish grin on full display.  Like Aranea, Felida and Orbius, Secundo Rufioh Nitram wore an admiral’s dress uniform, his in a bronze shade with three pips inside the black box pin.  “Well, save for hers, of course!”  He put his arm around the diminutive woman beside him enrobed in a shimmering satin maroon dress, a piece of amber as long as a thumb and twice as wide set as a golden necklace around her neck and etched with his symbol.    
  
    “How you do?” Daremo asked the approaching group.  “We here again, one sweep later.  I try keep clothes on this time.”  Despite the peals of laughter at her joke, Daremo continued to smile serenely as though she had said nothing humourous at all.  
  
    “Don’t try too hard, doll,” Rufioh said, planting a quick kiss on one of her curled horns.  “You know, if we get a chance, maybe we could steal away into that closet you fell out of and…”  
  
    “Forget it, Rufioh,” Aranea interrupted, “Your horns couldn’t possibly fit through that closet door and you know it.”    
  
    Daremo looked over her shoulder towards the place she made her uncannily timed entrance a sweep prior.  “Guess we find some other place to make sexy then.  Maybe big grey table?”  She patted the monolithic wooden slab with her silvery metal left hand.    
  
    This time the laughter was a little less enthusiastic; those who had spent time with the peculiar maroonblood knew that she had a libido that rivaled even Mindfang’s and seemed to lack knowledge of basic societal norms, many of which Rufioh needed to explain to her so that she could function publicly, no matter how badly he did want to engage her even in inappropriate venues.  Aranea, however, very much enjoyed Daremo’s company and grinned widely at her not-entirely-joking remark.  “I like the way you think.  You may just need to watch your timing is all.”  She gave Daremo a knowing wink as she reached out and gently took the amber matespritship token into her left hand.  “This is gorgeous, Rufioh!  Where did you get it?”  
  
    “I had some help.  Meu found it for me in the forest on the island and Horuss did the etching.  My job was to put it around her neck; I think I did a pretty good job at that part!   <Didn’t I, cranberry?>”  
  
    Daremo scrunched up her face.  “<You fucking suck at dialect but I love you because you funny.  And you fuck like wild bull.  Fill my bucket three time tonight.>”  
  
    “Dare I ask what she said?” Porrim inquired.  
  
    Both Rufioh and Daremo shook their heads at the same time.   
  
    “I’m sure I can take a guess at what it entailllllllled.”  Aranea looked around the Grand Councilblock at the other Tertios of the Alternian government; only one other wore a similar uniform, goldblooded Niedys Bycros, a full admiral like Felida.  The rest wore formal gowns or suits with accoutrements that identified their blood colour and last name.  The thought of that reminded Aranea of something she was curious about.  “I never did get a good look at the token she gave you, come to think of it.”  
  
    “Uhh… well, you know how you ladies have tattoos of each others’ symbols on your bodies?  Let’s just say that she did that for me and you probably don’t want me to show you where it is in present company, right?”  
  
    While Porrim and Felida smiled and nodded their agreement, Aranea’s curiousity was piqued.  “Tattoo, you say?  I’ve seen the artwork on Daremo’s body, of course, but I wasn’t aware she might have been the one doing the tattooing!  Let’s see the quality!”  
  
    “Rae…”  
  
    _It’s a good thing Killjoy doesn’t have eight letters or you’d have a new nickname._  
  
    Porrim’s hand flew to her forehead.    
  
    “I show you mine instead,” Daremo answered amid the laughter, “Had to practice on me first.  Maybe I find job at last?”  She turned the inside of her right forearm to face up - the light glinting off of the metal of her sleek cybernetic hand as she did so - and showed them the symbol she had inked on her grey skin: the shape vaguely resembled her horns and was adorned with various tiny pictograms not unlike the ones that were tattooed across her torso; the only one Aranea recognized was Rufioh’s bronze symbol just below one of the “horns” of it.    
  
    “Simple but lovely.  I may have to get you to do one for me sometime.”  Aranea tipped her long neck up and pulled her hair back to reveal as much of her jade spider tattoo as she could with the high golden collar in the way.  “I know you can’t see all of it but it runs all the way across my back into a web.  The woman who did it was extremely talented; think you could give her a run for her money?”  
  
    Daremo’s smile spoke of confidence and something more.  “I know I can.  You have to show me all of it later!”  
  
    “Perhapssssssss…”  
  
    “Okay, who is herding who along here?” Porrim asked, taking Aranea’s arm.  “We need to move along right about now, yes, indeed.”  Why am I getting some rather ashen feelings all of a sudden?  She made it a few steps towards the lift, chortling matesprit in tow, when she stopped short, causing Felida to nearly run in to her.  “Wait!  Where are Meulin and Horuss?”  
  
    “Watch the sudden stops, there, Jadebutt!” Felida grumbled, “Some of us aren’t used to parading around in weird shoes!  Anyway, she called to say they were running a bit late due to a ‘wardrobe issue’ and that they’d meet us in the conferenceblock on the main floor with everyone else riding with us on the paradeslabs.”  
  
    “Oh!  Very well, then.”  Porrim cleared her throat and called out, “All right, everyone, let’s head down to the conferenceblock.  Enjoy these moments of peace before you face the crowds; take it from me, if you’ve never done this before, being IN the parade is a lot different than being AT it!”  Once the laughter subsided, Porrim led the group towards the lift doors but stopped again when she felt an empathic tug.  “Wait!  I’m forgetting something…”  
  
    Felida actually did bump into her this time.  “It’s a good thing your ass has so much padding or we’d both probably be in the medicalblock right now!”  
  
    Porrim paid her no mind and she turned at the sound of hurried footsteps coming from behind her: Squish Imdead, wearing a naval dress in black and red which bore the twin pips of a lieutenant’s rank and a thin golden trim, was running over to her, golden circlet in hand.  “Thank you!” she said as she accepted the headwear symbolizing her regime, the fuchsia stone now replaced with a smooth piece of jade.  “I can’t believe I forgot this.”  
  
    “I can,” Aranea remarked.  “Crowns have never really been your thing, have they?”  
  
    “No, and this one in particular.  I try not to think about who used to wear it.”  She slid the golden band into place on her forehead and looked to Squish.  “Do I need to adjust it?”  Her moirail shook his head and gave her a thumbs-up.  “Good.  Now can we go?”  
  
    “You’re the one who keeps making us stop,” Felida said but without any genuine frustration in her voice.  “You tell us?”  
  
    “I suppose so!  For being so awesome, Squish, you can push the lift call button.  And please don’t hurt yourself doing so?  I don’t have my healthtender kit on me.”  
  
    Squish gave her a “who, me?” look of mock surprise and then led the assembled Grand Council of Alternia towards the elevator doors.  
  
  
  
  
    “There, that should do it,” Porrim said as she finished wrapping tape around Squish’s broken yellow fingernail.  “It’s all I could find in here but that should keep it from cracking any further until I can look at it after the parade.  Will that do?”  
  
    Her moirail nodded sheepishly and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.  
  
    “I swear, if it wasn’t for bad luck you’d have none at-”  
  
    “Porrim!  So sorry we’re late!”  
  
    The Primera looked over her left shoulder to see Meulin burst in to the conferenceblock, a canvas sack in her hand and all but breathless.  “Quite all right, Meu; I’m sure you had your reasons.  Felida mentioned you had wardrobe issues but I see you did quite all right!”  She looked over the simple, formfitting black dress Meu was sporting, an olive shawl around her neck and finished with a bright red sash at the waist all but identical to her own and nodded her approval.  “I know you have as little love for formal wear as Felida does but you did a fine job!  I just wish I had time to make you something myself.”  
  
    “Thanks, Mom, I appreciate that, but it wasn’t me who had the wardrobe issues.”  
  
    The “What do you mean?” on Porrim’s lips died before it could be uttered as Horuss made his appearance.  “Oh… my.”  Once the shock of seeing Horuss wearing something other than his ubiquitous black and indigo unitard wore off, she tried to figure out how the similarly coloured suit that he had crammed himself into hadn’t burst its buttons – or seams for that matter.  “How did you even get that on?”  
  
    “It took some serious maneighveuring but I managed!” he said with all of the pride he could muster.  “I wore this when I graduated from my eduhive and I’m amazed it still fits!”  
  
    The look of stark disbelief on Porrim’s face echoed the one on Meulin’s.  “Horuss, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but to say that this fits would be like saying the Condesce was an effective ruler: it’s true but only in the most basic sense.”  She gripped the front of his shirt and tried to pull it together in the front to minimize the gaps but it wouldn’t budge; the tension on the buttons was enough to concern her that if one should give way it would launch into the audience with lethal speed.  “You seem to have developed a significant amount of muscle since you graduated!”  
  
    Horuss made an awkward grin.  “Er, you could say that, yes.”  
  
    Porrim studied him for a moment.  “Meu?  Where did you find that shawl?”  
  
    “Just in the stores back at the island.  Why?”  
  
    “Does it have any particular sentiment to you save for the colour?”  
  
    “No…” she said with some trepidation.  “What do you have in mind?”  
  
    Porrim gestured for her to hand it over, which she did.  Meulin – and pretty much everyone else in the conferenceblock once they heard the rip of tearing fabric – watched with fascination as the jadeblood rent the shawl in half and then tore a long strip out of one of the pieces.  “I don’t suppose anyone here has a source of heat or fire on hand?”  
  
    It was Alyssm Waleti, wearing a dark blue enforcer’s dress uniform, who answered.  “Would the tip of a recently fired pulse rifle do?”  
  
    “I believe so, yes!”  
  
    Waleti nodded and quickly stepped out of the block.  Everyone else continued to watch Porrim use her nails and fangs to quickly tear at the strip of olive cloth until she had what she hoped to make.  “There.”  She tossed the other half of the shawl back to Meulin.  “I think you can still wear that!  Just tuck the unfinished edge under.”  
  
    “Okay, will do.  Can I ask what you’ve got in mi-”  
  
    She was interrupted by the sounds of muffled pulse rifle fire and some concerned noises.  Waleti’s voice could be heard above the din, “Nothing to worry about!  Just some last minute weapons testing!  No need for alarm!”  
  
    Everyone in the conferenceblock was smiling as Alyssm re-entered.  “Here you are, Primera.  I can confirm that no bureaucrats were harmed in the process.”  
  
    “You’ll have to try harder next time,” Porrim quipped.  “Can you hold the rifle up for me, please?”  Waleti did as she was asked and Porrim ran the edges of the torn cloth over the hot barrel, singeing the edges so that the loose threads weren’t so obvious.  When she was done, she walked over to Horuss, stood on her tiptoes to throw the piece of fabric around his neck and then rapidly crafted it into a makeshift olive necktie.  “There,” she said, examining her handiwork, “that’s at least wide enough to cover up the gaps in the shirt.  If anyone asks, it’s another moirallegiance token.  Does that work for you?”  
  
    “Er, quite, Primera!  Thank you!”  
  
    Porrim looked up at the hulking indigoblood and realized that this was the first time in a very long time that she had seen his eyes, usually hidden behind the sensor panels that hung down from his electronic headgear.  “It’s what I do.  I try to make the most of things.  And I have to say that choosing to lay down my anger and forgive someone I never thought I could was one of the best decisions I ever made.  I’m sorry if this is too public a place to say it, but we wouldn’t be standing where we are right now without you.  If you’ve ever felt any sense of debt or owing where the Signless was concerned, lay it down.”  She swallowed hard and continued, “We know you were forced to do what you did that fateful night, and you’ve done nothing but your best to help us bring his vision to fruition since then.  I can’t thank you enough for that, Horuss.”    
  
    As she reached forward and embraced him as best she could, Horuss gently placed his arms around her as well and said, “Thank you for letting me help.  It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”  
  
    When Porrim finally let go, she could see Meulin dabbing her eyes with the shawl.  “Thanks, Mom.”  
  
    Porrim came over and hugged her as well.  “Of course.  This is a quite a night for us all.  You brought it, I see?”  
  
    “Yep!  Flag’s here, ready to go.”  Meulin gestured to the bag she brought along with her, now sitting on a nearby table.  “The nice part about the design is that you don’t have to worry about accidentally sending it up the pole upside-down!”  
  
    “That’s a good point, actually.  When the time comes, I’d like you to do it.  Would you?”  
  
    “Me?  But…”  
  
    “No buts,” Porrim said kindly.  “You are as much of a part of his legacy as I.  In fact, maybe somenight you’d like to let your name stand for Primera?  You had much more of an influence on him than you’ll ever know.”  
  
    Meulin blinked a few times, almost overwhelmed by the thought.  “I don’t know… I see some of the mornings you come home from a debate session and I wonder if I’d have the patience to put up with some of the…”  She caught herself before saying much more considering she was surrounded by the very people she was about to suggest needed to have their skulls knocked together on occasion.  “Er, the spirited discussions the Council seems to have!”  
  
    Porrim chuckled; the empathic abilities she borrowed from drinking her matesprit’s blood allowed her to know exactly where Meulin was going with her statement.   _I hear you, Meu.  There are nights I believed I’d have to break heads to get anything accomplished but more often than not, a consensus can be reached.  I know you’ve got the heart and the mind needed to do it; I just ask that you consider it sometime.  Maybe even look at being a district Prefect or an Overseer somewhere and see if it suits you?_  
  
    “I’ll think about it, Mom.  Just maybe another night; I remember how emotional the last one was after the parade a sweep ago.  I was so afraid of falling over in public that I didn’t even want to get out of my chair at all!”  
  
    “It amazes me how quickly you were able to adapt.  They way you walked across the stage to the podium, I don’t think anyone who wasn’t around us when it happened had any idea that your back was broken a few nights prior.”  
  
    Meu grinned and placed a hand on Horuss’s meaty arm.  “What my moirail lacks in fashion sense he more than makes up for in technical skills.  The piece he added just allowed my top half to be able to talk to my bottom half again; it wasn’t like I had to learn to walk all over again like Felida must have.”  She leaned in closer to Porrim and whispered, “And between you and me?  Having a tail is so much fun!  I love playing with it!”  
  
    Porrim briefly wondered if she meant the same kind of ‘fun’ that Felida would have and decided that she really didn’t want to know.  “It’s obviously removable as well?”  
  
    “Yeah.  Would be pretty tough to tuck it somewhere during special occasions like this one if I couldn’t remove it.  I’m not normally one for dresses like this but then I figured I should have something fancier to wear now and then.  Might even wear it more often now that I have a reason to…”  
  
    “Oh?”  Porrim was about to inquire further when Alyssm called out, “Attention, everyone!  The paradeslabs are lined up outside and ready for you to board.  Please ensure that you try to keep your arms within the boundaries of the slab; the shield projectors are mounted at the corners and while they won’t do serious damage should you put your arm through the shielding, it won’t feel terribly pleasant.  I know it’s not an ideal situation but security is important.  The route will take us in a long rectangle down Gedlee Drive, across on Peartt Expressroute and return down Lerxst Drive back here to Baraka Square.  This should take approximately one hour; upon return the ceremony will commence as soon as everyone is in their places.  Chairs on the stage are all marked; please take a moment to find yours BEFORE you get on the paradeslabs so that we can avoid a repeat of what happened last sweep.  Thank you.”  
  
    Squish looked over at Horuss and offered up a nervous wave.  Horuss responded by sweating.    
  
    “It’s a wonder Squish didn’t need cybernetic parts after that,” Porrim said as they started towards the doors.    
  
    Meulin tittered.  “No kidding.  Talk about living up to your name!”  
  
    “Hello, love.”  Aranea swept in beside Porrim and took her matesprit’s hand.  “And hello, Meu; I almost didn’t recognize you in such a lovely outfit.  It’s really quite flattering!”  
  
    Olive blooms appeared on her cheeks.  “Thank you!  I’m glad you like it.  I was just saying to Mom that I might wear it a bit more often; I wasn’t expecting such a response!”  
  
    “I’m certain we would all enjoy seeing more of you like thissssssss…”  
  
    _RAE!  
  
    Flattery does get you everywhere, dear heart.  Besides, I suspect her attention is focused elsewhere._  
  
    “Hi everyone!  Ready to go?”  Aurana Zashyl bounded over to them; like Waleti, she wore the dress uniform of an enforcer but without as many emblems of rank.  She moved close to Aranea, about to nip her neck but caught herself in time.  “Oops… guess I should do that later.  Anyway, looks like I’ll be riding on your slab tonight with Chief Waleti!”  
  
    “Oh boy, oh boy!” Felida chimed in, mimicking Aurana’s exuberance.  “Are you going to settle down, Poochie, or do we have to worry about you peeing on the floor?”  
  
    Aurana’s smile never faltered for a moment.  “You know, if you happen to fall overboard, Kittie, asphalt is way nastier to do a faceplant on than water.  Just saying.”  
  
    “I would be most appreciative if you two could work on keeping everyone on board the paradeslab tonight, please and thank you?” Porrim said as she led the congregation forward.  “Alyssm says those shields Horuss added might not be the most pleasant to fall through.  Why do we have those again?”  
  
    “In case someone decides to start firing pulse rifles at them,” Horuss explained.  “These should diffuse any beam weapons aimed at them from above or below.  We have tested them extensively and they performed perfectly against foally powered pulse rifles.”  
  
    “I have nothing but trust in your designs, Horuss.  If they meet your standards and Waleti’s, then there’s nothing to fear.”  Porrim arrived at the paradeslab; Aranea climbed on first and offered her hand to help her matesprit up.  “You didn’t have to do that, Rae, but thanks.”  
  
    “My pleasure.”  As they took their seats, Aranea watched the enforcers take up their positions at the corners.   _Remember what I was saying about Meulin, love?  
  
    What’s that?  
  
    Watch and seeeeeeee…_  
  
    Porrim watched as Meulin was offered Aurana’s hand just as Aranea had offered hers a few moments prior; what amazed her was that Meulin’s hand stayed in Aurana’s for what seemed like an unusually long time.   _You don’t suppose…  
  
    Oh I do more than suppose; I’ve been an empath a lot longer than you have, dear heart; I know red when I feel it!  Keep an eye on those two tonight and I think you’ll get to watch something bloom.  
  
    Meu helped her through some awfully hard times this past sweep.  I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen.  And Meu finally taking Mituna’s advice makes my pusher sing!  How exciting!    
  
    Thought you’d enjoy that.  Now, sit back, relax and enjoy being adored.  It’s not so bad once you get used to it…_  
  
  
  
  
    “…and so as we have watched this symbol of unity rise above our great city, as it soon will fly above our entire world, let us take a moment of silence to remember the many who have sacrificed in countless ways to see this night come to pass.”    
  
    While the thousands upon thousands who packed the square in front of the towering golden building that served as the planet’s governing center lowered their heads, Porrim looked first to the large black and silver flag that Meulin Leijon had sent to the top of the tall pole to her left; a warm breeze had grabbed it and set it fluttering as soon as it reached its place.   _My dear Kankri, the symbol we associated with you is now a global symbol of peace and equality.  The costs were great but you inspired us to make it happen and it was worth it.  I can only hope we build a world that you’d be proud to live in.  Mituna, you were the shield to his sword; if it wasn’t for you, this city wouldn’t be standing… and Meulin’s heart might never have opened again._  She then turned her attention to the grey statue at the corner of the square just to the right of the stage: a hooded woman sitting on a simple chair and knitting an unknown garment, a pair of flutterbys upon her shoulders.   _I hope you don’t mind that we left the ‘proclivity to violence’ part out, Baraka.  Your swords served us as well but it is your courage and kindness we want to celebrate._    
  
    The echoing thud of drums broke the silence, soon joined by other instruments that filled the air with a solemn tune that soon switched to a more uplifting theme.  As the music swelled, Porrim felt Aranea’s hand slip into her own and she drew in a deep breath to try and contain her emotions.   _How are we still here?  
  
    We persevered, love.  That’s all that matters.  We’ve taken the steps necessary to start creating a new world; not all of them will be free of stumbles but so long as they’re in the right direction, we’ll be fine.  I trust in where you’re leading.    
  
    How am I leading?  I’ve always followed you because I…  
  
    No, Porrim.  You have led much more than you ever knew.  All you needed was a boost in confidence; a hand to help you up from the darkness.  You know and I know my motivation wasn’t necessarily selfless to start but look where we ended up.  You led me to see that what benefits the many could benefit me as well and I wouldn’t trade it for every single caegar in existence.  I believe in you as you believed in me and now look where we are.  May you and I always be._  
  
    Porrim smiled and let the cheers that followed this new anthem wash over her, interrupted only by a quick swat on her rump from a mechanical hand belonging to the oliveblooded admiral behind her.   _Hey!  Gods, you’re bad.  
  
    Thank you.  Have fun on your trip but know you’re mine when you get back.  
  
    Kayolo, do your best to wear her out, will you?_  Porrim’s connection to her Sister was of a different nature than the empathic one she shared with Aranea’s abilities but it worked just as well.    
  
    _I don’t think that’s even possible!_ came the reply from the other jadeblood present, who was standing just behind her.   _Not even if we both tried at the same time!_  
  
    Porrim sighed and returned to the dais at the front of the stage.  “And so as the sun begins to rise on this final night of the first sweep After Empire – 1 A.E. – let us focus on our future on this world and others.  I encourage anyone who is able and willing to volunteer for further repatriation missions to the worlds the Condesce ground under her heel; only through hands-on assistance will we be able to finally set right the crimes so horribly inflicted on other planets.”  She waited for the applause to die down and then smiled as she thought about her final task of the ceremony.  “We do have one more matter to attend to, one I’m certain many of you are looking forward to!  One sweep ago, on the night of our first parade through Capitol, a holo was taken of a pair of sailors who, as it turns out, were part of our Gamblignant fleet.  The excitement in the air that night moved one of them to grab the person beside her and indulge in a passionate and, as it turned out, quite welcome kiss.  That holo was shared countless times around the world and has become a symbol associated with our revolution almost as often as the flag that flies above us now.  Those two women are now officially a part of our Republic Navy and serve happily together on the same vessel as recently engaged matesprits!”  Once again, the crowd erupted into wild applause and shouts of glee.  “Here to recreate that famous moment are Captain Kaiyuh Umbras and her matesprit and second officer, Lieutenant Commander Daalla Emburi!”  
  
    The two officers, resplendent in their dress uniforms, rose from their seats and took up a stance beside the Primera.  “I really appreciate you two doing this,” Porrim said, away from the microphone.  “I hope it’s not too much pressure?”  
  
    Kaiyuh opened her mouth, about to reply, but Daalla interjected, “Are you fucking kidding?  Any excuse to kiss this sexy bitch, I’m gonna take it!”  With no further warning, Daalla seized Kaiyuh by the waist and back and planted a deep, lingering kiss on the tealblood just as she did on that night of celebration.    
  
    The wave of emotion that poured off of the ground nearly staggered Porrim but she held her ground and grabbed onto the podium before it overwhelmed her.  “Thank you one and all!  Good morning and love one another!”  
  
    _I like the sound of that an awfullllllll lot…  
  
    I’m not surprised at all; you must be just as awash in this sea of joy as I am!  
  
    I’m drinking every last drop of it, love, and as soon as we get to where we’re going, I’ll be more than glad to share.  
  
    You still haven’t told me where we’re going, either!_  
  
    Aranea smiled and led her matesprit down the stairs and towards the docks in front of the tower.   _Am I not allowed to try and surprise you once in a while?  
  
    I suppose so.  As long as it doesn’t involve introducing me to people who will get my robes covered in nasty drinks again.  
  
    Quit your complaining; you got a kismesis out of the deal, remember?  Now, do you still trust me, dear heart?  
  
    Always!  
  
    Gooooooood._  Aranea gestured to the small yacht-like vessel that awaited them.   _Our bags are loaded and adventure awaits us only a couple of hours away.  You can leave the Primera behind and just be Porrim for a few nights.  How does that sound?_  
  
    Porrim let her shoulders slump and relaxed.  “Nothing has ever sounded better, Rae.”  
  
    Aranea took Porrim’s face in her hands and gave her a long, slow kiss.  “I love you.”  
  
    “And I love you.”  With no hesitation, Porrim hopped off of the dock and over the rail onto the small ship before extending her hand to her matesprit to join her.  “Shall we?”  
  
    All Aranea could do was marvel at what her lover had become.  “Yessssssss…” 


	72. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 71

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Porrim receives quite a surprise gift from her matesprit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I set out to write this story, this was the final chapter I had envisioned. As it turned out, discussions with my friend for whom this story is written for have helped create a few epilogues (I mean, hey... I'm usually good for three capstone chapters per story, no?). This is the first of four, set one sweep after the end of the Fuchsia Empire (hence 1 A.E.). I must admit that I literally just finished writing the second one a few minutes ago, but I do have a set of night shifts coming up that I can write the final two. Which is going to feel really weird. Anyway, if you want to lay it down here, be my guest; the remaining chapters will give you a glimpse into the future of Porrim's Alternia and what becomes of her friends and lovers. Not all of it is happy but there is plenty to enjoy. Hope to see you at the official finish line!

**71\. – 1 A.E.**  
  
    “Sometimes I hate you.  You know that, right?”  
  
    Aranea laughed at her matesprit’s grousing.  “And I thought I was the one known for muddying her quadrants?  You saw where that got me firsthand, recall.”  
  
    Porrim craned her neck over the railing of the small ship again for emphasis, read what was written on the side of it and then gave Aranea a decidedly unimpressed look.  “You had to call it _Jade Empress_?”  
  
    Mindfang’s smirk was as wide as could be.  “Well, Fool’s Gam8it II sounded a bit silly, wouldn’t you agree?”  
  
    “Anything but this…”  
  
    “Oh, relaaaaaaaax.  When you see where we’re going, you’ll forget all about it, even if I’d painted Condy’s Salty Nooksphincter on the side instead.”  
  
    Porrim mouthed the alternative name that Aranea came up with and decided that perhaps Jade Empress wasn’t so bad after all.  “I’d ask where exactly it is that we’re going but I know you won’t tell me and just empathically redirect me if I tried to pick your thinkpan.”  
  
    Aranea nodded.  “Correct on all accounts.  See, this is why you’re running the planet.”  
  
    “It’s not just me, you know!  That was the whole point!”  
  
    “Of course I know, love.  Now, calm your rumblespheres and breathe; you’re on vacation now!”  Aranea took a moment to check the autonavigation course she had input into the computer.  “Look like we’re on course; those new satellites seem to be doing the job.”  
  
    Porrim moved to join her in the rather tiny bridgeblock, big enough for just the two of them; she found it rather cramped quarters compared to the larger one they spent many sweeps roaming the seas in until a sweep ago.  “I should hope so.  You wouldn’t shut up about it, both in council AND out of it until we launched them.  Who knew you had such a deep interest in satellite based navigation systems?”  
  
    “And why wouldn’t I?  My ships need to be able to get around accurately.  Since that stupid moon decided to try and pay us a visit, we lost…”  
  
    “…nineteen out of twenty four of the satellite networks deployed under the Condesce’s reign which led to widespread navigation errors to be experienced by the Alternian Naval Defense Fleet,” Porrim finished, punctuated with a sigh.  
  
    “It’s almost like you’ve heard that somewhere before!  Or maybe we’ve just been together for so long, we finish each other’s sentences?”  
  
    Porrim put her forehead against Aranea’s shoulder in mock exasperation; the black leather of her matesprit’s overcoat made a soft sound as she did so.  “I just hope we’re going somewhere really nice.  Somewhere so nice you won’t even think about satellites for an entire week.”  
  
    Aranea gently stroked one of Porrim’s horns, relishing the small shiver it caused.  “Even nicer than that, trust me.  That said, I would have been remiss in my duties as Fleet Admiral if I didn’t insist on ensuring the Navy’s needs were met.”  
  
    “I’d like to hope that most of the crews were capable of actually using a map!  Especially after you made me learn how to navigate with them.”  
  
    “One of many useful skills you learned at my side.  Be assured I didn’t teach them everything I taught you, though.”  
  
    Porrim made a soft chuckle.  “That might have been a different story fifty or so sweeps ago.  I’m just glad to finally have you all to myself again for a little while.”  She paused for a moment while she wrestled with letting what was on her mind escape her lips but relented as she knew Aranea would have picked up on it anyway.  “I wonder how long that’s going to last now that I felt some rather pitch stirrings coming off of you where Daremo is concerned.  I was already having visions of auspistism dancing through my thinkpan.”  
  
    “Sensed those, did you?  No point in denying them now that you’re in my head as often as I am in yours,” Despite knowing Porrim was correct, Aranea still looked away and hid her smile at the thought.  “I mean, I don’t know how a woman who pretty much just appeared out of nowhere could possibly provide me with any sort of rivalry or challenge, but maybe there’s something about that kind of mystery that I find… intriguing?  There’s something about her I just can’t put my finger on.”  
  
    “I sensed how hard you fought the urge to make a ‘put your finger IN’ remark there, Rae.  A truly impressive display of restraint on your part.”  Porrim kissed her matesprit’s cheek to reinforce that her verbal poke wasn’t meant unkindly.  “I haven’t seen you quite so… well, infatuated in some time - save for Rufioh, of course.  I could have sworn you would have waxed black for him at some point.”  
  
    Aranea’s mouth opened and then closed again before forming a smile.  “Honestly?  My feelings for him were a touch redder but fear not, dear heart, my heart belongs always to you.”  
  
    “I have to admit that I don’t feel the stings of jealousy anywhere nearly as often now that I can sense your emotional state.  If anything, I think it makes our relationship that much stronger.”  
  
    “Anything that puts you at ease is good with me, love.  While the old saw that ‘Anyone can steer the ship in calmer seas’ is an apt one, when it comes to your mood, I would much rather navigate your waters in a more placid state like tonight than in a choppier one!”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t help but chuckle at this. “I didn’t realize my moods were something one had to ‘navigate’!”  
  
    “Only on occasion.”  Aranea gave Porrim’s hand a squeeze and led her to sit down in the pair of beige padded chairs that occupied the center of the tiny bridgeblock; nothing but calm waters that glittered with fading pink moonlight and a broad streak of green in the sky was visible through the windows ahead as the ship drove on to its destination.  “And now that we’ve established that you’re in a delightful one, I keep meaning to ask you if Lamiea got back to you about Daremo’s identity?”  
  
    “Still going on about her, are we?” Porrim said, a teasing grin on her face.  “Actually, Lamiea suggested that without her true first name, we’d have no way of confirming who she is.  We learned from the symbol she showed us that her last name is Megido, but there have been so many Megidos over the millennia because of the maroonblood lifespan it would be tough to tell.  I don’t even know if Rufioh tracked down the Megido lusus if he could learn it that way.  Besides, she seems quite fine with the name Daremo, peculiar as it is.”  
  
    “Where do you think she comes from, though?”  
  
    Porrim blinked twice.  “The Eastern Prefectures seems to be the obvious answer, Rae…”  
  
    Aranea put her hand to her forehead.  “I know I like to say ‘Never change, Porrim Maryam’, but now and then, you could be just a very, very little bit less of a smartnook.”  
  
    “Nope.  Not possible.  Sorry.”  
  
    “Anywaaaaaaaay… What I meant was where do you think she came from?  Another time?  Another dimension?”  
  
    “While part of me thinks that seems a bit ridiculous and there is a simple explanation for everything, including her, I don’t think we’ll ever truly know.”  Porrim narrowed her eyes and added, “I think you’re just trying to make her seem that much more exotic.”  
  
    “Perhaps.  After all, when one has the leader of the free world as a matesprit, it’s tough to find a suitable candidate for one’s dark necessities that compares.”  
  
    “I thought you were done with ebon, anyway.  Considering what you – what WE – went through, I was under the impression you completely lost your taste for it.”  
  
    Aranea entwined her fingers behind her head and leaned back in the comfortable seat, doing her best to avoid resting her crimson clad feet on the navigation console.  “Maybe seeing how you and Felida get along so well with your decidedly less vicious kismesissitude has warmed the subcockles of my pusher enough that I can consider ebon possibilities again.”  
  
    “And it has nothing to do with Rufioh’s hints about her voracious sexual appetite at all?  I figured Felida and I took good care of you.”  
  
    “You do, love, have no fear!  It’s just that there’s something about her I can’t explain.  Almost like when I met you: I knew right away that there was a reason you were there, a story of us waiting to happen.  It was touch and go for a while and if it weren’t for a stroke of luck, it would have had a most unhappy ending, but it did turn out just fine, didn’t it?”  
  
    The enormity of that was almost too much for Porrim to bear.  “It did.  I can’t even imagine it any other way.  It’s just that so much has happened, there aren’t words to do it justice.”  
  
    Aranea reached over and put her arm around Porrim’s shoulders.  “Sometimes none are necessary, even for a couple of verbose and overly articulate ladies like us.”  She closed her eyes and let her love and admiration for Porrim wash over her matesprit.   _I’m so glad you can feel this the way I do now.  
  
    Me too.  It was almost like learning to talk all over again, feelings instead of words and then the words followed.  But I’d rather just… feel you for now.  Can we do that for a while?  
  
    Of courrrrrrrrse.  
  
    I’ve always wondered how you do that?  
  
    Do what?  
  
    Draw out your words in your thoughts like you do when you’re speaking out loud?  
  
    Ummmmmmmm, well, I think like I hear myself, I suppose.  You sound in my head like you do when you talk, in case you were wondering.  
  
    I wasn’t until now!  It’s funny that I haven’t really thought about it before._  
  
    Aranea gave Porrim a squeeze.   _It certainly is.  And remarkably cute._  
  
    Porrim snickered.   _Glad you think so.  
  
    So no more words for now?  Out loud ones, that issssssss?  
  
    Indeed.  And preferably none about Megidos, no matter what their names are.  
  
    Never change, Porrim Maryam…_  
  
  
  
  
    “So when can I open my eyes?”  
  
    “Another minute or so yet.  We’re almost within sight of it.”  Aranea disengaged the satellite aided controls and manually steered the small ship towards her target.    
  
    Porrim sat back, arms crossed, waiting as patiently as she could.  “What’s funny is how hard you’re thinking about something else so that you don’t give it away!”  
  
    “I’ll admit it’s been a challenge for me to learn to try and deflect intrusions into my own thinkpan.  You and She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-But-Is-Known-For-Having-A-Salty-Nooksphincter are the only two who have ever done it.”  
  
    Despite her best attempts not to, Porrim laughed.  “You’re terrible.”  
  
    “What I’m trying to say is let me surprise you!  We’re so close...”  
  
    “You said that two minutes ago.”  
  
    “Well, we’re two minutes closer now.  Just a little bit longer…”  Aranea tried to keep herself as calm as possible as the ship drifted towards a wooden dock.  “Keep ‘em shut for just a moment more,” she said, rising to exit the bridgeblock and tie it to a post.  
   
    Porrim complied but was quite anxious to see what awaited her.  “I know some of your favourite moments involve a blindfold, Rae, but the suspense is driving me crazy!”  
  
    “Gooooooood.  That’s what I love to hear.”  Once the vessel was securely lashed to the dock, she returned to where Porrim was sitting and placed a kiss on the back of her red lover’s head between her horns.  “All right, open your eyes!”  
  
    At first all Porrim could see was a sharp cliff wall through the windows of the ship.  “It’s… lovely.  But I think your geologist moirail might enjoy this a touch more than I…”  
  
    Aranea made a loud sigh.  “Come outside with me, smartnook.  I think you’ll like it a lot more.”  
  
    Porrim did so and took Aranea’s leading hand.  Once they had grabbed their bags and stepped out onto the dock, Porrim realized where they were and what the stairs ahead of them led to.  “How… when?”  
  
    “Let’s just say I came up with a job creation program over the last sweep that employed many of Alternia’s finest craftstrolls.  While it’s not a perfect recreation, it’s certainly a massive improvement in many ways.  Shall we?”  
  
    All Porrim could do was nod as they took the stairs up to the newly rebuilt hive where Aranea’s original one once stood.  While the style closely mirrored the previous incarnation, Porrim noticed this one had a broad bank of windows which would allow for sunlight to fill one room should she wish to enjoy it.  The path that led to the front entrance was the same and the one that curved up to the top of the nearby hill where she agreed to be Aranea’s matesprit remained as well, now nicely groomed and lined on both sides with small stones.  “This is…”  
  
    “All ours.  That’s what it is.  Our hive when we need one.”  Aranea had already seen the hive in various stages of its construction but she still marveled at it now that it was finished and furnished.  “Like I said, there’s quite a bit different inside; I didn’t want it to be an exact replica in case some of the memories were a little too painful still, even after all these sweeps.”  
  
    Porrim struggled to find words as they arrived at the doorway; even her thoughts were spinning too quickly to be cohesive enough for Aranea to understand them, save for the overarching emotion of being utterly awestruck.  She reached forward and let her fingers rest on the blue door.  “It almost doesn’t seem real.”  
  
    “It’s as real as it gets, dear heart.  Go ahead and open the door; I’m right behind you.”  
  
    She grasped the handle and pushed in; the door swung open noiselessly and Porrim stepped inside.  The hive itself was generally a circular shape and the living space was open and spacious with various inviting seats awaiting their first guests.  “It’s a lot less cluttered than the first one.”  
  
    Aranea made a sad sound as she recalled what was lost.  “Many of my art treasures were irreplaceable but I will confess that I hardly had adequate space for them anyway.  Besides, I thought you’d appreciate the opportunity to help decorate this one.”  
  
    Porrim recalled some of the more exotic pieces in Mindfang’s collection, many of which she found provoking, if not a touch garish.  “I appreciate that!”  Her attention was next drawn to the center of the room where a spiral staircase made of polished ironwood wound its way into the ceiling above.  “These stairs are a work of art unto themselves!”  
  
    “I thought you’d like those.  I think you’ll like where they go even morrrrrrrre…”  Her bag still in hand, Aranea dashed for the staircase and started up.  “Come on and see!”  
  
    Although a little surprised by her matesprit’s sudden burst of enthusiasm, Porrim was more than happy to follow.  “I’m coming!”  As she reached the top of the stairs, she found the layout was considerably different than she remembered and yet was still familiar in a way, mostly in the various shades of blue that appeared as accents throughout.  The majority of space belonged to one large room; behind her were three open doors that appeared to lead to guest quarters while ahead lay one set of large double doors inlaid with frosted glass with a large bed visible even from where she was.  It was there that Aranea was heading.  “Look at this place…”  
  
    “Isn’t it wonderful?  There’s a full meal station over to the right complete with thermal hull, guest respiteblocks behind you for when we have company that isn’t a quadmate that shares a bed with us, and enough books on those shelves to the left to last you ten lifetimes!  Tell you what, why don’t you go and check those out while I get changed?”  
  
    Before Porrim could respond, Aranea shut the doors.   _Since when do you have even a shred of modesty, Rae?  
  
    Since I’m trying to surprise you yet again, love.  You’ll seeeeeeee…_  
  
    Porrim chuckled and set her bag down on a nearby chair.  Blue everywhere… and yet that helps add to the familiarity of it.  Beside it was one of the longest couches she had ever seen.   _Something tells me that this was meant to bring back memories, too.  
  
    I’d be lying if I said that was a coincidence, love._  
  
    “Thought so.”  Porrim made her way over to the cuisineblock: a basket awaited her, full to overflowing with small glass jars and assorted bottles.  She picked up a jar and examined it before opening the lid and tasting the contents.   _Oh my… lavender grubpaste!  And it’s so fresh!  
  
    Take a look at the card that came with the basket!_  
  
    She set the jar down on the counter and found a large white envelope just beside the basket.  Porrim opened the flap and retrieved a card from it which read,   
  
_Dearest Porrim,  
  
    Please accept my sincerest apologies for being unable to attend your sweepiversary ceremony; know that the Sisters and myself were watching on the holovid (well, mostly me; I’m pretty sure the jade grubs were just happily watching the pretty colours on the screen) and we are all quite proud of what you and yours have accomplished in such a short time.    
  
    I suspect Kayolo will fill me in on all of the interesting things that went on behind the scenes when she gets back.  I gather she’s bringing Felida here to the Caves for the week that you and your matesprit are enjoying your brand new hive; we will happily use the extra hands, even if one of them is cybernetic!  The good news is that the Drone Re-education Program has been modestly successful and the best of the lot have been able to assist us in grub wrangling.  As I’m certain he’s told you, Secundo Nitram has been instrumental in convincing the lusii to resume their traditional roles in helping deliver the filial pails to us; in time they will work in concert with the remaining drones to bring us what we need without any threats of culling!  It’s taking a while to get that underway but that’s for the better; Kayolo and I are up to our horns in grubs as it is!   
  
    Kayolo will likely have filled you in on our other good news: we are quite grateful for the return of Kapaya; I honestly can’t recall a Sister who chose to leave being willing to return to duty post-Sojourn but she has been more than welcome.  Her matesprit was a maroonblood who passed on many sweeps ago and she was feeling quite lonely; when she heard of our predicament, she offered her assistance and it was accepted eagerly.  I hope you can find a few moments to stop by and meet her sometime; she reminds me of you in many ways – although her appetite for bloodwine seems to be considerably higher.  I suppose dealing with anklebiting grubs all night and day can have that effect!  
  
    Anyway, please accept this hivewarming gift for you and Aranea from the Sisters and me.  I couldn’t possibly be more proud of you and yours and what you’ve done for this world.  Keep forging forward and don’t hesitate to call if you need a friendly sponge clot.    
  
    Elegantly yours,  
  
         Lamiea (for Kayolo, Kokoro, Kaasan, Sarafi and Maieka)_  
  
    The sight of the little claw marks underneath the last four names made Porrim giggle and choke up at the same time.   _How sweet!  
  
    I know, right?  We really should get out there one of these nights.  But only after we’ve had our fill of each other here first!_  
  
    Porrim examined the rest of the basket’s contents.   _Judging by the amount of bloodwine she sent, I gather she thinks that might take a while!  
  
    I wonder if she’s “rescuing” that bloodwine from that Kapaya gal.  Felida says Kayolo finds her a bit of a lush but mostly harmless.  
  
    You put up with cranky grubs trying to chew on you and each other all night and see if you don’t reach for a bottle now and then!  Speaking of which, there is a bottle of rum in here but I couldn’t tell you if it’s any good._  
  
    “It’s rum, love.  It’s good.”  
  
    Porrim turned to see Aranea standing beside her, wearing a lovely cerulean and black dress that she recognized quite well.  “You did bring it!”  
  
    “Of course, dear heart.  It belongs here.  As do weeeeeeee…”  Without giving Porrim a moment to say anything further, Aranea put her arms around her matesprit’s waist and drew her into a passionate kiss.  Once she finally pulled away, she added, “I just have one request when it comes to this new hive, though.”  
  
    “What’s that?”  
  
    “As lovely as the result was, if you have the urge to create any more clothing for me, I’d appreciate it if you left the curtains out of your plans.  Not all of us enjoy daylight as much as you do.”  
  
    Porrim snorted a laugh.  “I’ll make a point of getting my fabric elsewhere, Rae.”  
  
    “Thank you.”  Aranea gave Porrim another quick kiss and then looked over her shoulder at the basket.  “Now, about that rum…”  
  
    “And who’s calling who a lush now?” Porrim joked.  She turned around and opened cupboards in search of glassware.  “I’m realizing I have no idea where anything is here.”  
  
    “Me neither.  Keep trying.”  
  
    “Aha!  Here we go.”  Porrim brought two wine glasses down and was about to fill them when she realized there was something else she needed.  “Drat… is there a corkscrew?”  
  
    Aranea opened the drawers.  “It doesn’t appear so.  Worry not; I got this!”  
  
    Porrim watched as she zipped back into the respiteblock and then returned with her blue sword.  “You’re not…”  
  
    “Of course I am!  Sabering a bottle is an important skill and for this very reason!”  Aranea grabbed the rum bottle first and examined it.  
  
    “Lucky for you there’s a healthtender in the house, but I have no idea if there are any bandages for me to work with.  At least we have some curtains if I need to get creative…”  
  
    “Ho ho, ha ha and hee hee.  Okay, watch this…”  
  
    “Do you have any idea how many visits to the medicalblock started with those very words?”  
  
    “Shush, you; watch and learn because you’re going to do it next.”  
  
    Porrim’s eyes widened.  “I am?”  
  
    Aranea found what she was looking for on the bottle and held it with the neck away from her.  “Okay, first, find a seam; every bottle has two of them.  Once you have it, lay the sword flat against the body of the bottle with the blade facing TOWARDS you; you do the cutting using the non-sharp side if able.  My curved sword is admittedly less than ideal for this, but one does what one must when there’s a cork between a Gamblignant and her rum.”  
  
    “The horror.”  
  
    “Exactly!  Now, keeping two fingers of pressure down on the blade, all you have to do is slide the sword down the bottle and make sure you follow through; that follow through is important because it carries the mass of the sword forward fast enough to break the glass neck along the seam… like so!”  With one swift, smooth movement, Aranea knocked the end of the bottle, cork and all, cleanly off without a single drop of rum hitting the floor.    
  
    “That’s… actually really cool!”  
  
    Aranea beamed.  “Isn’t it, though?  Here,” she said as she offered Porrim the hilt of the cobalt blade, “grab a wine bottle and get ready to do it yourself.”  
  
    Porrim took it gingerly, even though she’d held it many times before.  “Will I need to trade it for a piece of pilfered jewelry this time?”  
  
    “You won’t be able to open this bottle with a golden earring so you tell me if you think that would be a smart trade, love.”  
  
    “You’re certain about this?” Porrim asked as she gripped the handle; memories flooded her thinkpan as she held it.  “I’m not going to be missing fingers if I botch this?  I have a feeling I’ll need those for other purposes this morning.”  
  
    “You will and have no fear; if you do it exactly how I showed you, the only way you’ll be hurt is if you step on the glass neck with the cork in it – which I’ll pick up right now to prevent that – or if you do something incredibly silly and try to drink from the bottle directly after cutting it.”  
  
    “That would be silly, yes.”  Porrim picked up a bottle of the bloodwine and examined it in search of a seam.  “Okay, found one.  So, use the blunt end, not the sharp.  And lay it flat here?”  
  
    “That’ll do.  Now make sure you put enough pressure on the top of the blade as you sweep down the bottle.”  
  
    Porrim shot her one more ‘Are you sure about this?’ look and then took a deep breath.  “Here goes…”  She slipped the sword down the bottle but it carried forward without clipping the neck.  “Oops!”  
  
    “No worries, love; that’s a rather small neck to hit but you do need to press a bit harder down.  And follow through, remember?”  
  
    “Follow through, right.  Okay, let’s try again.”  Porrim rested the blade on the body of the bloodwine bottle once again and put two fingers against the flat of it; she breathed deeply and with the exhale sent the sword sliding down – this time, the end of the bottle popped cleanly off with a clacking sound.  “I did it!”  
  
    Aranea reveled in Porrim’s excitement.  “You did indeeeeeeeed!  I’d say that calls for a celebratory drink!”  She grabbed the empty class from the countertop and put it under the freshly sliced neck of the bottle so that Porrim could fill it with the dark red concoction.    
  
    “You’re certain no small shards of glass fell into the bottle when I did it?”  
  
    “Absolutely positive.  You did it like a pro, love.  Just make sure you grab that piece so that we don’t accidently step on it and ruin a wonderful morning of lovemaking.”  
  
    “Getting a little bit ahead of yourself, aren’t you?  Who says I’m in the mood?” Porrim said, although she struggled to keep a straight face.  
  
    “You have got to be kidding me.”  
  
    Porrim responded with a sly smile.  “Maybeeeeee…”  
  
    Aranea cackled at her matesprit’s attempted impression of her and once she filled her glass with the rum she raised her glass in toast; Porrim met it with her own.  She took a sip but then stopped as she realized something.  “I thought I told those guys I didn’t want glass!”  
  
    “Oh, right.  Well, consider this: first, we’re not at sea and second, if you don’t plan on keeping anyone prisoner here, they’ll have no reason to turn them into weapons, right?”  
  
    “It speaks volumes about how far we’ve come that you can joke about that, you know.  Both the prisoner part and what happened with Redglare.”  
  
    “All water under the bridge now.”  Porrim sipped her drink and relished the energy the sweet and slightly metallic beverage brought her.  “We both lived to tell.”  She paused a moment and considered this.  “Can you believe it?”  
  
    “Sometimes.  There are times I wonder if I actually died on the floor of Fool’s Gam8it’s brigblock and all of this is actually the afterdeath.”  Aranea cradled the glass with both hands and stared into amber fluid in search of a definitive answer.    
  
    Porrim moved to stand beside her and placed a kiss on her cheek.  “When I was just a grub, I would hear Lamiea sing a little song about how ‘life was just a dream’.  Sometimes in my darkest hours, I wondered how that could even be possible; could anyone’s dreams ever be so awful?  And yet, now those all seem like a dream of a past that may or may not have ever happened.  All that matters is here and now.”  She leaned to place her head on Aranea’s shoulder.  “And here and now are both wonderful; I hope against hope that this is not at dream at all because there is nowhere I would rather be.”  
  
    “Nor I, dear heart.  Nowhere and no when.”  Aranea set her drink on the counter and slipped her arm around Porrim’s waist, drawing her in to another kiss, which was returned with equal fervour.  Porrim barely had time to set her glass down before Aranea picked her up and proceeded to carry her towards the respiteblock.  “Shall I carry you across the threshold?”  
  
    “How quaint!”  As they entered the room, Porrim’s eyes immediately lit on the bed in the center, a near perfect replica of the one with the spider web headboard that used to reside in the respiteblock she once inhabited.  “Oh my…”  
  
    Aranea sent a pulse of calm to Porrim as she set her down on the soft blue comforter that covered the bed.  “I wasn’t entirely certain how you’d feel about this one but I do hope you thought we made our share of pleasant memories on the first incarnation, yes?”  
  
    “We did indeed.  I have to ask though: does this one happen to come with restraints?”  
  
    “Perhaps; why do you ask?”  
  
    “In order to find out,” Porrim replied with a wink.  
  
    “Well, then, why don’t you find out for yourself?”  
  
    Porrim leaned over the edge of the bed and found a padded arm restraint tucked between the frame and the mattress.  “Hm.  So there are.”  
  
    Aranea bit her lip.  “We can use them today if you wish,” she offered.  
  
    “Maybe… we’ll see.”  Porrim looked around: a large hottub occupied one corner of the respiteblock, an even larger shower with glass walls resided in the one across from it.  To her right was a dual recupracoon and a bank of drawers for clothing and whatever else needed storing.  “This certainly is even more welcoming than it was before!  Where do we begin?”  
  
    “Right heeeeeeeere.”  Aranea hopped onto the spacious bed and engaged Porrim in further kisses.  After a few moments, she guided Porrim’s hand into the open front of her dress and said, “Guess what?  I’m not wearing panties…”  
  
    Porrim snorted.  “What a surprise!  In other news, the sun came up today!  When was the last time you actually wore underwear?”  
  
    “I have absolutely no idea, but today is not that day.”  Aranea pressed herself against Porrim’s fingers until they found a wet warmth; she was pleased to see her matesprit’s soft glow intensify as they did so.    
  
    “I don’t mind doing this, Rae, but I’m feeling rather overdressed, to be honest.  The last thing I need is something else to happen to my dress – or yours!”  
  
    Aranea reluctantly disengaged herself from Porrim’s digits.  “I suppose that’s a good point.  And to think I went through all of the trouble of putting this on.”  
  
    “It’s the thought that counts, really,” Porrim said as she stood up, then bent over to grab the hem of her dress and pulled it up towards her waist as she disrobed.  “And I don’t suppose we could make use of one of those ablution devices over there?”  
  
    “I thought you’d never ask!  I was certainly hoping to try them out.”  Aranea made her way over to the hottub and turned on the taps.  As the water ran, she gently tugged the blue and black dress up over her head and horns and placed it over the back of a nearby chair.  She then sat down in that chair and fixed Porrim with a sultry look as she slipped the scarlet boot off of her left leg.  “See something interesting?” she asked as she removed the remaining one.  “It’s okay if you want to look; I don’t mind at all.  Just know that there are plenty of other things to look at if you like...”  Aranea rose from the chair and slowly bent over to pick the boots up from the floor to give Porrim a full view of her backside and what lay within.    
  
    Porrim chuckled and gently placed her Sister’s robes on the dresser.  “Can’t help yourself, can you?”  
  
    “Darling Porrim, it’s what I do best!  But who am I to complain if you enjoy the show?  You are the target audience, after all.”  
  
    “I’m certainly not complaining!”  Now fully free of her clothing, Porrim walked over to the ablution trap and started searching around it for something.  “I don’t suppose we happen to have any soaps?  There’s one in particular I’m looking for.”  
  
    “Way ahead of you, love.”  Aranea strutted over to where Porrim was standing, let her slender fingers drift slowly along her matesprit’s bottom as she walked past and then pressed a small button on the side of the hottub’s frame to open a panel where numerous blue towels were stored along with a small selection of soaps.  “Let me guess: something floral and crisp?”  She produced a small vial of blue liquid and poured some of it into the churning water.  “I had to hunt high and low for this but I did find a fresh supply.  It’s made of crystalanthemums and purple bee nectar.  I’d say it’s probably expensive but then I’ve never actually paid for the stuff.”  
  
    “Aranea!”  
  
    “Relax, Porrim.  While I may have… obtained it back in my Gamblignant nights, when I found the soap producer last perigee, they were more than willing to offer as much as we wanted as a token of thanks to their wonderful and kind Primera.  In fact, they were flattered that you enjoyed their soap so much.”  
  
    Porrim inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.  “It’s so much more than just the scent of the soap itself, Rae; it’s a fragrance I associate with you.  Between this and your jacket and your… well, you know…”  
  
    Aranea laughed and stole a kiss.  “Funny how it seems to have reduced you back to a sweet, gormless and innocent girl again.  It’s called a seedflap, dear; let me help you remember.”  She took the hand of Porrim’s that was quite recently inside of her and guided those blue-tinged fingers to Porrim’s lips.    
  
    Between the scent of the soap and the taste of Aranea’s sex, Porrim was almost overwhelmed with emotion.  “I… we…”   _I don’t have words right now…  
  
    None are needed._  Aranea shut off the tap and stepped into the tub, guiding Porrim to do the same.   _Come, dear heart; love me and be loved._    
  
    What began with kisses led quickly to touches, fingers brushing wet skin, explorations of swollen firmness and supple spaces.  Porrim lay back against the edge of the ablution trap as Aranea sucked on one of her hard nipples, her leg up on the edge while her matesprit’s fingers took hold of her seedflap and nook and filled her completely, repeatedly.   _SO… AMAZING… PLEASE DON’T STOP…  
  
    Not for all the caegars on Alternia, love!  Make this water run jade for me… let go and enjoy!_  
  
    Porrim felt that deep wave of unstoppable desire begin to take hold and she squeezed down hard on the fingers that were giving her such intense pleasure.  Her breathing picked up and she closed her eyes and felt the sweet rush of her release; the empathic burst she sent forth almost caused Aranea to stop what she was doing but the blueblood was able to continue her ministrations while Porrim completed her climactic throes.    
  
    While Porrim slowly regained consciousness, Aranea lay beside her and gently stroked the inside of her lover’s generous thighs.   _How was that, dearest?_  
  
    Porrim’s eyes blinked open and she turned her head slightly to look at Aranea’s slim face framed by her long, black hair, her strange and captivating eyes.  Without so much as a word or a thought, she rolled over and placed a long, sucking kiss into the crook of Aranea’s neck and a hand between her legs in search of the space her fingers occupied before they climbed into the tub.   _Gods I want you… I want to you feel what you did for me…_  
  
    Aranea smiled as Porrim’s fingers parted her lips and the base of her hand gently pressed up against her swollen nub.   _That’s certainly a good start!_  She pushed back against Porrim and ground herself against that hand, hoping to find the release that would soothe the ache of her desire.  The bubbling jets of water barraged her skin and she gave herself to the emotional sparks Porrim’s physical pleasuring caused.   _So… wonderful…  
  
    Glad you like it.  There’s plenty more if you want it.  
  
    I doooooooo…_  Aranea closed her eyes and let all of those sensations envelop her; nothing else mattered but the wetness and the warmth and the soft pads of Porrim’s fingertips as they re-entered her seedflap and began to stroke the swelling just inside.  She squeezed down on those fingers and rocked her hips in time with their movement.   _Gods yes… fuck you’re amazing with those…_  
  
    Porrim didn’t reply outright but added a hint of vibration to what she was doing.  When she noticed Aranea start to breathe more rapidly, she leaned in and started kissing her matesprit’s ear.  “Come for me, Rae… let it all go…”  
  
    Aranea answered by turning her head and engaging Porrim in a kiss, sending her tongue into her lover’s mouth as the first shocks of orgasm took her; she clenched her thighs and felt the blue escape her into the tub.  As the waves rolled out through her body and mind, she fell back and gaped in a breath.   _That… was probably… the quietest I’ve ever been… when it happened.  
  
    I was just thinking the same thing!  Amazing what happens when your mouth is busy doing something else, isn’t it?_  
  
    “That… gives me… an ideaaaaaaaa.”  Aranea shot Porrim a hungry smile and, pushing through the sweet heavy haze of afterglow, forced herself to stand.  She relished the bemused look on Porrim’s face as she stepped out of the ablution trap and grabbed a pair of plush blue towels.  “Come along, love; I daresay you’ve awakened my appetite this morning!”  
  
    “So it would appear!”  Porrim rose, somewhat reluctant to leave the bubbling warmth but quite curious what her matesprit had in mind.  She stood, took Aranea’s offered free hand and carefully exited the tub as well.  When Aranea turned to lay the towels out on the bed, Porrim examined her lover’s back: the translucent blue insectoid-like wings folded up into tight oval pods that covered up much of her web tattoo.  Her concerns about whether or not vigorous sex would damage or destroy them or injure Aranea surfaced again but she quashed them as quickly as she could, knowing fully that Aranea made it quite clear there was no feeling in them and they were quite safe tucked in like that.    
  
    _Yes, we’ve been over this before: my wings are quite durable.  Quit being such a worrywart and relax.  
  
    I do kind of miss seeing your tattoo at times._  
  
    Aranea stopped for a moment and put a hand to her chin.  “Since I never get to see it, I never really think about that, I suppose.  But then, considering the persona it belongs to is all but retired now, I suppose it’s fitting in a way.”  She sensed that Porrim was about to ask what she meant about ‘retired’ but she chose to encourage her lover’s thoughts down the more carnal path she originally hoped to foster.  “Soooooooo…” she said as she picked up one of the arm restraints, “one time for old times?”  
  
    Porrim smiled at the thought.  “If it’s all the same, Rae, I’d rather have my hands free so we could do what we did on the hill outside the day we found the hive was gone.  There’s a time and place for that sort of play but let’s share each other completely this time.”  
  
    “I can totally get behind that, love.  And in front of it, too.”  Aranea hopped on to the bed and rolled to the far side of it so that Porrim could join her.  “Maybe even on top of it?”  
  
    “Even after all of these sweeps, you’re still incorrigible.”  
  
    “I know exactly what that means,” Aranea said as she lightly booped Porrim’s nose, “and you are absolutely correct.  Now how about you just lay your head down and I’ll do just that.”  
  
    Porrim did so and watched as Aranea turned away from her and then straddled her chest.  A few moments later, her vision was filled with her matesprit’s shapely grey backside and the swollen blue labia within; the sight of it and scents of her mixed with the soap were more than enough to rekindle her own arousal.  “I never get tired of this.”  
  
    “Glad to hear it!”  Aranea shifted herself on top of Porrim as best she could; the wetness of their skin helped but only to a point. “Now how about you let me between these lovely thighs of yours so that I can enjoy you completely?”  
  
    “I could be persuaded…”  Porrim parted her legs and relished the feeling of Aranea’s tongue and lips teasing and kissing her.  She focused herself through the waves of pleasure to prop her head up on the pillow so that she could begin returning the favour.  The sounds of Aranea’s delight encouraged her further; Porrim opened her mouth to engulf much of her lover’s labia and gently sucked on it, taking care not to drag her fangs on the moist skin.  A moment later, she felt the same sensation on her own seedflap; she closed her eyes and shivered with happiness.   _I’m already starting to wonder who is doing what and when…  
  
    Isn’t it wonderful?  We can slip into each other so much more quickly now._    
  
    Porrim briefly contemplated making a remark about what was slipping into where but the joy she was feeling overran any other desire she had.  Instead of waiting for Aranea to finish her oral pleasuring so that she could have a turn, Porrim used her fingers to gently open and slide within her lover’s seedflap and nook and then embraced her nub with her mouth so that they were simultaneously engaged.  She noticed they began to take breaths in synchronicity and then returned to loving each other at the same time in cyclic movements.    
  
    No cohesive thoughts flowed between them, only shared emotion and physical touch that continued to circle through their bodies and minds as it continued to grow and build into wave upon wave of orgasmic pulses that shook them again and again until they finally fell apart, spent and sated.  For a few moments, they simply breathed and enjoyed the warmth of each other’s skin, a touch matched in intimacy only by their sexual ones moments prior, but one of profound depth as they felt the other’s emotions and thoughts begin to separate once again.    
  
    _I know we’ve done this many times over the sweeps, Rae, but it still never ceases to amaze me.  
  
    To say that I understand would be the understatement of the sweep, love,_ Aranea thought as she slowly drifted off of Porrim’s body and back onto the towel-covered mattress.   _It seems even more powerful, more complex now that you’re capable of what I can do and I never thought that could be possible.  But what’s wonderful is that I get to have all of you all to myself for a little while again._  
  
    Porrim greeted her with a kiss as Aranea put her head on the pillow beside hers.  “Wonderful isn’t a strong enough word.  There’s been so much happening that we’ve barely had time for each other save for quick encounters.  Hopefully now that things are starting to settle into a new routine that we can make more time for us.”  
  
    “I agreeeeeeeee.  There is nothing I want more.”  
  
    “Other than another bottle of rum, perhaps?”  
  
    Aranea snorted.  “Well, now that you mention it…”  
  
    “I’m certain we can make a quick trip back to pick some up if need be.”  
  
    “Shouldn’t be necessary.”  Aranea snuggled up to her and draped her arm across her matesprit’s chest.  “I plan to stay right here with you all week.”  
  
    Porrim narrowed her eyes.  “You already have the liquor cabinet completely stocked, don’t you.”  
  
    Aranea answered with a fangs-bared grin.  
  
    “Right.  Once a Gamblignant…”  
  
    “Always.  And this is me stealing a kiss.”  Aranea did just that and Porrim chuckled.  
  
    “I suppose we should climb back into the trap and clean up before bed.  I’d offer to refill your drink but I still don’t know where anything is, never mind your rum cache.”  
  
    Aranea sat up to let Porrim do the same and then flipped her long hair back out of her face.  “Despite my earlier mention of it, I think I’m good for rum today.  A scrub in the tub and a sleep might do us both some good.  I have a list of things to do tomorrow, after all.”  
  
    This caught Porrim by surprise as she was about to step into the hottub.  “You do?  I don’t suppose this is a surprise as well?”  
  
    “I guess I can fill you in on it.”  Aranea rose, strutted over to where Porrim stood and whispered, “The list starts with ‘You’ and ends with… ‘You’.”  
  
    Porrim shook her head but was laughing as she did so.  “That’s a rather short list.”  
  
    “I can be more specific and write ‘Your Choice Ass’ on it if you like.”  Aranea punctuated this with a light smack on said body part.  
  
    “No need.  It was assumed.”  Porrim took her time climbing into the tub to give Aranea a longer look at it as well.    
  
    “Careful, love, or you might meddle with my plan of waiting until tomorrow night.”  
  
    Porrim shrugged and reached for the soap bottle.  “Me?  Meddle?  That’s your department, not mine.  I can’t be held responsible for the actions of a former criminal.”  
  
    Aranea’s face displayed a half-smirk, half-scowl as she climbed in with her.  “To borrow a phrase, don’t make me bite you.”  
  
    “I may need to bite you a bit later, though.  I’m feeling a touch hungry, admittedly.  It really is a shame that I get such little nourishment from loaf now.”  
  
    “I’m more than willing to be bit whenever you need.”  She cupped a hand under her left breast and squeezed the cerulean tip of it.  “Felida tells me this is a favourite spot of yours?”  
  
    “Are you trying to tempt me into another go this morning?  I thought you had a plan.”  
  
    “What if this ISSSSSSSS my plan?”  
  
    Porrim hung her head and sighed.  
  
    “Anyway,” Aranea said as she reached for the soap herself, “I have to admit that being your meal source certainly has its benefits.  I’ve never felt stronger!  What did Lamiea say about it?”  
  
    “From sweeps of records, it appears that both a rainbow drinker and their regular – and this is the best term I can come up with for it – donor can live up to ten times longer their normal lifespan.  Jadebloods can often live over three thousand sweeps!”  
Aranea considered this.  “So, if that’s the case, I could stick around for over twelve thousand sweeps?”  
  
    “Only if you should happen to fall in with another jadeblood,” Porrim explained.  “If I’m gone in three thousand sweeps or so, you wouldn’t last much longer than that, right?”  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm… I suppose I better make some new friends at the Mother Grub caves next time we’re there, then.”  Aranea waited for Porrim to narrow her eyes at her and then had a chuckle at her expense.  “Don’t worry, love.  At this point, I’m thinking life without you wouldn’t be much fun at all.”  
  
    “Right.  Who else could put up with your terrible sense of humour?”  Porrim glanced over to the disheveled bed and the stained sheets on top of it.  “Never mind cleaning up after you.”  
  
    “Excuse you, but I dare say there’s more than just a little jade on those towels.”  
  
    “Not as much as there used to be.”  Porrim turned her head away and looked down at the water instead.    
  
    Aranea moved to sit beside her and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.  “Hey, I know things are different for you now.  So what if realized Drinkers can’t reproduce anymore?  Just means there’s a little less for Felida to clean up.  All that matters is that we filled our share of pails when we did.  There is plenty of you and me in the Mother Grub now, I’m certain.”  She blinked as an idea entered her thinkpan.  “Do you think we’d ever be able to meet our offspring?”  
  
    Porrim pondered the idea for a few moments.  “I honestly don’t know!  The Mother Grub doesn’t usually lay a new egg for a blood colour until an existing one has lived out its potential lifespan or, in the case of her jadeblooded protectors, when one is certainly deceased.  She doesn’t have a mental connection to every single troll on Alternia so I would suspect that the egg laying happens when it’s assumed that particular colour needs one.”  Another idea occurred to her and her eyes widened.  “What if she lays another fuchsiablood?  Will she?”  
  
    “Got me.  There’s bound to be some of Meenah in there.  She might even lay two?”  
  
    The look of abject horror on Porrim’s face made her smirk but she continued, “Honestly, you’d know more about it than me.”  
  
    After a few moments of thought, Porrim calmed herself.  “And so what if she did?  The fuchsiablooded grub could be introduced into our society with the knowledge that blood colour no longer decides one’s caste.”  
  
    “Precisely!  Granted, if she watches a few history holovids and starts developing a fondness for pointy objects, she may need to be tuned in or left on an island somewhere but let’s cross that bridge when we get there.”  
  
    “Indeed.”  Porrim rested her head upon Aranea’s shoulder again.  “Can we just stay here?  Just you and me, away from all of the insanity in this world…”  
  
    “You’d get bored silly and you know it.  You and I are rather alike that way.”  
  
    “I hate it when you’re right.”  
  
    Aranea kissed her matesprit’s forehead.  “I was right about you loving me, wasn’t I?”  
  
    Porrim smiled and made a contented sound.  “I suppose you were.  And I do love you.”  
  
    “And I love you, dear heart.  Always.”  This time she kissed Porrim on the lips and it was returned happily.  “Say, I just thought of something.  Who did you leave in charge anyway?”  
  
    “Well, Rufioh and Daremo planned to go on a trip somewhere in the Eastern Prefectures while Orbius said that he wanted to spend some downtime away from the water.”  
  
    “How very like his predecessor.  Cronus hated water so much that there were times I wondered if he ever saw the inside of an ablution trap.”  
  
    Porrim scrunched up her face.  “Bluh.  I’m glad Felida doesn’t have that problem.”  
  
    “I couldn’t possibly agree more.  You still haven’t answered my question, though.”  
  
    A slow smile appeared on Porrim’s face as she closed her eyes.  “Fear not, Rae; Alternia is safe in the hands of someone I trust implicitly…”  
  
  
  
  
    The Grand Councilblock was dark and silent, save for a swath of illumination coming from the room behind where the Condesce’s throne once sat.  A single figure appeared in shadow, lit from the back; it moved down the stairs one at a time in a slow, deliberate sashay.  The figure carried a staff in one hand which it would occasionally twirl; the cape that draped down its back trailed behind for the better part of three steps.  Once at the bottom, the shadowy figure moved to stand directly in front of the massive golden chair; a hand reached out and grasped the circlet that rested upon the seat.  The person turned around and ever so slowly brought the circlet down onto their forehead before taking a seat upon the throne.  As they settled in to the soft, comfortable cushions of that elaborate chair, only a single phrase was spoken:  
  
    “Hm.  Squishy!” 


	73. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 72

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten sweeps after Porrim became Alternia's first Prime, she finds herself thrust back into the role thanks to unexpected and unfortunate circumstances. A relationship explores new boundaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a Happy Ending kind of story, this chapter gets a bit dark. We don't actually see or hear exactly what happens to a couple of longtime characters but you'll understand why fairly quickly. In a way, this chapter exists so that one character does get a happier ending; I think you'd all agree that she deserves it. While I didn't get explicit with this scene (GASP!), I chose not to because I would like the last sexy part to belong to our two principal characters, whether that be back in the previous chapter or if I do decide to include some DoloFang nookie in the final one. If someone really wants me to write the rest of what happens between these folks that morning, I could do it as a sidefic?
> 
> Two more chapters to go; just finished writing #73...

** **

**72\. – 10 A.E.**  
  
    Porrim waited until the last representative left the Grand Councilblock before removing the circlet from her head.  She tossed it down on the grey ironwood table and then put her elbows on it and her face in her hands; the tears didn’t come this time and feelings of guilt bubbled up to mingle with the sadness that seemed to never leave her side.  “Damn it all, Rufioh… It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”  
  
    A gentle touch on her shoulder and the empathic presence of her matesprit penetrated the fog of malaise that surrounded her.  “No, it wasn’t.  You know this and I know this and everyone else in the block knows this.  I’m not certain what feels more awful: the fact that he’s gone or the savageness that has erupted over who will step into the vacated Secundo position you’ve been promoted from.”  
  
    “I don’t like seeing that side of people, Rae.  Even after sweeps of getting to know them and working so closely with them, I would have thought they would act better in this situation.”  
  
    “The unfortunate truth is that not everyone is as selfless as you, dear heart.”  Aranea tried her best to send reassuring emotions to Porrim but worried that she was almost drained of them herself after watching the tumultuous Council meeting that concluded moments before.  “The Rules of Succession make it clear how we are supposed to proceed in the event a Prime died in office and the replacement Secundo has to come from the group of Tertios.”  
  
    “Does it, though?  Did we make a mistake in setting it up that way?”  
  
    Aranea pulled up a chair and tucked her long black coat under her as she sat beside Porrim at the table.  “Since when did you start second guessing yourself?  That was a decision everyone had a hand in.  If Caedus Nikana wants a seat on the Council, he’ll have to stand as a Tertio first; having purple blood is completely irrelevant now when it comes to special privilege.”  
  
    “He has support…”  
  
    “From a bunch of incredibly loud and disruptive clowns!  I have no idea how they got in here; I was a stone’s throw away from having Alyssm take the lot of them outside to beat them even sillier that they already are with their own stupid toy horns!”  A slow grin crossed Aranea’s face as she pictured this.  “Can you imagine?  Honk…Ow! Honk…Motherfuck! Honk…”  
  
    Porrim laughed in spite of her mood.  “There might be something satisfying about that, yes.”  A thought crossed her thinkpan and her hand flew to her face.  “Tell me Aurana wasn’t here for this!”  
  
    “She was and she handled it fine as far as I could tell.  She knows that her job will put her face to face with purplebloods and she’s made huge strides in dealing with it.  She said she was going to call Meu as soon as she got outside, though.  Don’t worry, love, she’s in good hands.”  
  
    “Okay, good.  I do feel better knowing that.”  Porrim sighed and let her head hang for a moment.  “I know I’ve said this a hundred times in the past perigee but this isn’t how I wanted to become Primera again!  I was happy just being Rufioh’s Secundo along with Orbius for one more term but now everything is…”  
  
    “…proceeding according to the plans you – AND Rufioh, may I add – developed for this very possibility.  He knew the risks and he took his chances.  He was never a fan of Horuss’s shields; said it kept him too far from the people.”  
  
    Porrim wanted to bang her fist on the table but restrained herself.  “And now I have to deal with my feelings about wondering if we can trust The People!  I know it was the act of one crazed individual but I worry for what this means for the Council and anyone who serves on it.  I don’t want to raise security for the very reason Rufioh went without much of it; I feel like if I do, I’m turning into the Condesce and I can’t bear that idea!”  
  
    Aranea desperately wished Squish was still around to shooshpap her.   _I’ll do it myself if I have to,_ she thought to herself, _but it won’t be the same.  It’s bad enough she had to say goodbye to her moirail last sweep but while Rufioh wasn’t a quadmate, he was a close friend to her; they accomplished so much together._  “Shhhhhhhh… no one will ever accuse you of that and if they do, they’ll answer to me directly.”  She placed a hand on Porrim’s and gently stroked her red mate’s fingers.  “No one in their right pan would dare to suggest you are going down that path.  Who can blame you for wanting to feel a bit more secure with a lunatic fringe out there?”  
  
    “I’m going to have to visit the Eastern Prefectures myself soon just to show the world that I’m not afraid to go there.  But what kind of security detail should I have?”  
  
    “Love, you can worry about that later.  For now, you’ve stepped into the breach as well as anyone could have and you’re easily the most qualified person on the planet to do so.  Orbius will have his time soon enough and he’s fine with that.  The violetbloods are finally backing him and we have proof they weren’t behind Rufioh’s assassination.”  
  
    “Is it solid enough?” Porrim asked.  “None of what he left behind could have been falsified?”  
  
    “Not a thing.  He was a troubled maroonblood who still saw Rufioh as his ‘society-declared superior’; the kind of guy who would never be happy unless every Prime after you was a maroonblood.”  
  
    “The Maroon Movement’s roots are definitely in the East.  Their voices grow louder and louder and the person I would ask advice on how to deal with them died in an explosion almost a perigee ago!”    
  
    Aranea continued to comfort her matesprit as best she could by holding her hand.  “For what it’s worth, the good news is that we do have another person who might know a thing or two about that part of the world.  She spent the better part of the last decade at Rufioh’s side, after all.”  
  
    “Daremo… of course.”  Porrim considered this for a few moments.  “I haven’t seen her since the memorial service; how is she doing?”  
  
    “Funny you should aaaaaaaask.  She actually really wants to see you about something but wants to make sure the time is right.”  
  
    Porrim was genuinely surprised to hear this and tried to come up with what Aranea’s kismesis would be uncertain to ask her about.  “She’s usually decidedly open about what she wants.”  She waited for Aranea to finish snickering in agreement and added, “Why the trepidation?”  
  
    “Let’s just say that it’s definitely a big deal.”  Aranea rose and guided Porrim to do the same so that she could embrace her.  “I just need you to let me know when you’re in the mood to have a proper discussion.”  She gently took Porrim’s earlobe into her mouth and gave it a quick suck; the jadeblood’s skin glowed ever so slightly.    
  
    “Mmmmmm… that feels nice.”  Something occurred to Porrim right then and she fixed Aranea with a questioning look.  “I don’t suppose you’re going to suggest a similar arrangement to the one we share with Felida?”  
  
    “Not quite; I’d say this is a considerably different.  While I’m certain that would spice things up a bit, her motivation comes from these recent events, have no doubt.”  
  
    Porrim was pleased that Daremo had proven to be a complimentary kismesis for Aranea; Felida had spent much of the past few sweeps aiding in the construction of New Byanbol with the Solemn Sisters and Porrim was more then happy that someone else had stepped up to take care of her matesprit’s darker desires.  Aranea swore that her ebon relationship was much like Porrim’s own, serving mostly to fill a need with little risk of serious harm, but sometimes Porrim wondered if Aranea enjoyed it a little too much based on the number of bumps and bruises she came back with.    
  
    _Felida does give you a few bruises from time to time as well, you know.  
  
    Mostly from sheer clumsiness; sometimes we fall off of the bed, yes._    
  
    “Well so do weeeeeeee,” Aranea said with a smirk.  “And maybe sometimes we fall off of other things, too…”  
  
    “Oh I know.  I swear I can hear you even though her respiteblock is three floors below ours!”  
  
    Aranea said nothing but continued to smile her satisfied smile.   
  
    Porrim sighed and set about placing the circlet back on her chair; the stone in the center had already been replaced with the jade one that had been inserted when she became Alternia’s first Primera.  When Rufioh was chosen to succeed her as Primero, he requested the jewel be switched to a piece of amber; she was more than happy to accommodate and they hoped it would be a tradition that was carried on.  Now, four sweeps into his term, he was gone and so was his stone.  Porrim made it clear at her hurried inauguration that she would not stand for another term beyond this one but would fill the role as Primera until Rufioh’s had finished.  She was given overwhelming support by the majority of the population; a few opportunists had attempted to supplant her but she managed to fend them off using the very legislation that the Grand Council had written only a few sweeps prior.  She worried for the future as more and more belligerent factions began to clamour for attention but swore she would stay around Capitol in order to ensure that this new government would not only hold fast but flourish, even though a senseless act threatened to shatter it so early on.  “So when were you thinking she would want to meet?”  
  
    “She was hoping for later tonight, perhaps for dinner, provided you were all right with that?  I mentioned that things were rather… chaotic for you where Council was concerned and she was more than understanding.”  
  
    “Are you certain she’s up for it?”  
  
    “Daremo needs to be out and about again; she knows she can’t just sit in her respiteblock and cry anymore.  Like you, she doesn’t want to let fear consume her.  Her matesprit was incredibly brave and she shares that trait.”  
  
    “All right, then, if you’re certain.”  Porrim exhaled and placed a hand on the table, not only for support but also for the feel of something solid beneath her fingers when little else in her life felt cohesive anymore.  “I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose a quadmate in such a violent manner.  We came awfully close a couple of times.”  
  
    “We did.  It’s a testament to your skill that I’m here with you.”  Aranea flipped her long hair back to expose her neck and the tattoo that dwelled upon it.    
  
    “I would say it wasn’t enough to save Squish but I’ve come to terms with that.”  
  
    Aranea slipped her arm around Porrim’s waist.  “I know, love.  There wasn’t anything anyone could have done.  He chose not to accept your gift of longer life and I understand his reasoning – even though I certainly didn’t share it.  This is the saddest part about having quadmates of different bloodtypes.”  
  
    “Perhaps someday we’ll figure out how to balance that.  Can you imagine no one having to go through that anymore, save for an accident?”  
  
    “It’s certainly something scientists could look into, but it appears we have to stop this ridiculous squabbling between blood colours yet again first.  I thought we ‘won’ and here we are, still dealing with typist garbage.”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “It is frustrating.  And it may take an entire generation of blood colours – meaning almost every violetblood in our society passing on, so at least ten thousand sweeps – before it’s finally put to rest?  Even we won’t live long enough to see that, I’m afraid.”  
  
    “No, I suppose not.  But we can at least continue to lay the groundwork, no?”  Aranea started to guide Porrim towards the stairs that led up to their respiteblock.  “I know you miss Squish.  The guy could pap like no one’s business and I swear if it wasn’t for him you’d have taken half of the Council out back and drowned them at the docks during your reign.  But at the risk of muddling quads yet again, let me help you vent when you need to so that you can survive this unplanned return to the big chair.  Don’t forget Felida can help you with that, too.”  
  
    “Thanks for that.  I gather she wants to get together with us sooner than later as well.  When does Kayolo plan to head back to New Byanbol?”  
  
    “Tomorrow night, I believe.  I think Felida plans to stick around here for a while yet, too; she wants to make certain you’re doing all right.”  
  
    “I bet she does.  Something tells me she wants to come along when we go to the Eastern Prefectures as well.  I don’t suppose I’ll be able to convince her that Alyssm and Aurana will be more than adequate where security is concerned.”  
  
    “Frankly, dear heart, I have the same worries, irrational as they are.  Those two are the best of the best but… well, you know.”  
  
    Porrim chuckled as they reached the door to their respiteblock.  “Uh huh.  Something tells me I’m going to have the Admiral of the Fleet as part of my entourage as well.  Not that I’m complaining, of course.”  
  
    Aranea led the way as the lights flicked on.  “I thought you’d be all right with that.”  She removed her overcoat and started to take off her uniform top.  “What to wear…”  
  
    “Probably clothing.  Grubloaf would look strange and probably confuse our guest.”  
  
    “You know,” Aranea began without turning to look at her matesprit, “despite everything that’s happened, you’re still Porrim.  That’s what I love about you.”  
  
    “Good news, Rae; I plan to continue being Porrim.  Unless of course a little too much of you seeps into my thinkpan when we’re sharing mind and body.”  
  
    Aranea scanned her closet.  “You would bring that up.  Now, let’s see… what to wear when your kismesis is coming over for supper?”  She reached in and extracted some of her clothing from her Mindfang era: a frilly white blouse and a leather skirt with webbing embroidered on it in silver and blue.  “A little bit of leather, a little bit of lace?”  
  
    “It’s been some time since I’ve seen you wear that.  I say go for it!”  Porrim thought for a moment and then pressed the button to open her own closet.  “Should I wear something a touch less formal than my robes?”  
  
    “Porrim, my love, it’s Daremo.  Despite sweeps of having to attend all sorts of functions at Rufioh’s side – and many with you as well – Daremo has never really been much for formal.  Half of the time, she’s content wearing absolutely nothing.”  
  
    “So she’s just like you, then?  No wonder you two do so well together.”  
  
    “Well, naturally.  That said, she does seem to like hanging around her hive wearing nothing but a pair of socks.”  
  
    Porrim made a snort as she recalled a few instances of encountering her in that state of undress.  “Oh, I’ve seen that first hand…”   
  
    “You’d think with her warm blood that her feet wouldn’t get cold but she says she just likes how they feel.  Frankly, I think it’s sexy as fuck.”  
  
    “To each their own, I suppose.”  Porrim selected a simple strapless black dress that had a triangular wedge of jade sewn into the abdomen that reached the left shoulder.  “Too dressy?”  
  
    Aranea evaluated Porrim’s choice.  “You know what?  Go with that.  I’ve always liked how it sits on your hips and accentuates your choice ass.”  
  
    Porrim snorted.  “That is the primary criteria when it comes to selecting what I wear, yes.”  
  
    “Hey, I know what I like,” Aranea said as she slipped up behind Porrim and pressed her bare chest against her lover’s back while she kissed her neck.  “And I like what I know.”  She placed her hands on the swell of Porrim’s hips and added, “And I happen to know that you are utterly gorgeous.”  
  
    This elicited a smile from the jadeblood.  “I’m glad you still think so.  Since you’re back there, can you take my mantle off and put it – carefully – on the bed?  The last time you half pulled it off of me and flung it in the corner, it took me three nights to fix it!”  
  
    “Hm.  Good thing you know a seamstress.”  
  
    Porrim shot her a look and then waited as Aranea lifted the black and jade mantle up over her head and horns so that she could begin removing her Sister robes.  She looked back to watch Aranea place the garment on the bed with exaggerated care.  “Thank you,” she said as she stepped out of the formal gowns and bent over to pick them up.  “For doing such a good job, you get a lovely view of said ‘choice ass’.”  She could feel the waves of happiness and desire pouring off of her red partner and added, “But you’ll have to wait until later to maul it.  We need to get the diningblock tidied up and what not.”  
  
    “I suppoooooooose.”  Aranea opted to give Porrim’s backside a quick squeeze and then set about dressing herself.    
  
    Once she had her own dress on, Porrim opened a small cabinet and searched for accessories.  She found a pair of golden hoop earrings and briefly debated showing them to Aranea before finally doing so.  “You know, even ten sweeps later, I still don’t know what to do with these.”  
  
    Aranea looked to see what Porrim was talking about as she put her jacket on over the blouse.  “Oh!  Yeah… as conflicted as you are about them, I remain just as much so.  They’re a part of us, though, aren’t they?”  
  
    Porrim liked to think she could tell the original from the copy by running the gold between her fingers but she knew they were virtually identical; the Condesce’s earring was thousands of sweeps older than the replica Aranea had made for her but they were all but perfectly matched.   _I ran my fingers over one of them hundreds, maybe thousands, of times while I waited for you to come to me.  And yet, even though the original owner is dead and gone – by my own hand, no less – I’m still not sure I can wear these again.  
  
    Fear not, love.  No one is forcing you to.  And the best part is that I’m by your side, now and forever.  You needn’t worry a single moment about that ever again._  "Besides,” Aranea continued verbally, “you have a matching earring and pendant set for that dress, if I recall.”  
  
    “I do, yes.”  She returned the golden earrings to whence they came and then opened a different drawer to procure the jewelry in question.  Both the earrings and pendant were rectangular and featured a diagonal line from corner to corner; one side was jade and the other a dark brushed chrome.  She inserted the earrings and then handed the necklace to Aranea to fasten for her.  “Where did you find these again?”  
  
    “Just a little shop in the northwest.  And yes, I actually paid for them.”  
  
    Porrim turned to look at herself in the mirror and fixed the upsweep of her hair.  “Will wonders never cease?”  As much as she enjoyed her formal robes, she was happy to wear something else for a little while but felt there might be something missing.  “Should I wear the red sash with this?”  
  
    “Part of me thinks it might mess with the look but I’ll never dissuade you from wearing that considering what it means to you.”  
  
    “Some things do transcend fashion, yes.”  Porrim took the sash back from the hanger she had just placed it on and tied it around her waist.  “I think she’d appreciate what this represents.”  
  
    “Quite.”  
  
    “Are you certain she’s doing all right, Rae?  You’re the only one who’s seen her since the funeral.”  
  
    Aranea closed her eyes.  “She’s doing as well as she can be, love.  I know you’ve been through something like this relatively recently and you know how hard it is to deal with, but she’s coming to grips with it in her own way.  You’ll see for yourself soon enough.”  
  
    “All right.”  Porrim gave Aranea a quick kiss and started for the door that led out to the dining and living areas.  “What should I ask the staff to cook up for us?”  
  
    “Actualllllllly, I was planning to take care of supper tonight.”  
  
    Porrim froze in her tracks.  “Oh?”  
  
    “Yep!  Probably just a loaf-based meal but I’ll make sure we use some of the sauces I’ve been keeping in the thermal hull.”  
  
    “Rae, the last time you tried to cook, we found out just how effective the fire suppression systems in our hive are.”  
  
    Aranea opened the door and started towards said thermal hull.  “I could just reheat something, no big deal.”  
  
    “Why the interest in something you despise doing all of a sudden?” Porrim asked, baffled by her matesprit’s sudden odd behaviour.  
  
    “Because,” Aranea said, putting her hands on the cool marble of the diningblock counter, “I’m a little concerned about whether or not our food prep staff might be… on our side.”  
  
    Porrim was taken aback by the implied accusation that their food preparation staff could be a threat.  “You really have nothing to worry about, Rae; it’s not like I can be poisoned.”  
  
    Aranea chose not to face her.  “It’s not you I’m worried about this time…”  
  
    _Oh!  OH!  I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean…_   The stab of guilt that tore through Porrim was enough to force her to sit down in the nearest chair she could find.  
  
    _I know, love, don’t fret, please!  You’re the most selfless person I know.  It’s just that someone might try to hurt you by hurting the ones you love – like me – or the people that loved Rufioh._  Aranea took the chair beside Porrim and placed a hand on her knee.  “We just need to be careful; there’s no harm in caution on occasion.  The good news is that you and I have the ability to sense any duplicitous behaviour – so long as we know our staff consists of those who we can read.”  
  
    “Isn’t that a typist thing to do, though?”  
  
    “I’ve been wrestling with that one, too, believe me.  The only thing we can do is staff our kitchen with people we trust implicitly, and there is nothing morally wrong with that whatsoever, is there?”  
  
    Porrim wiped away a tear.  “I suppose not.”  
  
    “Good.”  Aranea gave her a quick kiss and stood up again.  “Now, please let me whip up supper tonight and we can talk to Meu tomorrow evening about taking the job.”  
  
    “You mean as our personal chef?  Do you think she’d be interested in doing that sort of thing again?”  
  
    “She could have the apartment below ours… her and Aurana, of course, which I’m certain would make Aurana a lot happier being that much closer to us for security reasons.  Meulin wouldn’t have to give up her job training security guards…”  
  
    “But do you really think she’d want to do this?”  
  
    Aranea helped herself to a full grubloaf and plucked a knife from a drawer.  “For you, love?  Absolutely.  She’s already made it quite clear she wants no part of politics, which is probably for the better – she’d likely do a lot worse than drown some of the thick-headed fools you have to deal with.”  
  
    A slow smile appeared on Porrim’s features.  “Oh if only…”  
  
    “Seriously!  Ask her!  About the cooking part, not the righteous murderous rage against the insipid, that is.”  
  
    The smile disappeared as quickly as it had manifested.  “There’s been enough murder of Council members already.”  
  
    “I would say they got the wrong one,” Aranea admitted, “but as much as some of the Tertios make me want to get on the nearest ship and sail away with you, never to set foot in Capitol again, they don’t deserve to die.”  She started to saw into the loaf, sending crumbs flying in all directions.  “At least, not so messily.”  An emotional wave of sadness from Porrim coursed through her and she regretted her choice of words.  “Too soon?”  
  
    “A bit, yes.  Don’t worry, though; I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”  Porrim even made a dry chuckle.  “Rufioh would probably be the first one to laugh at that.”  
  
    Aranea nodded as she continued hacking up the grubloaf.  “Can’t argue this.”  
  
    Porrim leaned over in her chair so she could witness what her matesprit was doing to their supper.  “I have never been able to understand how someone who is so incredibly gifted with a sword can be so utterly hopeless at cutting up grubloaf.”  
  
    “Because to my knowledge, no one has ever been attacked by a grubloaf holding a sword.”  
  
    “Just pretend it’s attacking you with a sword, then!  And maybe try using something other than a dull spreadknife to cut it?”  
  
    Aranea looked at the utensil in her hand.  “Oh.  That would help, wouldn’t it?”    
  
    “Nervous much, Rae?”  
  
    “Never.  I don’t suppose I could convince you to finish this job while I call Daremo to invite her over, hmmmmmmmm?”  
  
    Porrim shook her head and rose to do just that.  “Sure.  As much as I wouldn’t complain about there being blue blood all over the loaf, our guest might not be as enthusiastic about it.”  
  
    “Thank you!  You’re the best.”  Aranea kissed her cheek and headed into their livingblock to use the commsole.    
  
    “If you say so…”  Porrim watched her go and then sought out a more effective serrated blade to finish the job with.   _I do wonder what’s got her so flustered, she thought to herself, this is really peculiar but I’m quite curious…_  
  
  
  
  
    “This looks like shit.  You must have made it, Aranea.”  
  
    Porrim almost spat her mouthful of loaf out at Daremo’s comment and then worried she would choke on it when she started laughing.  “You’re… not wrong…”  
  
    Aranea responded by tossing her hair back from her face and fixing her kismesis with a look of exaggerated pride at preparing this meal.  “What it lacks in presentation it more than makes up for in flavour.  Some of us are just more capable of appreciating the subtleties of texture found in even the most pedestrian of meals.”  
  
    Daremo raised an eyebrow.  “Wow, you’re full of shit, too!  You must be a shit expert!”  
  
    By this point, Porrim was laughing openly at their banter.  “I gather you’re feeling considerably better now that you’ve had some time to yourself?”  
  
    “Yes.  No sense moping around in my respiteblock if I can help it.  I feel better being around people I care for now but I needed my space for a while.”  
  
    “I can appreciate that.”  Porrim reached for a metal cup of lavender grubsauce that was being heated by a small candle.  “Have you ever tried this?  It’s a rarity; made from plant petals near where I was raised.”  
  
    Daremo picked up her utensils and cut of a slab of loaf; she dipped it in the pale purple sauce and then tasted it.  “Mmmm… not bad!  The floral notes are so delicate that you almost have to inhale just as you put it in your mouth to really get a feel for them.  Sometimes I sure wish I could appreciate subtleties.”  
  
    “Darling, you wouldn’t know subtle if it snuck up behind you and gently tapped you on the shoulderrrrrrrr.”  
  
    “And you’re about as subtle as a wet fart in a library!”  Daremo demonstrated what this would sound like.  
  
    Aranea grinned and picked up a particularly misshapen slab to put on her plate.  “Gods, I’ve missed this.  If I wasn’t so hungry, it’d be you on the table in front of me right now.  Porrim, did you know it was possible for you to be outsnarked?”  
  
    Porrim chuckled and thought about how different Daremo was from when they first encountered her ten sweeps prior.   _And so much of that was thanks to Rufioh: her Trollish is all but flawless now and she barely has a hint of Eastern accent, although I gather she can slip back into the modern version of that dialect without any difficulty.  He worked with her tirelessly to help her contribute to the society she literally fell into and now she’s his legacy._  This idea reminded her that Rufioh was gone and would remain so but also about how sad and frustrating the shorter lifespans of lowbloods were.  “I didn’t think it possible.”  She dipped a piece of her loaf in the lavender sauce and savoured the flavour, despite the lack of deep satisfaction that used to follow when she ate food.  “I would say I still don’t but I’d rather not encourage you both into a caliginous ardour at the supper table.”  
  
    Aranea and Daremo gave each other a knowing glace and then focused on their meals instead.  
   
    The diningblock was dimly lit; candles flickered on the table, some providing heat for the various grubsauces while others provided ambience, adding a touch of elegance to an otherwise simple repast.  Porrim knew Aranea enjoyed this sort of setting and hoped that their guest found it comforting.   _Even with Aranea’s abilities, I can’t sense her.  Emotions are without dialect but I’ve never been able to detect so much as a hint of what she’s feeling.  If she’s a black hole to me, she must be doubly so to Aranea.  Maybe that’s half of her allure?  
  
    The other half is way more fun, trust meeeeeeee._  
  
    Porrim tried to hide her smirk and avoided looking at Aranea for fear of it becoming far more noticeable.   _Rae, don’t make me crack up; she might see it as rude.  
  
    She’s obviously doing all right, love.  Just relax and be you.  You know how it bugged you when people seemed to give you too wide a berth.  There’s due respect and then there’s overdoing it.  She obviously wants to try and resume living her life as best she can; let’s help her do so.  
  
    You’re right; I suppose she wouldn’t be blackflirting with you if she wasn’t.    
  
    Precisely._  “Here’s the umamish sauce I know you like, darling.  Don’t worry, I swear I didn’t make it myself.”  
  
    “It’s not hard to beat a root into pulp, lady.  Umamish sauce is the holy union between an umamish and a hammer.  It’s so easy even a Navy Admiral can do it!”  
  
    “This coming from a woman whose culinary skills consist of boiling water for packaged goopnoodles,” Aranea said, looking at Porrim.  
  
    “You should talk!” her matesprit replied.  “I think the most elaborate thing you ever made me in our first sweep together was a snoutbeast sandwich!”  
  
    Daremo perked up at the mention of this.  “Ooh!  I like those!  How come you never make me one?”  
  
    Aranea smirked.  “Usually because we’re too busy doing other things…”  
  
    “Hm.  This is true.”  
  
    Porrim understood full well how things tended to go where Aranea’s quadrants were concerned and smiled as she partook of the lavender sauce again.  “Questionably culinary skills aside, we’re glad to have you for supper tonight.  Aranea mentioned that you wanted to talk about something tonight; we’re certainly here to listen.”  
  
    Daremo finished her mouthful and then looked down at her plate while she thought of how to say what was on her mind.  “First, I want to thank you for all the help and support you’ve given me.  I can never tell you how much it means.  I know you’re hurting, too, and I know you were good friends, but I loved him in a way neither of you could.”  
  
    _Well, maybe one of us, right, Rae?  
  
    Shush, youuuuuuuu…_  
  
    “Rufioh game me a sense of self,” Daremo continued after taking a sip of the rum Aranea poured for her earlier, “which as far as I can tell is a pretty unique experience.  To this night, I can’t remember a thing about who I was or where I came from; he was the first person I ever met and I could understand what he was saying… more or less.  While you and your friends helped me to get to know how the world worked, I learned most of it from him and what it meant to live in this society.  I went from being a nobody with no name to being the matesprit of the Primero of Alternia in such a short time and it was so overwhelming but also so wonderful.”    
  
    She paused for a few moments; neither Aranea nor Porrim could sense the joy and sadness that would have been pouring off of almost anyone else but Daremo’s face displayed the bittersweet emotions quite plainly for them to see.  “If it’s still too difficult to talk about, we can do it another time,” Porrim offered.    
  
    “No, I… I need to get some of this out.  I want to celebrate his life, remember the good things.  In fact, I want to be able to carry his memories and his message of unity forward.”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “Certainly a noble idea, one that we can obviously get behind.”    
  
    Aranea said nothing but took a long draught from her glass.  
  
    “What I mean is…”  Daremo’s voice broke again and she closed her eyes while she gathered herself.  “What I mean is that I’d like to carry it forward for a lot longer.”  
  
    It took Porrim a few moments to understand what she meant but the import of it caught her by surprise.  “Oh… oh!  Are you asking what I think you’re asking?”  
  
    Daremo fixed her yellow and red eyes on Porrim’s.  “What I’m saying is that I’m alive and would like to stay that way.  For as long as I can.”  A crimson tear slipped down her cheek and she quickly lifted her remaining natural hand to wipe it away.  “I have no idea how old I am but what I’ve come to know is that compared to many, my lifespan is short.  Sometimes I dream that I’ve lived for a thousand maroonblooded lifetimes but was never truly allowed to live; I felt like I was a prisoner, never able to escape.  I’d wake up screaming and Rufioh – and sometimes Aranea, too – would have to remind me where and when I was.”  She took another sip or her drink and continued, “Rufioh helped me realize how life is supposed to be lived.  He could carry the world on his shoulders and yet still be carefree enough to truly enjoy everything he did.  Is that carefree attitude what cost him his life?  I don’t think so; it wasn’t his fault that someone chose to kill him.  Maybe it would have been a more horrendous crime if he survived an attack like that only to have it change who he was.  That’s what gets me through the day.”  Daremo downed the rest of the rum and looked over to her kismesis.  “I think I need a refill.”  
  
    “I think I can arrange that.”  Aranea stood and walked over to fetch the open bottle while Porrim and Daremo looked at one another across the table, one wondering exactly what to say, the other wondering if she’d said enough to make herself understood.  
  
    It was Porrim that broke the silence when Aranea rejoined them.  “I’m pretty certain I gather what you’re asking of me.  Are you sure you truly understand what it is that you’re asking for?”  
  
    The maroonblood swished the rum around in the glass and took a deep inhale of the sweet scent before helping herself to another considerable swallow.  “You want me to be honest?  Not entirely.  One morning I asked Aranea what it was like to be so close to a rainbow drinker, to be her… food as well as her red lover.  She told me that it was mostly painless and an almost intimate act but she never felt stronger and more alive.  It was quite a few sweeps ago when she mentioned that extended life was one of the side benefits so if you’re worried that this was only a recent thing, it wasn’t.”  
  
    “I wasn’t worried about that at all, actually.  Please believe I mean no offense by saying this:  I’m a little surprised because many people wish they could join their matesprit in death when they lose them.”  Porrim placed her hands in her lap and fingered the small black and red button she had sewn into her red sash for the dual purpose of keeping it done up and to display it as her moirallegiance token.  “I’ve only ever experienced a pain of loss like Squish’s once before… and as hard as it is to admit to you – only Aranea and Meulin have ever heard me say this before – I wanted my life to end when I saw my Kankri die.  I lost my will to live.  And yet, somehow, I found it again in the most unlikely of places.”  She reached over and took Aranea’s hand into her own and gently rubbed her fingers over the jade ring that her matesprit wore.  “I can only guess that you may have had some similar thoughts?”  
  
    Daremo nodded in confirmation.  “The first two nights were the hardest.  When I closed the bier and pressed the button to launch him into the sky, knowing I would never see or touch his face again, I wanted to climb inside with him and just go away into the cold of space.  But something told me that would be a foolish waste of the life I was given and… maybe it was his voice telling me that he would never want that for me; that I could still do something good with my life because as far as we know we only get one.  And over the last few nights and days, I’ve decided that I want to make it last as long as I can.  It’s the least I can do for him.”  
  
    Porrim considered what she had heard.  “There are very few people that I do this with:  Aranea, of course; Felida gets double duty for me and her matesprit but I don’t think that has much effect on her; Meulin but only because she knows that Horuss would be an absolute wreck without her in his life and, admittedly, it does make Aurana a lot happier.”  
  
    _And it makes me happier because I get to watch Meulin undressssssss and sometimes we like to…  
  
    DAMMIT RAE WE’RE HAVING A MOMENT HERE  
  
    Hee hee… sorry._  
  
    “I almost broke my heart when Squish declined it,” Porrim continued, her voice bearing a sorrowful note that spoke louder than the words it carried.  “He said it wasn’t because he didn’t want to or because he was worried it would hurt, but because he didn’t want to live longer than he should.  He knew he would still pass on long before me and it would just make goodbye so much longer and harder.  I argued that we’d still have so much more time together but he insisted it just wasn’t right for him and so I dropped it.  We made the most of our sweeps together and it was worth it.  The difference for us was that we knew roughly when our time together would end.  I know you two never expected it to end this way; that kind of trauma changes a person and their outlook on life.  I’m truly amazed at how far you’ve come and, fear not, I don’t believe it to be a glib dismissal of your matespritship but quite the opposite.  You’ve found motivation in being with Rufioh and carrying forward his vision of what this world could become…”  Porrim paused as she realized where she was going with this and smiled, “I suppose you could say I understand that motivation perhaps better than any other.”  
  
    Daremo was quite familiar with the tales of the Signless thanks to her sweeps spent with her friends; she found herself captivated by how the lowest of lowbloods could change the world with his words.  “I hope you don’t mind me saying that Rufioh reminded me a lot of your… the word sometimes escapes me…”  
  
    “Son?  Not one frequently used, admittedly. I can think of no greater compliment and   you know how highly I thought of Rufioh.”  Porrim threw a glance at Aranea, who simply looked skyward in response, and added, “There was a reason I chose him for my Secundo.”  
  
    “And he thought the world of you.  He couldn’t bear the idea of not having you at his side when he succeeded you.  It wasn’t about appearances or holding on to past glory; he genuinely wanted you to help guide him and be his ‘second thought’.”  
  
    Porrim recalled the accusations from a few who weren’t impressed that the three heads of government didn’t change at all after the election.  “I never believed it to be otherwise.  It’s just that… well, now we have to face those who wanted him gone and hope we can somehow survive.  I won’t see what we’ve worked so hard towards to collapse into riots and chaos.”  
  
    “And I want to help you in any way I can.  For him and for me.”  Daremo took a breath and continued, “And I’d like to be able to do it without worrying if I’ll drop dead at any time.  Please… will you allow me to stand with you for as long as I can?”  
  
    _She did say ‘pleeeeeeeease’, love.  
  
    So she did._  “I would be proud to have you with us, Daremo.  If this is what you truly want, then I’ll make it happen.  I just want to make certain that you’re all right with being bitten?”  
  
    Aranea grinned and bared her fangs.  “I can vouch for her on this.”  
  
    Porrim snorted.  “Just because you happen to bite somebody with those doesn’t always mean they like it.”  
  
    Daremo chuckled at this exchange.  “Normally I would just pull up my dress and show you the bite marks on the inside of my thighs but it’s been a while since Aranea and I have had some time together like that.  I’m actually starting to feel up for it.”  
  
    Aranea’s hand came to rest on Daremo’s thigh; she gave a quick squeeze but made sure her nails dug ever so slightly into her kismesis’s skin.  “I’m overjoyed to hear it.”  
  
    “I have a feeling how this is going to end up.”  Porrim took a sip of her bloodwine and gave Aranea a knowing look.  “It always ends up like this.”  
  
    “You make it sound like a bad thing.”    
  
    Daremo also made a point of polishing off the rum in her glass.  “What better way to celebrate his life with an act of creation?  You have to admit it’s what he would want.”  
  
    “I’ll drink to that.”  Aranea did so.  
  
    Porrim put a hand to her chin.  “You know, I’m glad to hear you put it that way.  Despite how some kismesissitudes tend to end up, a proper one is just as much about creation as a matespritship is.  You two have been together for quite a few sweeps now; I suspect you have it down to a science.”  The ebon pair glanced at each other; Porrim added, “And I suppose I’m about to get a demonstration?”  
  
    Aranea rose from her seat and took Porrim’s hand.  “The funny part is that you always start by sounding like you’re complaining and then you tell me how much fun you had afterwards.  You know my heart is yours as my spade is hers.”  
  
    “And where does Meu fit into it all?”  
  
    “Shhhhhhhh… Our little secret, remember?”  Aranea turned to Daremo and said, “You realize I have to hit you on the head repeatedly until you forget you heard that.”  
  
    “Heard what?”  
  
    “Clever girrrrrrrrl.”  Aranea took Daremo’s hand in her right one and lifted both hands gently to encourage the other women to stand as well.  She drew Porrim towards her first and kissed her with no preamble; “I love you.”  
  
    “Love you, too, Rae.”  
  
    Aranea then pulled Daremo over to her, a touch more roughly than she did her matesprit, kissed her and then looked her in the eyes.  “Fuck you.”  
  
    “If you’re lucky,” came the reply.  
  
    Daremo wore an asymmetrical black dress with crimson highlights that had only one strap over her right shoulder; Aranea brushed one of the maroonblood’s long hair strands to the side to reveal her neck. “Hmmmmmmmm… how convenient.”  
  
    Porrim shook her head.  “I’m sure it’s completely coincidental.”  She turned her attention to Daremo.  “The good news is that it doesn’t have to be your neck.  It’s a Drinker Myth; it can be anywhere you like.”  
  
    “I’ve seen your teeth marks on Aranea lots so I believed that was how it worked.  Believe it or not, this choice of dress actually was a coincidence.  Somebody is just being a dumbnook.  Guess who.”  
  
    Aranea gasped.  “Well, I never.”  
  
    “Hoofbeastshit!” Daremo exclaimed.  “The word ‘never’ doesn’t exist in your world and you’ve been a dumbnook plenty.”  
  
    “Do you hear what I have to put up with, Porrim?”  
  
    “She’s not wrong…”  
  
    “Don’t you start.”  Aranea lead them both towards a large couch, her arms around their waists.  “That said, my loves, it never ceases to amaze me that sometimes the things that start in the darkest of circumstances can eventually shine with the most wonderous of lights!”  
  
    Porrim’s skin began to glow just that much brighter.  “Truer words…”


	74. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 73

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hundred sweeps after the end of the Fuchsia Empire, Porrim is elected as Primera again. She and her new moirail prepare to deal with a growing menace left behind from the Condesce's expansionist approach, one led by those who would seek to rebuild the Alternia that once was by unleashing a weapon of unimaginable power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, I let this go for a month??? Sorry about that; I hoped to wait until the final chapter was written before posting this but much is going on (as usual, it seems) behind the scenes and I'm only about halfway through the Big Finish. This one, in particular, shows the "hook" for a sequel I was considering but I believe it's high time I got to work on making my own sandbox to play in! I would have liked to have fleshed this one out a bit more but it was getting unwieldy. The finale is going to be a long one, too. Thanks for sticking with me; gonna be quite a finish!

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8REAKING F8 - Homestuck Fanfic - Chapter 73

A hundred sweeps after the end of the Fuchsia Empire, Porrim is elected as Primera again.  She and her new moirail prepare to deal with a growing menace left behind from the Condesce’s expansionist approach, one led by those who would seek to rebuild the Alternia that once was by unleashing a weapon of unimaginable power.    
  
Yikes, I let this go for a month??? Sorry about that; I hoped to wait until the final chapter was written before posting this but much is going on (as usual, it seems) behind the scenes and I’m only about halfway through the Big Finish.  This one, in particular, shows the “hook” for a sequel I was considering but I believe it’s high time I got to work on making my own sandbox to play in!  I would have liked to have fleshed this one out a bit more but it was getting unwieldy.  The finale is going to be a long one, too.  Thanks for sticking with me; gonna be quite a finish!

**73A. – 100 A.E.**  
  
    Porrim looked at her reflection in the mirror as she adjusted the golden circlet until it was perfectly centered; she marveled at how it was still all but automatic.   _This has sat upon the foreheads of many others now and yet it still feels like it fits me perfectly._  The jade stone had been reset in the center before the ceremony that accompanied her return to the office of Primera and she gazed at it, wondering how she allowed herself to be talked into this.  
  
    “I know I’ve said this countless times already, but this really shouldn’t have happened.  I could have just focused on being a diplomat, but no…”  
  
    Aurana Zashyl finished donning her silver Guardian captain’s uniform and reached for her holster to strap it on as well.  “You’re the leader Alternia needs in a time of crisis, Porrim.  The world looks to you when no one seems certain what to do next.”  
“But it wasn’t just me who developed the plans we made to end the Condesce’s reign; you know that as well as anyone else who was a part of those plans.”  
  
    “And just like then, you have all of us to help you – as well as the rest of the council.”  
  
    Porrim blinked twice.  “And you know how ‘helpful’ some of them are.”  
  
    “Well, true, but with Daremo as a Secunda, no one is going to give you any grief lest she give them a spongeclotful.  And you have to admit that Orbius’s military expertise gives you instant credibility on those fronts.”  
  
    “I’m certainly glad he was willing to serve as my other Secundo, yes.  I almost had to drag him back in after how his stint as Primero ended but in some odd way, I believe he almost missed being involved.”  
  
    Aurana chuffed as she recalled Orbius Ampora’s final act as Primero.  “You know, I think we kind of missed him, too.  No one else has flipped off those elected to follow them since.”  
  
    “While I’m a firm believer in decorum, I don’t blame him in the least.  So much of our troubles started once Nikana finally got in.  I can only be thankful he didn’t last long… but look where he ended up.”  
  
    “Please tell me you’re not blaming yourself for that?  I swear I will shoosh AND pap that idea clean out of your thinkpan right here and now if I have to.”  
  
    Porrim was appreciative of her moirail’s offer; she knew Aurana would follow through on the threat if she deemed it necessary.  “No need for that, but it was my doing that Nikana’s plans to allow the Denons access to our compucores became public knowledge.”  
  
    “Good!  And good riddance to him!  Hardly an exile when his allies were already waiting for him to leave the damn planet,” Aurana grumbled.    
  
    “Any word on where he and Admiral Nereid are this evening?”  
  
    “I’m certain the Fleet Admiral will be more than happy to brief you when we arrive at our destination.”  
  
    “I’m certain she will.”  Porrim checked herself over one last time and then turned to find Aurana standing beside her with a ceremonial sword resting in the palms of her hands.  “Oh, right!  I suppose this would be a fine time to wear this.”  
  
    Aurana beamed.  “None better!”  
  
    Porrim took the black scabbard from her, slung its silver chain over her head and adjusted it as best she could so that the weapon would stay by her hip.  She ran her thumb over the smooth piece of turquoise that adorned the scabbard, her moirallegiance token from Zashyl that served the dual purpose of also being a home for Sufferer, which had been worn solely for display for the past century.  “I wonder if I still even know how to wield it properly.”  
  
    “If you’d like me to retrain you, say the word!  I’d be more than glad to help,” Aurana encouraged.  “It comes back pretty quick.”  
  
    “Easy for you to say; you never lost it in the first place!  The vast majority of my engagements have been verbal in nature, it seems.”  She drew the black and red blade from its sheath and squeezed the hilt; the heft of the blade brought back an onslaught of memories.  “The way things are going, I wonder if that’s a trend that will continue.”  
  
    “I believe in your diplomacy skills, Porrim; no one does it better.  If there’s a solution to be had that doesn’t involve war, you’ll find it.  But if some factions can’t be reasoned with, we have enough skill, firepower and resolve at our disposal to take care of them.”  
  
    Porrim assumed what she remembered to be her combat stance and brandished the sword in front of her to show her former swordplay instructor what she still recalled.  “It’s like this, right?”  
  
    Aurana laughed and nodded.  “Yep!  You’re still holding the non-pointy end so you’re good.”  
  
    “Excellent.”  Porrim gave the blade a wistful look and then returned it from whence it came.  “Do you remember what it was like when you were first training me?  When most of our problems could be solved with the swing of a sword?  It’s not the violence that I miss but the simpler times.  We knew who our enemy was and how to deal with them.”  
  
    “We’ve come an awful long way.  It got pretty challenging but we rose to it each and every time.”  
  
    “We did, didn’t we?”  Porrim smiled for a moment as she thought of their collective triumphs but her face soon reflected an inner debate.  “We were the ones rebelling against an unjust system that gave us no chance to be ourselves.  And now we face rebellion of a different sort and no one seems to be willing to ask the hardest question of all.”  
  
    Aurana was puzzled by Porrim’s suggestion.  “Which is?”  
  
    “What if they’re right?  What if we’re not listening to what they’re telling us is wrong?”  
  
    “Seriously?  Porrim, I know you want to give absolutely everyone the benefit of the doubt but we’re dealing with those who can’t be mollified whatsoever.  If you gave Nikana and Nereid everything they asked for, they’d still demand more.  If you told the Dureen they could have our world as repatriation for what Condy did to theirs, they’d demand the remaining moons, too!  This is just like fighting Condy again, Porrim: there is no other answer save for resistance!”  
  
    “Are you certain, Aurana?  Absolutely certain?”  Porrim looked to this woman that she had known for over a century and a half and trusted with every fibre of her being.  “We’ve made such inroads with some many of the other worlds she razed…”  
  
    Aurana met her gaze.  “You know better than anyone else that the saying ‘You can’t please everyone’ is true.  These outliers have banded together and, thanks to two rejects whipping them up into a conquering frenzy, have set their sights on Alternia solely for unjustified vengeance.  The Dureen never wanted repatriation and the Xiticix are mostly mindless drones bent on destruction.  And whatever lies Nereid is telling Kr’ss government – if you can call it that – would be exposed if they’d just listen to one of your communications about how the rulership here has changed over the past hundred sweeps.”  
  
    “We’ve never heard back from a single emissary we sent there.  Not one,” Porrim lamented.    
  
    “Well, no kidding.  You know Nereid had them all murdered before they even entered the system.  He runs that sector and we know he’s just biding his time and building a fleet to take a run at Alternia.”  
  
    “Porrim, Aranea has said time and again that we’re ready if he does.  It’s thanks to your diplomacy that we have as many allies as we do and it’s thanks to her strong voice in Council that we have the Defense Fleet that we have.  We couldn’t be more prepared!”  
Porrim exhaled, hoping her tension would escape her body along with it.  “So why do I feel like we’re not?”  
  
    “Because you know that you were elected to deal with these problems once and for all.  The people want you to try and get through to Nikana and see if he’ll stand down.  Failing that, they know you’ve defeated an undefeatable foe before; they trust you’ll know how to deal with an insane purpleblood exile and a rogue violetblood admiral.”  
  
    “I really hate how he co-opted that term: exile.  He exiled himself; no one here sent him away.”  
  
    “I know it and you know it.  The whole damn planet knows it and yet for some reason, it sticks.”  Aurana scrunched up her face as she thought about the pockets of violence the Enforcers had to deal with in a few of the cities recently thanks to Nikana’s agents stirring up anti-government sentiment by portraying the former Subjuggalator as a victim.  “We may need to run a counterintelligence operation.”  
  
    “I’ll have Felida get on that after we meet with Aranea.  Speaking of which, I suppose we should get going?”  
  
    Aurana nodded and checked her armaments one more time.  “The movers should have our stuff in the downstairs quarters in the next couple of nights.  I’m glad they’ve been kept in such good shape… yours especially!”  
  
    Porrim gently ran her fingers down the smooth wall of the Prime’s Quarters’ respiteblock.  “Not only that but they finished installing Horuss’s new designs.  I hope those that follow me get a kick out of them.”  
  
    “Out of what?”  
  
    With a quick flick of her finger, the walls of the respiteblock shifted from jade green to a turquoise shade similar to Aurana’s blood.  Another flick and they went to a cerulean tinge.  “He developed a thin screen so that the walls can be any colour without needing to be repainted.  Sort of an extension of the cloaking tech but instead of diffusing any existing light, it absorbs most and reflects the one of the desired colour.”  
  
    “What will he think of next?” Aurana marveled.  “Tell me you don’t have to shove a handful of hay into a wall socket twice a night?”  
  
    “Thankfully, no.  And he knows that if these screens ever display a horse at any time, he’ll have to deal with Aranea.”  
  
    “That’s incentive enough.  Speaking of the Admiral, we best not keep her waiting.”  
  
    Porrim chuckled and gave Aurana a quick scritch under the chin, enjoying the soft murring sounds her moirail made.  “I’m the Primera again.  She can wait a couple of minutes.”    
  
    “Works for me!”  
  
  
  
  
    The sleek hovership tore through the pink moonlit skies; the faint green glow from the ring of the former moon also reflected off of the ocean below and Porrim could scarcely remember what the sky looked like without it.   _So much has changed and yet so little.  No matter what we do it seems there is always conflict of some kind.  The selfish seek power and yet it thankfully remains the burden of those of us who understand that ruling is not a right but a privilege.  It almost seems a contradiction that we have to fight for that privilege but there is no crime in defending our society from those who would destroy it, is there?_  Porrim often lamented not dealing with Caedus Nikana much sooner but no one could have anticipated that he would have left Alternia and fallen in with a powerhungry Imperial admiral and vicious aliens; at least, that was what both Aranea and Aurana reminded her when she began to question her decision to prevent the Subjuggalator from standing for Secundo during her unexpected second term as Primera.   _Those who seek power are the least likely to be trusted with it.  And yet, I can only hope we made the right decision._  
  
    She was startled from her right-seat reverie by Aurana answering a call over the comm.  “This is Prime One; go ahead?”  Like Aranea, Porrim could only barely read the turquoiseblood’s emotional state but the concern on Zashyl’s face was quite plain.  She reached for her earpiece to listen in.  
  
    “-all aircraft have been ordered to commence an immediate landing due to some sort of attack on Alinam City.  We’re only getting fragments of information so far but what we’ve got sounds like it was a directed energy beam… from space!”  
  
    Porrim and Aurana looked at one another in stunned silence.  Aurana finally replied, “Roger, Jade Base; we’re inbound, estimating thirty minutes.”  
  
    “Acknowledged; we’re sending a fighter escort out to join you, just in case.”  
  
    Aurana raised her eyebrows but was glad to hear it.  “Understood.  What’s the situation in Alinam?”  
  
    There was a painful pause before the answer came.  “I think you need see for yourselves when you arrive.  Jade Base out.”  
  
    Neither woman had anything to say for a few minutes; it was Porrim who finally spoke, “So it begins.”  
  
    “Yeah.  What do you think is going on?  Do you think it’s from the Moon Base’s golden trident weapon?”  
  
    “Possibly, but you know as well as I do that the security there is extremely tight.  And I suspect we would have heard from them if they were under attack.”    
  
    Aurana nodded her agreement but wanted to make certain for herself; she punched in a series of codes and waited for the link to establish.  “Pink Base, this is Prime One.  Transmit acknowledgement codes immediately!”  
  
    A few moments passed and then the numerical sequence Aurana expected appeared.  “This is Pink Base, Lieutenant Eichel reporting.  What can we do for you, Prime One?”  
  
    A sigh of relief escaped Aurana’s lips.  “You’ve already done it, Lieutenant, believe it or not.  I safely assume you have the Emergency Broadcast Frequencies tuned in; be prepared for anything and keep your eyes peeled for any unusual movements.  We have reason to believe there is a spaceborne threat to Alternia.”  
  
    “Wow… We received the emergency call from Alinam City but still had no idea as to what actually took place.  We’ll have all defenses at the ready and start scans with the satellites.”  
  
    “Thank you.  Let Jade Base know if you find anything right away.  Prime One out.”  
  
    “Well, that answers that question definitively,” Porrim said.  “But with the easy answer accounted for, the mystery deepens.”  
  
    “No kidding.  And we better figure it out quick!  Whatever it was could do it again any minute.”  
  
    Porrim tried to breathe against the tightness forming in her core.   _I don’t really feel fear anymore… I don’t know if that’s being a Drinker or being so much more experienced but this is something far more concerning than I could have expected.  The stakes were just escalated far beyond what anyone thought possible.  I hope Aranea and Felida have some ideas because we’ll need all hands on deck for this…_  
  
  
  
  
    “Thank goodness you’re here!” Meulin shouted as the hovership door opened.  She all but grabbed Aurana out of the pilot’s seat and ensnared her in a tight embrace.  “Do you have any idea how worried I was about you two?”  
  
    “I have a pretty good guess, yep!”  Despite being a couple of shades higher on the hemospectrum than her matesprit, Aurana was always awed by just how strong the tiny oliveblood actually was.  “What do you know so far?”  
  
    “I was just finishing packing the last of our livingblock for transport to Capitol when Felida called me inside.  Aranea is just about to start a briefing for the troops; it’s best if you hear it directly from her.”  She let go of Aurana and immediately glommed on to Porrim as she exited the hovership as well.  “Hi, Mom!  I’m glad I get to help protect you again!”  
  
    Porrim returned the embrace.  “Happy to have you; it just seems that the situation changed entirely between when we left and when we arrived!”  
  
    Meulin let go and tried not to let her shoulders slump.  “Yeah… I thought the most stressful thing I was going to have to deal with tonight was whether or not I would risk sending my drawings back to Capitol or if I should just leave them here.  So much for that.  Come on, let’s get inside.”  
  
    A contingent of soldiers appeared and took up formation surrounding the three women.  They left the landing pad and Porrim looked behind her to watch the fighter escort continue on their arc around the island; she expected there would be no less than six fighter squadrons in the air orbiting at any time and that there were plenty on hot standby should the need arise.  The tension pouring off everyone is almost too much…  She was surprised to see that only a few people were visible at the base; the large buildings that surrounded the center tower were usually teeming with cadets and experienced officers alike most evenings but Porrim suspected most of the island’s occupants were in the main hall of the Rufioh Nitram Flight Academy building to hear the Fleet Admiral speak.  “I hope there’s room for us in there,” she remarked as they approached.    
  
    Meulin chortled.  “I bet they could squeeze us in somewhere.”  
  
    A few minutes later, Meulin led them into the doorway at the front of the main lectureblock.  Aranea’s voice was audible and Porrim remarked, “I was hoping we might have gone in the back?  Am I going to be a distraction?”  
  
    “Probably at first but let’s just get that over with so she can get on with it?  Your presence will be a comfort to the troops here.”  Meulin gave Porrim’s hand a quick squeeze and then fell in behind her, allowing Aurana to lead them onto the stage where Fleet Admiral Aranea Serket was speaking.    
  
    “…and we are still only receiving small bursts of information from regions outside the affected area, suggesting electromagnetic disruption on a large scale.  The latest of these transmissions I will share with you once you all please stand and welcome the Primera of Alternia, Porrim Maryam.”  
  
    At this, thousands rose in unison and saluted.  While Porrim was more than used to this, it had been many moons since it had happened while holding the highest title of all and she knew that with what had just transpired, the significance of it became much greater.  All eyes on me now.  I can only hope I serve you all well in this time of crisis…  She raised a hand in acknowledgement and looked to her matesprit.  “Please, don’t let me interrupt.  I need to hear this, too!”  
  
    For a moment, Aranea wanted to reply with a playful remark but held back considering the gravity of their situation.  “You may be seated.  As I was saying, the transmissions we’ve received from the area indicate widespread, catastrophic damage extending from about ten kilometers north northeast of Alinam City to about five hundred kilometers southwest, well into the continent.  What I’m saying is that from what we know, Alinam City is completely destroyed and millions of lives are lost with it.”  She waited until the murmuring settled and shielded herself from the emotional outpouring that flowed from the audience.  “What’s even more unsettling is that based on a damage scar of that magnitude and eyewitness accounts from nearby areas, we believe this was an energy beam directed at the planet’s surface from space.”    
  
    Another round of whispers of shock from the audience and Porrim tried her best to protect herself from being overwhelmed as well.  Thus it was a visual cue of hurried movement and not an emotional pulse that twigged her to where Felida was and what she was doing: the oliveblood admiral was standing off to the other side of the stage, excitedly tapping at a commpad and chattering into a headset.  Porrim waited for Aranea to continue her briefing before querying her kismesis mentally.   _What’s going on?  
  
    You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.    
  
    Try me.  
  
    One of my ‘emissaries’ is on his way inbound to land in a couple of minutes,_ Felida thought, invoking her preferred name for her spies.   _I had a team of two working on Enothil in Dureen territory; only one is coming back and he says that he was hoping to make it here in time to warn us.  
  
    Warn us?  How did he know?  
  
    All he’s said so far is that what we saw here tonight is not the first time it’s happened.  Enothil rebelled against Admiral Nereid and now Enothil is a smoking ruin.  All of it._  
  
    Porrim did her best to keep as calm as possible at this news.   _Get him in here as quickly as possible; deploy a fighter squadron to escort him in.  
  
    Already done; he’s been cleared to land on Pad Two.  He’ll be escorted directly to me on arrival._  
   
    At this, Porrim made a barely perceptible nod to Felida and then focused on listening to Aranea’s speech.    
  
    “We are currently trying to confirm the source of the energy blast.  So far no one has taken responsibility for it, but we obviously have our suspects, Triton Nereid being the most obvious one.  To this point, we didn’t suspect he had access to weaponry capable of this degree of destruction but it appears that has changed.  Be assured that we have our best minds on it and we will develop immediate countermeasures once we have determined the nature of the threat.  Obviously we hope we can do so before this happens again; we have our best minds on it as I speak.  What I need from you all is to be at your utmost readiness in the event of any other threat to Alternia.  If you’re here, it’s because you’re the very best this world has to offer; we have established an Air Force as vital to Alternia’s defense as our Space Navy and make no mistake, this may be the opening salvo in a fight for our very survival.  These seeds were planted long ago by Her Imperious Condescension and now it’s up to us to either repair the damage she wrought or put to rest the poisonous elements that have risen to destroy that which we’ve worked so hard to build over the past century!”  
  
    _Your oratory skills are genuinely unmatched, Rae,_ Porrim thought as the assembled officers cheered.   _Even in this dark moment, you have them rallying behind us._  She felt a wave of gratitude for the compliment emanate from her matesprit but Porrim was distracted by the sight of Felida rushing over to the doorway behind her.  She extended her empathic feelers in that direction to “listen in” on what was going on: Felida’s shock at the condition of her spy was quite apparent but his insistence at getting his message to her overruled anything else.    
  
    “Kranix…”  
  
    “Don’t… worry about m-me,” he puffed, “You need… to know… what you’re…”  He groaned at the exertion of speaking but continued, “What you’re up against…”  
  
    “Where’s Arblus?”  
  
    “He didn’t…”  
  
    Felida nodded.  “Go on…”  
  
    “Nereid used an… old code to access the… the mainframe at Capitol… a couple of sweeps ago.  He…  took something… from Condy’s files.  Called… ‘Sunrise’.  Arblus trans… sent it to me before they…”  
  
    “Shhhhh… Take your time.”   _Porrim, might need your help here…_  
  
    Porrim looked over her shoulder to see Felida comforting her operative and realized just how badly injured he was.   _Rae, I need to deal with this; keep doing what you’re doing._  Once she received a mental nod from Aranea, she quickly exited the stage and joined Felida in the darker area behind; even in the dim light, she could tell the burns the spy had received were quite extensive.  “Aurana, can you contact the med bay and have them send a mobile slimebed?”  
  
    “Right away!”  
  
    Felida looked to Meulin and made a request of her own: “Meu, can you get Horuss on my commpad?  I need him to dig up that file on Sunrise if he can!”  
  
    Meulin immediately took the pad she was offered and contacted her moirail to relay the message.    
  
    “T-they used it… to burn… the surface of Enothil.  Nothing left,” Kranix continued.  “People wanted out… of the Dureen Consortium.  Nereid… turned them to… ashes.”    
  
    Porrim swallowed hard as she considered this.   _If they can burn an entire planet..._ she thought to Felida.  
  
    _…then we’re lucky they didn’t just do the same to us._  “Kranix, do you have any idea what it was that did it?”  
  
    Although it pained him greatly, the spy shook his head.  “I barely escaped.  Heat was… so intense.  Came from… a beam from the sky.  I was… on my way back… to tell you what… rrrgh… what they had.  But I had… no idea there was one… here already.”  
  
    “Sounds like they have more than one to me,” Felida said.   
  
    “One of what, though?”  Porrim tried to guess what could possibly do that degree of damage without being visibly obvious. “Do you think they would be sending the beam through a portal from somewhere else?”  
  
    Felida shook her head.  “No one has that kind of tech; not the Dureen and especially not the fucking Xiticix.”    
  
    Porrim couldn’t help but chuckle at her kismesis’s disgust with the insectoid species.  “You and bugs…”  
  
    “Uh huh.  The worst.  Anyway, the Kr’ss are just riding on Nereid’s coattails; they think our technology from a hundred sweeps ago is ultramodern.  This is something else, something simpler.”  She looked to Kranix, “Did you actually see the beam when you arrived at Alternia?”  
  
    “No… sorry.  I was already… too late.  I heard the… the chatter on the comms and… hurried directly here.  Pushed the ship… past its limits.”  
  
    “Don’t worry, you did well.  You’ve earned the desk job you’re gonna get for this.”  Felida went to pat him on the back and decided against this.  “Oh hey, look!  A slimebed!"  
  
    Porrim watched as a pair of paratenders stepped into the lectureblock but up at the top of the stairs; she transmitted an empathic signal and they looked in her direction.   _Great; that will draw attention over here but this fellow does deserve recognition once this is all said and done._  Once the white clad paratenders arrived at their position, they adjusted the repulsors and opened the hatch to carefully load Kranix into the floating slimebed.  “Alternia thanks you for your service.  I will personally ensure you get the best of care.”  
  
    “Thank you… Primera.  Find them… and stop them.  For all our sakes…”    
  
    Felida stepped aside to give the paratenders room to exit and looked to Meulin.  “You get a hold of Horuss?”  
  
    “He’s already on it,” she answered.  A moment later, she rolled her eyes.  “He would like to know if he has the Primera’s permission to access the Fuchsia-level files.”  
  
    “Yes, of course!  Tell him to hurry!  Lives may be in the balance!”  Porrim and her inner circle made the decision many sweeps prior to keep access to the Condesce’s personal files to an absolute minimum; only a sitting Prime or Secund was allowed access to them but they ensured that the Admiral of the Fleet was also given full access at any time so that Aranea could still get to them if need be.  She believed that they were secure enough that way but there were obviously still old backdoors that veteran admirals knew of.   _I shouldn’t be surprised by this; none of the Admiralty trusted her and rightfully so.  Any one of them that could score an advantage by getting into her private folders would be a leg up on the rest. But what did they find?_  
  
    Porrim received her first hint of it in the pulse of shock from Meulin when Horuss revealed the file.  “What… oh my…”  The lithe oliveblood turned the pad to show her friends a schematic.  “You aren’t going to believe this.”  
  
    “I’ve never seen anything quite like it before,” Porrim said as she tried to make sense of the diagram.  
  
    “Neither have I,” added Felida, “but I think I understand the concept.  If I’m reading it right, this is a ‘solar sword’.”  When Porrim responded with a puzzled look, she elaborated, “It uses a massive mirror deployed relatively close to a star and focuses that energy to a battery which then discharges the stored solar energy to a target – like a planet…”  She inhaled sharply and added, “There must be a satellite overhead!  That’s where the beam came from!”  
  
    “Overhead what, though?” Aurana asked.  “And how would we find it?  We can only guess how high an orbit it’s in.”  
  
    “Horuss, can you hear me?” Porrim asked in the direction of the tablet.  
  
    “Yes, Porr- er, Primera!” came the reply.  “How else neigh I assist?”  
  
    _Horse puns.  Now of all times.  Horuss, you’re one of a kind._  “Are you able to track all satellites orbiting the planet?”  
  
    A brief pause.  “Only the ones we know about, I’m afraid.  If there is one operating on a different plane than the positioning network or the transmission network, it won’t have a transponder signal.  Are you suggesting the energy beam came from a satellite?”  
  
    “Thanks exactly what she’s saying, Horuss,” Felida chimed in.  “Did you even look at the file?”  
  
    “Err… no, actually.  I assumed it might not have been for my eyes to see.”  
  
    “Horuss,” Porrim said, “you have my permission to look at the file.  In fact, your Primera commands you to look at the file, if that will make you look at the file that much sooner!”  
  
    She swore she could hear him grinning on the other side of the pad.    
  
    A minute or so later, Horuss gave his analysis: “If I were to deploy something like this – and I swear that I would never consider such a thing – I would likely have no regard to any existing satellite constellations and would deploy my beam transmitter in a synchronous orbit above my target but well above any other satellites.”  
  
    “Do you think you could find it?” Felida asked.  
  
    “With standard visual scanning?  It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.  But, considering it emitted energy of a similar wavelength as sunlight, I could search for a faint remaining glow in an area of space above that part of the planet.  I’ll have to hurry, though; it’ll be daylight there soon and that energy signature will be completely lost.”  
  
    Porrim locked eyes with Felida, their sense of urgency intermingled.  “Please do.  We’re counting on you.  I’ll apprise Aranea of the situation as soon as I can.”  
  
    “Understood!”    
  
    Meulin looked up from the pad she held.  “So what can we do?”  
  
    Porrim looked over to the sea of faces in front of them.  “If he finds it, we deploy our ships and stop it from firing again.  We have no idea what the charge time on something like that is but if what that fellow said is accurate, it could theoretically hold enough of a charge to lay waste to a whole world.  Was this just a warning shot?”  
  
    “We may be about to find out,” Aurana interjected, tapping at her own commpad.  She quickly hurried up onto the stage and got Aranea’s attention.  Porrim watched as Aranea viewed what she was shown and then nodded, gesturing behind her to the large display screen.   A few moments later, that screen was filled with a face too familiar to her.  
  
    “-sure that as many of you mirthless motherfuckers get to hear this as possible but we really only need to hear back from one of you and that’s the nasty green bitch herself.  If you’re seeing this, Primera,” spat Caedus Nikana, “then I’m betting you know that the Eastern Prefectures are a motherfucking crater and there wasn’t a fucking thing you could do to stop us.”  
  
    Porrim joined Aranea on the stage.  “How?”  
  
    “He must have hijacked one of the old Condyvision frequencies; I’m betting this is on every damn pad and screen on the planet right now.”  Aranea thought for a moment.  “Where’s Horuss?”  
  
    “Working on where that beam came from.  If you want to know what we’re dealing with, pick Felida’s thinkpan.”    
  
    _Felidaaaaaaaa…  
  
    Hm?  Oh!  Sure thing, Mistress… It’s quite the design.  
  
    Oh my…   
  
    My thoughts exactly.    
  
    Can you ask Meu to ask Horuss if we can hijack that signal back?  Turnabout is fair play, after all.  
  
    I can ask; he might be a bit busy, though.  
  
    Let me know…_  Aranea turned her attention back to the screen behind her that featured the larger-than-life features of the rogue purpleblood.  
  
    “Here’s the deal: Primera, you have ten hours to concede control of the Council to Admiral Triton Nereid and myself.  Make a visual broadcast on your motherfucking Emergency Frequencies so we know it’s you.  Surrender yourself and we will let you and yours live.  Fail to do so and in precisely ten hours, we vaporize the fuck out of Capitol.”  
  
    _Porrim!  Aranea!  Horuss thinks he has the location of their weapon!_  Meulin was all but bouncing up and down.  
  
    _Excellennnnnnnnt!  Now ask him if we can say a few words to this fucking clown on that same channel?  
  
    He’s working on it; says that should be no problem._  
  
    As the camera began to pan over to another figure on the screen, Aranea addressed her troops.  “I just received word that we have located the beam transmitter and you, my pretties, get to go blow it out of the sky!  Bronze Rebel squadron and Olive Rogue squadron will take primary targeting duties, Gold Pilot and Blue Corsair squadrons will fly support and cover just in case the enemy has help.  You’ll get your coordinates in the air.  What are you waiting for?  SCRAMBLE!!!!!!!!”  
  
    Many of the assembled rose and ran for the exits; those who remained watched as the screen behind them displayed a slender man in the command chair of a ship, his hair slicked back between his horns and his cold eyes staring directly at them.  What struck many of the highbloods in the lectureblock was the man’s uniform, a black and violet throwback to an earlier time.  
  
    “Citizens of Alternia,” boomed a voice from the speakers, “I am Admiral Triton Nereid.  I have returned to restore and maintain true law and order to our homeworld.  I have governed a large sector of the galaxy in the name of Her Imperious Condescension for the last hundred sweeps and I now reclaim Alternia in her name.  As the most senior violetblood that remains loyal to her, I shall govern in her stead until a true heir comes forth to claim the throne.  I call upon any members of the Admiralty who still understand their value in the hemohierarchy to take their rightful place and assist in overthrowing the false governance of the Rainbow Drinker.”  
  
    “Wow, this guy really is out of touch, isn’t he?” Felida remarked.  “Orbius must be just pissing himself laughing!”  
  
    _It’s not him I’m worried about,_ Porrim thought back at her.   _The last thing we need to deal with is a bunch of violetbloods suddenly being struck with revived typist fervour!_  
  
    “Horuss says he has the channel!” Meulin called out.  “He can do a dual transmit/receive feed; he just wants to confirm which camera you want to use.”  
  
    “Tell him the one in the main lectureblock in Nitram Hall,” Aranea answered.  “Oh, Porrim, this is going to be fun!”  
  
    Porrim actually found herself smiling.  “You might be right.”  
  
    “Of course I am!”  Aranea pressed a couple of buttons on the dais.  “Okay, our camera is hot; let’s start the show!”  
  
    Meulin nodded and informed Horuss.  On the main screen, the focus returned to the grinning purpleblood.  “It would be a motherfucking shame to have to turn Capitol into a stinking pile of ashes but don’t question for a second that we’ll do i-”  
  
    **“YOU’LL DO NO SUCH THING.”**

    Everyone watching the large screen sat up straight as the woman who stood directly in front of them, Primera Porrim Maryam, now appeared on the screen to the left of Caedus Nikana as well.  It was quite obvious to all that Nikana and Nereid heard her and could now see her as well.    
  
    “How did you-”  
  
    “Is this the road you want to take, Nikana?  You and Nereid have just slaughtered millions of people and you expect to be taken seriously?   **SURRENDER YOURSELVES IMMEDIATELY.** ”  
  
    _I get SO turned on when you do that, love.  
  
    Not now, Rae._  Porrim knew her “Drinker Voice” only worked on those in the same block as her but she hoped it would be enough to intimidate them into either making an error or reconsidering their current course of action.    
  
    “Taken seriously?  Oh no, Usurper, we simply plan to take back what is ours.”  The chill in Admiral Nereid’s voice was palpable even on a viewscreen; he steepled his fingers and settled back into a sleek, angular seat while Nikana stood beside him, a lecherous sneer on his painted face.    
  
    _Interesting that he uses that term for you_ , Aranea thought to her matesprit.   _That was Veruna’s title because of how she wrested power from her predecessor, Gyliea.  He’s old enough to remember Veruna, too, but he was known as one of Meenah’s staunchest supporters – probably because he saw what Meenah did to her in person.  He seems to be impressed by violent displays of power and it certainly explains his approach.  
  
    Then let’s deal with him accordingly.  A bully without a big stick tends not to be much of a bully anymore.  Let’s not tip our hand just yet, though._ “It’s awfully difficult to take back something that was never yours in the first place.  Alternia has moved forward, shed the hemohierarchy and relegated it to the wastereceptacle of history where it belongs.”  
  
    “Still using lowblood speak, you cavedwelling bitch?” Nikana snarled, “You’re so motherfucking unfit to rule anything.  We’ll set shit right.”  
  
    “If by ‘right’ you mean ‘back a hundred sweeps’, then I see your plan, yessssssss.”  Aranea joined Porrim to look into the camera and address the would-be conquerors.  “See this, Nereid?” she said as she tugged on her rank insignia, “Take an order and stand down or this won’t end well for you.  Not a threat, not a promise; merely fact.”  
  
    Nereid’s eyes narrowed.  “Only a violetblood can wear that rank and while I’m certain you and the Condesce made all kinds of pretty colours in her pail, nothing even remotely violet actually courses through your veins.”  
  
    “See, that’s the neat part,” Aranea replied, “that doesn’t matter anymore.  Anybody can do anything now if they’ve got the skill and the aptitude and the drive; sadly, in your case, ‘becoming a mass murderer’ is included.  So, when you surrender – and I’m assuming you’re still a relatively smart fellow and will actually surrender instead of making us find you and haul your sorry ass in – shall we try you for multiple counts of homicide or genocide against your own race?  And good news: we got rid of those nasty Tyranny-type critters a long time ago; another one of Condy’s failures fixed.  You’ll be tried by a jury of your peers: your fellow Alternians.  You know, the people you just killed a whole pile of?  But fear not, I’m sure we can find you a legislacerator who’d still be willing to plead your case; they get paid the same whether they win the trial or not.  Did you know we have so many maroonblooded legislacerators now?  Some of them are verrrrrrrry convincing.”  
  
    “I can’t believe the Empress’s pet rentsprit has the audacity t-”  
  
    “Whoa, whoa, hold on there, big fella,” Aranea interrupted.  “It appears I may have overestimated your intelligence; sorry about that.  I’ll use smaller words.”  She grabbed Porrim’s hand and displayed the deep blue sapphire ring upon it in front of the camera.  “See this?  Is token.  Means MAAAAAAATESPRIT.  Not rented.  And she not Empress, she called Primera.  Empress dead.  No come back.  She was very tasty… or so I’m told.”  
  
    Porrim blinked a few times but chose not to say anything on that subject, opting to bare her fangs in a smile instead.  
  
    “You would mock those who just cut a motherfucking scar into a planet?  You should see what we did with another one of these magnificent motherfucking machines; wasn’t much left of that planet when we got through with it!”  
  
    _Well, that answers a question we didn’t want to ask_ , Porrim thought.  
  
    _Indeed but let’s take care of the current threat and worry about the rest later.  The longer we keep these fools busy, the more time we buy for the fighters to do their job.  Felida?  
  
    All squadrons were away three minutes ago.  Maximum climb rate will put them at the coordinates in just over two minutes more.  Just keep these nooksphincters talking._  
  
    Aranea raised an eyebrow.  “So you’re essentially admitting to killing millions while on a live broadcast?  You’re making it way harder for your legislacerator-to-be, you know.”  
  
    “There will be no trial,” Nereid intoned, “and don’t believe for a second that you are in any way intimidating us.  We have the upper hand and that hand is currently clenched in a fist.  Surrender now and spare the lives of millions more or live with knowing their blood is on your hands, not mine.”  
  
    Porrim’s skin began to glow; Aranea noted her eyes also began to flare bright yellow.   _Don’t rise to his bait, dear heart…  
  
    No!  I have to say something!_  “The blood will only be on the hands of the ones wielding the weapon!  You don’t get to push the blame on anyone else!  Do you not realize what you’ve already done?  You’ve killed millions of your own!  And if you can’t see those people as ‘your own’, then there is nothing anyone can do for you.  There is no place for you or yours on Alternia anymore; we have outgrown you!   **WE WILL FIND YOU AND YOU WILL ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES!** ”  
  
    “Find us?” the purpleblood sneered, “You can’t.  You have no choice, you uppity jade bitch.  Give up this disgusting motherfucking experiment and these ‘people’ get to live.  Well, most of them, anyway.  The Xiticix need to eat, too; kinda part of the motherfucking deal.”  
  
    _Meu_ , Porrim thought to her old friend, _ask Horuss if he can trace that signal.  If we’re using this frequency, it shouldn’t be too difficult.  
  
    Will do!  Standby…_  
  
    “So, let me get this straight,” Aranea began, “you not only just murdered a few million Alternians, but part of your deal with a bunch of alien insects was to feed a few million more of them to bugs.  Never mind the fact that we have some insectoid traits ourselves, which makes this borderline cannibalism – and yes, we found out about the Faygo, you sick fucks – but please explain to me in a way that actually makes sense how anyone would accept your rule?”  
  
    Nereid continued to stare impassively at the camera.  “Acceptance is irrelevant.  Everyone accepted the Condesce’s rule.  They will accept mine.  They have no choice.”  
  
    Aranea looked at Porrim and tried to stifle a laugh.  “Wait… what?  Everyone accepted it?  I don’t know if bugs have eaten your thinkpan or something, but the very fact that you’re talking to us is proof that no, not everyone accepted the Condesce’s rule!  We rose up.  We fought back against her oppression.  And if you genuinely think for one millimoment that we’re going to just roll over and hand our world back to another self-absorbed and painfully unfit tyrant, then I’m afraid you’re going to have to slither back under whatever rock you crawled out from under because there is no way you’ll be getting this one.”  
  
    _Are you sure we should be taunting him yet?_ Porrim inquired.  
  
    _Felida, status?  
  
    Fighters are just arriving at the coordinates… they’ve got a visual!  Says it’s a relatively small metallic sphere.  I’ve already given clearance to fire on it… and target destroyed!  
  
    Gooooooood. Let’s have some fun now, shall we, love?_  
  
    Porrim did her best to keep her face from showing her excitement but was more than happy to share it with her matesprit.   _Let’s!_  
  
    “Is that so?  And what’s to stop us from turning your precious motherfucking Capitol into dust right now?”  
  
    Aranea snorted.  “Other than your own incompetence?  Go on.  Do it.  We dare you to try.  See what happens.”  
  
    Nikana looked over to Nereid; the confusion at Mindfang’s bait was evident in their expressions.  “You actually want us to…”  
  
    “No, I said I want you to try.  You’ll fail miserably.  I want the world to see that.”  
  
    Admiral Nereid glared at them.  “If you think this is some kind of Watch Me game that you can bluff your way out of, you are utterly mistaken.”  
  
    “If you think I’m bluffing, go ahead and do it”, Aranea encouraged.  “It probably gets easier every time you murder millions; I wonder if the Dureen are thinking about how long it will take you guys to start vaporizing their citizens if they don’t like what you’re doing?”  
  
    “ENOUGH OF THIS!”  Nikana could barely contain his rage and reached for the control console.  “You brought this on yourselves…”  
  
    “On MY mark,” Nereid said, reminding his crew who was in charge, “lock on to Capitol and burn it to ashes.”  He stared directly at the screen, his yellow and violet eyes hard.  “You do understand what you’ve done, right?”  
  
    Porrim nodded, a smirk on her face.  “Completely.”  
  
    The first crack in the old Admiral’s façade appeared as a tight lipped snarl.  “FIRE!”  
  
    Aranea and Porrim watched Nikana and Nereid observe their screens; it only took a few seconds for the attackers to realize that something was amiss.  A voice was heard, “Sir, the beam isn’t concentrating…”  
  
    “WHAT?”  
  
    “No readings from the beam emitter at all, sir… it’s like it’s powered off?”  
  
    Nikana stormed out of view.  “MOVE!”  Frantic tapping was heard and then a loud thunk that suggested the console took the brunt of an attempt at concussive maintenance.    
  
    _Porrim!  Horuss says he’s got their location!_  
  
    The Primera shared a quick look with her matesprit to confirm Aranea was reading Meulin’s mental communication as well.   _Yes?  Where are they?  
  
    He says they’d have to be nearby to use this frequency… and they are!  Not too far from the thing the fighters just destroyed.  Here are the coordinates._  
  
    A series of numbers appeared in the corner of the dais’s screen; Aranea immediately sent them to Felida’s commpad.   _Felida?  Ask the fighters to look there.  
  
    Wilco, Mistress!_  
  
    Nereid glared at them.  “What have you done?”  
  
    “Taken away your stick,” Porrim replied.  “You will not harm us again.  Stand down and surrender.  We may find mercy for you; this is not the Condesce’s Alternia.”  
  
    “That’s the problem!” he spat back.  “This is a weak, complacent world now and needs to be restored to its former glory!  And we are far from done here…”  
  
    As the screens behind them as well as the ones in front winked out, Felida came rushing up the stage, Aurana in tow.  “The fighters reported back; they don’t see anything there at all!”  
  
    Porrim looked to Aranea.  “Cloaked…”  
  
    “Pssssssssh.  Big deal.  We’ve had cloaking tech for a century now and we know how to deal with it, don’t we?”  
  
    Aurana was already entering commands into her commpad.  “I’m on it!  Pink Base, this is Jade Base again.”  
  
    “Eichel here.”  
  
    “Lieutenant, looks like we could use your help after all.  Fire a particle beam from the tower at these coordinates, broad spectrum, fluctuate the power between five hundred and a thousand teraVolltts.”  
  
    His eyebrows spoke of his surprise.  “That high an output?  Are you certain, ma’am?”  
  
    “Trust me on this.  It won’t need to be fired for long.”  Once the lieutenant confirmed the moon’s golden trident tower beam was charging, Aurana requested a satellite feed of that area of space and then sent the display to be mirrored on the large screen behind them. “This kind of energy output should overload any photon displacement cloaking.”  
  
    Porrim knew that Horuss had developed countermeasures against his own cloaking devices; all she could hope was that the ones being deployed here used a similar principle.  “I hope so…”  
  
    A moment later, the viewscreen was filled with brilliant white light; once it faded, the shapes of multiple ships appeared: many were large and vaguely oval with a single large aperture in the front while some resembled long battleships bristling with shapes that could only be weapons.  In the middle of it was one violet coloured starship, a massive cannon attached to its ventral hull, its design unquestionably Alternian.  “There you arrrrrrrre…”    
  
    As soon as she saw the size of the fleet they were dealing with, Porrim immediately began to enter commands into the dais computer in front of her to open the Emergency Broadcast Frequencies.  “Attention all Planetary Defense Towers!  Deploy and fire at all ships at these coordinates!  All Air Force and Navy fighters are to scramble immediately and prepare for hostile invasion!  Destroy any vessel that attempts to land on the surface!”  
  
    The ovoid hive-like ships began to spew clouds of fighters from their openings but only a few moments later, one of them disappeared in a flash of pink energy from the surface.  Aurana began to send more precise firing targets to the ground based Trident towers so that more of their shots would hit actual enemy vessels.  As more and more of the capital ships began to vanish from the screen, Porrim said, “Meu, tell Horuss he’ll never pay for an apple again as long as I live.”  
  
    “Consider it done!”  
  
    Aranea watched the remains of some of the large vessels become captured by Alternia’s gravity and begin to burn up as they entered the atmosphere.  “I really hope they hit Nereid’s ship.  Wipe him and Nikana right out.  Problem solved.”  
  
    “I don’t know, Rae; I’d rather take him alive if we can.  The people deserve justice.”  
  
    “They’ll still get it if he’s blown to pieces, love.”  
  
    “I suppose…”  
  
    Felida pointed at the screen.  “Moot point; they just jumped!  Looks like what’s left of their fleet is bugging out, too!”  
  
    The few remaining in the room broke out into hoots and applause; all Porrim could do was brace herself on the podium and try to stay upright as the tension flowed out of her.   
  
    “Why the glum face, Jadebutt?” Felida asked as she gave Porrim a swat on the rump.  “We won!”  
  
    “It was too close.  We were exposed and it cost us millions of lives.”  
  
    “But quick thinking saved billions more.  This is why I’m glad – shit, most of the planet is glad! – that you’re Primera right now.”  
  
    Porrim took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “It wasn’t just me, of course.  We all played a role and we’re very lucky it went as well as it did, but we’ve got a lot of work to do, both cleaning up here as best we can as well as finding those two.  As awful as it is to think about, I suspect this incident will be more than enough to convince a few of the worlds that were unsure about assisting us in protecting our systems from outside attack to do so.”  
  
    “Self-preservation is still the best motivator,” Felida agreed, “but you laid a lot of that groundwork already.  So many of the planets Condy conquered were more than happy to trade with us once you fixed up the mess she made.  It’s the few like the Dureen that wanted revenge or the Kr’ss that are content with servitude that are the problem.  And I don’t know what their problem is but fuck the bugs right in their ugly fucking bug faces.”  
  
    “This is why you’re not in the Diplomatic Corps,” Porrim said, giving her kismesis a gentle pat on the shoulder.  “Just so you know.”  
  
    Felida was about to reply when her commpad lit up.  “Admiral Oceleo he-”  
  
    “DID YOU GET THEM?  DID YOU KILL THOSE AWFUL FUCKERS?  TELL ME THEY ALL DIED IN A FIRE!  TELL ME THAT MUCH!”  
  
    “Um… who wants to answer this one?”  
  
    Porrim and Aranea glanced at one another; there was no question who was calling.  “I better take this, dear heart,” Aranea offered.  “She’s my quadmate.”  
  
    “All right.  Tell her I’ll talk with her later on whenever she wants to, okay?”  Porrim reached over and gave Aranea’s hand a squeeze before stepping aside so her matesprit could accept Felida’s pad.    
  
    “We’ll get them, Daremo, don’t worry,” Aranea said as calmly as she could.  “It’s going to be Priority One around here, I swear it.”    
  
    The anguished wail that came from the pad’s speaker told a heartbreaking tale to anyone who heard it.    
  
    Aranea cringed.  “I better go take this in another block.  She’s lost countless friends in Alinam City; I’m just glad she wasn’t there at the time!  Let me know if anything else happens.”  
  
    Porrim and Felida both nodded and let Aranea leave to try and console her kismesis as best she could.  “I don’t know if a fire will be involved, but I promise you we WILL find them and make them pay…”  
  
    “Oh shit!” Felida exclaimed, “That was my pad.”  She hurried to the computer panel in the dais and opened a channel, “All squadrons, this is Admiral Oceleo.  If you are still engaging enemy fighters, do your best to disable one instead of destroying it outright.  We need to find clues about where they’re based if we’re going to be able to find Nereid and Nikana and hold them accountable for what happened here tonight!  Report in if you have damaged one and not destroyed it.  Oceleo out.”  
  
    Porrim looked over to her right to see Meulin and Aurana holding each other.   _I fear your job of protecting me may have just gotten a lot harder_ , she thought to herself.   _May your love for one another protect you both as well._  She turned her attention back to Felida, “I suppose I best address the planet directly this time.”  
  
    “It’s what you do best, Porrim; you’re a mother to the world.”  Felida rose on the balls of her feet and gave Porrim a quick kiss.  “Take care of the calming and nurturing stuff; you can leave the bug exterminating to me.”  
  
    In spite of her mood, Porrim smiled.  “Thanks; I may have to take you up on that.  I’m hopeful we can find them and the sooner the better.”  
  
    “Agreed.”  Felida turned her attention to the pair embracing in the corner.  “Oh look at these two… FUCK SAKE, POOCHIE, YOU’RE STILL IN UNIFORM!  GET A BLOCK, WILL YOU?”  
  
    _Felida!  
  
    Sorry, Jadebutt… Dark humour is kinda how I deal.  You know this.  
  
    Still…_  
  
    “You need to learn to be nicer, Kittie!” came the response.  “I’d hate to have to kick your nook in on a global broadcast.”  
  
    “You and what army?”  
  
    “The Alternian Army?  Which I help run now, remember?”  
  
    “Pssh. Never send an Army girl to do a Navy girl’s work.  Bring it!”  
  
    Meulin sighed.  “You have got to be kidding me.”  She proceeded to drag Aurana over to the stage with one hand and then grabbed Felida with her free hand once she got there and positioned them behind the Primera.  “Porrim has a speech to do; let’s give her some support, shall we?”  
  
    Both Felida and Aurana mumbled their agreement.  
  
    “Good.  Ready when you are, Mom!”  
  
    Porrim offered a weary smile.   _What would I do without you?_  She then looked back to the screen on the dais, pressed a button and began to speak, “To my fellow citizens of Alternia, I offer you my deepest condolences on this night which will forever be remembered as one of sadness and horror but hopefully also as one of lessons learned and proof of our strength and resolve to carry on, no matter the threat and no matter the cost…”


	75. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 74

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A thousand sweeps into the future, Porrim finishes what she swears will be her final stint as Primera. Porrim and Aranea depart Capitol with a new plan to change Alternian society - one with very far reaching implications...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooo... if you're wondering where the long-winded "Thanks to Everyone!" is, be assured it's coming, but you're gonna have to wait... because there's going to be ONE MORE CHAPTER. I couldn't end it here. Not the right place (and time)! I know it took forever to get this one up as there's been some events of a rather unfortunate nature going on behind the scenes but with those hopefully in the rear view mirror, I was able to finally finish this and prepare for the true finale! Could take anywhere from two weeks to a month but I will make a big push to finish this soon. As always, thanks for sticking with me!

**74\. – 1,000 A.E.**  
  
    “So this is it, then.  The end at last.”  Porrim Maryam removed the ancient golden circlet from her forehead and set it down on the ironwood table in the center of the dimly lit Grand Councilblock.  
  
    “Somehow, I doubt you’ll be able to stay away,” Orbius Ampora answered.  “I’ll have the crew downstairs do the jewel swap this morning and then we do our song and dance for the adoring crowds again tomorrow night.”  
  
    “You don’t worry that they elected us to these terms solely for nostalgia’s sake?”  
  
    Ampora snorted, his gills whistling the strange one-note tune she’d become quite accustomed to.  “I don’t worry about it in the least; I KNOW that’s why they elected us!  But then we’re the most experienced two people on all of Alternia; it’s not like we couldn’t handle it.  Besides, it’s way easier governing now than it was a millennium ago.  We were just winging it back then, making up rules as we went, having former Subjuggalators get all bent out of shape when they tried to warp those rules so they could hijack the Council and we told them to get stuffed…”  
  
    “Dealing with said Subjuggalator and his Admiral-that-Time-Forgot cohort carving a hole in the planet…”  
  
    “And you rallying said planet to rise up and fight back!  Don’t think any of your successes were minor, Porrim; you’ve changed the course of society more than once simply by being courageous.  It’s no accident that the people turn to you every hundred sweeps or so, sometimes sooner when there is need.”  
  
    Porrim closed her eyes and exhaled.  “The Great Shift of 176 A.E. was a difficult one, wasn’t it?”  
  
    “And look at the result!  We’ve never known such peace for so long!” Orbius plucked the circlet from the table and started to examine it, amazed at how well it had held up.  “I know it’s not perfectly equal but it sure brought us a lot closer.  Closer than I ever suspected we could ever be in my long lifetime.”  
  
    “That does count as something I’m proud of, certainly.  And you should be, too!  You had as much of a role shaping this as I have.”  
  
    He shook his head.  “Selfless to the last.  I just happened to be here, remember?  Literally right here.”  Orbius made a few exaggerated steps to the right of the table that formed the focal point of the Grand Councilblock and spun on his heel to face her.  “I was standing in this very spot, as agog as everyone else in the block when you and Aranea emerged from that very doorway.  You had already done what no one else had thought possible before I ever laid eyes upon you; a living legend in the flesh.”  
  
    “Oh stop…”  
  
    “I remember the moment you wrenched that golden seat from its moorings and hurled it down to the floor where it has remained ever since.”  
  
    Porrim looked thoughtfully upwards.  “Well, we have had it reupholstered at least ten times so it has technically moved…”  
  
    Another whistle from the violetblood.  “You know full well what I mean.  Aranea’s right; you use snark to deflect due praise.”  
  
    “You know better than anyone I never did any of this for the glory.”  
  
    “But there’s nothing wrong with accepting that you’ve done some wonderful things, all right?”  
  
    At this, Porrim let a small smile appear.  “I have.  And I plan to do some more wonderful things, but I’m ready to do them in an arena other than this one.  We are well on our way: the Colonies are in good hands with their shared governance, there hasn’t been a land dispute either on-or-off-world in the better part of fifty sweeps, and we’ve established such incredible new relationships with other races… and with our own.  And that’s where I plan to focus my energies for at least the next ten sweeps or so.  After that, I might just keep doing it."  
  
    “You’re a mother to the world, Porrim.  I know you’ve heard that countless times, especially lately, but in many ways you actually are.”  
  
    Porrim’s smile broadened.  “Perhaps.  But as of tomorrow night, once the sun sets and that crown is on your head again, I’m going to be a mother to one lovely little girl who has not gotten anywhere near enough of my attention the last three sweeps and then again to at least two more grubs.”  She paused as she considered the gravity of what she had just said.  “Two… I could barely handle ONE once upon a time!”  
  
    Orbius walked back towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder as best he could with her boxy mantle in the way.  “I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.  You were the first… aside from the lusii, of course.”  
  
    “Of course.  I’m still glad they’re willing to continue to assist us.”  
  
    “Are you kidding?  I’m sure they were more than happy to share!  I know there were times that my lusus had more than enough of me!”  
  
    Porrim raised an eyebrow.  “I couldn’t imagine.”  
  
    “No, really!” Orbius continued through Porrim’s teasing laughter.  “Between terrorizing the cuttlefish and riding backwards on his head, I’m surprised he never fed me to the Condesce’s lusus, to be honest.”  
  
    “I’m glad that creature has been reduced to little more than scary bedtime stories and hazy legends.  Not to mention a particularly grim series of books.”  
  
    “And a terrible brand of rum.  I have no idea how ‘The Gl’bgolyb’ still stays on shelves save for bouts of nostalgia by old Navy captains.”  
  
    The jadeblood shuddered.  “Despite Aranea’s best attempts, I have yet to find a rum that isn’t terrible, but that one in particular is decidedly horrid.  The name really is fitting.”  
  
    “Still better than ‘Cap’n Eyegouge’ or ‘Stinky Peette’!  And yes, I’m old enough to remember that one.  ‘Ah-cha-cha-cha… Delicious!’”  
  
    “No.  Just no.  That stuff tasted like someone peed in a bottle.”  
  
    Orbius laughed at her response but then took the circlet from the table and gently popped the jade stone out of its place.  “Here.  You should keep this.”  
  
    She examined the smooth deep green rock as though seeing it for the first time and then again as a thousand sweeps of history came flooding back to her.  “I think I just might.”  
  
    “Better you have it than it end up in some dusty historyhive.  Maybe it’s just because yours is the first one I’ve seen in it that wasn’t fuchsia or maybe it’s because I got to witness so much at your side, but I always thought that no matter who wore the crown or what stone sat inside of it, your jewel was the most beautiful.”  
  
    Porrim looked to her old friend.  “Thanks.  That means more to me than you’ll ever know.  I must admit, one of the greatest decisions I ever made was to stop Aranea from disemboweling you and dancing on your innards.”  
  
    The loud laughter that came from him echoed through the empty block.  “All things considered, Porrim, I would be inclined to agree!  Although if anyone was to dance on them, her boots would certainly be the sexiest choice…”  
  
    “Keep your hatecrush to yourself, Orbius; she’s still taken.”  
  
    “One can dream, right?”  
  
    “We never outlawed dreaming and woe be it to he who tries.  That WOULD bring me back here.”  
  
    Orbius winked.  “Told you that you couldn’t stay away!”  
  
    Porrim sighed as dramatically as she could.  “We’ll see.  Who knows what the next millennium will bring?  For now, the sun is rising and as much as I’d love to wander around outside, evening comes early for everyone and I have someone I really would like to tuck into her ‘coon.  It’s Moving Night tomorrow and she ought to be sleeping.  The last thing I need is for her to be inconsolably cranky.”  
  
    “Understood.  I know Aranea is a handful even when she’s had enough sleep!”  
  
    “You know who I mean, Orbius.”  
  
    “I do indeed.  Maybe some night I might sign up for that grubraising job myself.”  
  
    She gave the violetblood Primero-in-waiting a hug.  “If you do, contact me.  I might be able to put in a good word for you.”  
  
    Orbius feigned surprise.  “You would?  Even after all of these sweeps?”  
  
    “I did say ‘might’. I’ve there’s one thing we know for certain it’s that nothing is for certain.”  Porrim smiled and added, “Calm seas tomorrow, all right?”  
  
    He flashed her a wink and a casual salute.  “We deserve that much.  Sleep well!”  
  
  
  
  
    “So that’s it?  Everyone’s all packed up?” Porrim asked, her voice belying the relief she felt that all of the pomp and circumstance was finally over and done with.  
  
    “I believe everything is on board the hydroskimmer; all we need are our people.”  Aranea surveyed the crowd until her eyes alit upon her friends.  “Aurana and Meulin are saying goodbye to Alyssm and the rest of her security crews and Felida took the Squirt for a squirt back at the tower.  Not sure about the other two.”  
  
    “We do have a gaper on board the ‘skimmer… That kid.  For someone who wants to go back to New Byanbol so badly, she sure doesn’t want to leave here.”  
  
    “Her memories of this place are much stronger than that of where we’re going, love; she’s spent most of her life here.  Hopefully that’ll change soon; it’s going to be nice to settle down and just…”  
  
    Aranea’s pause spoke volumes to her matesprit.   _You have no idea what you’re going to do, do you, Grand Admiral?  
  
    I don’t want to feel like I was pushed out of the role like that scumbag Yamato was but I’m not ten thousand sweeps old either!  
  
    Lucky for you that the position of Grand Admiral isn’t solely ceremonial, Porrim replied empathically.  You can step back in over the Fleet Admiral in case of emergencies or erratic behaviour.  You will still be consulted plenty by the Navy, have no fear.  You just get to do it from Hive Sweet Hive now._  
  
    A mischievous grin appeared on Aranea’s features as she adjusted her long black overcoat which sat over her cerulean, black and gold dress uniform.   _What if I started my OWN Navy to keep the current one in line?  Give them a challenge, say?  Gotta keep them on their collective toes lest they get soft._  
  
    Porrim just stared back at her.  “You have got to be kidding me.  Once a Gamblignant…”  
  
    Aranea beamed.  “You know it.  Everyone needs a hobby, right?  Oh, here comes the dog and cat show!”  
  
    “Rae, be nice,” Porrim teased.  “You two ready to go?”  
  
    Aurana and Meulin approached, hand in hand.  “I know I’m certainly ready for a slower pace,” Meu said, “Somebody, however, is still concerned about the quality of the security we’re leaving behind for Ampora.”  
  
    “What can I say?  I take pride in my work and I want them to be the best there is.”  
Porrim placed a gentle hand on her moirail’s shoulder.  “They can’t be; you already are the best there is and I’m glad I’ve to have you two around where we’re going.  The hive you’ve built next door is going to be quite lovely.”  
  
    “And it doubles as a security outpost for yours!” Aurana added with more than a hint of excitement.  “We have all sorts of motion sensors and cameras in case anyone tries anything silly.”  
  
    “Please tell me you don’t have cameras in our respiteblock?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “Please tell me you doooooooo!”  
  
    Porrim rolled her eyes.  “Never change, Aranea Serket.”  
  
    “You’ve been with me for over a thousand sweeps, dear heart; you should know by now that it’s quite unlikely to happen!”  
  
    Porrim was about to reply with an equally smart remark when she spotted two more people passing through the security gate to join them.  “Maybe I should be glad my guardians are here because here comes trouble!”  
  
    Meu giggled.  “Which one?”  
  
    “Both in their own way!”  The smaller of the two figures broke into a flat-out run while the other sauntered along behind.  “There you are!”  
  
    “MOMMY!!!”    
  
    Porrim watched the young girl come racing towards her: although the pale greens and blues of her elaborate dress spoke nothing out of the ordinary about the child, the small fuchsia-tinged fins on her ears made it clear she was something special.  The jadeblood kept her empathic guard up and her eyes on the assembled well-wishers; all of Alternia knew of the girl’s nature and even in these enlightened times, Porrim still wondered if someone might try to make a name for themselves by harming the first fuchsiablood hatched in nearly two thousand sweeps.  Even though it had been all of a few minutes since the girl saw her, the child grabbed Porrim around the legs in a tight hug.   _Gods, I do enjoy this._  “Feferi, you knew there is a load gaper on the ‘skimmer, right?”  
  
    “Yeah but I wanted to go say goodbye to the Tower ‘cause I dunno when we might ever come back ‘cause Rainy said it might be a long time, right Rainy?”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.  “Both Porrim and I have told you we’ll come back sometime, Squirt.  This tower has stood for a long, long time; it’s not going anywhere soon.”  She reached down tickled one of the girl’s tiny horns to make her laugh and added, “And besides, you’re going to have so much fun where we’re going, you’re going to forget allllllll about this place.”  
  
    “Maybe somenight you’ll even come back here to work like Mommy did!” Porrim added.  
  
    Feferi looked at Aranea, perplexed.  “Why’d you make that face, Rainy?”  
  
    _Rae!_  
  
    “Yeah, Rainy!” Felida said as she joined them, “Why’d you make that face?”  
  
    “Listen here, _Feeda_ , never you mind.  Anyway, my dear, I couldn’t help it.  It’s because the job your Mommy did was kind of a tough one – maybe the very, very toughest – and I wouldn’t want to see such a precious girl like you put up with a bunch of grumpy jerks who can’t even decide what to name a leisurespace without arguing for hours and hours.”  
  
    “Ohhhhhhhh…” Feferi replied in a nearly flawless reproduction of Aranea’s manner of drawing out her speech.  “I see!  Okay!”  
  
    _Nice save, Rae, but still… She won’t be Meenah.  We won’t let her grow up that way.  
  
    I know.  I just… really don’t want to see her corrupted by power or anything like that.  Maybe she could be a professional fish cuddler for a few thousand sweeps?  That would be nice!_  
  
    “Mommy?  Why does a leisurespace need a name?  And how do you name it?”  
  
    “The same way we named you, Squirt!” Felida chimed in, “We put a bunch of lettermagnets on the front of the thermal hull and we mixed them all up until we got something that didn’t sound like a noise people make when they’re having a shit!”  
  
    “Shit noises!  Hee hee!” Feferi giggled and made a wet farting sound, which earned Felida an unimpressed scowl from the jadeblood.    
  
    Porrim crouched and brushed Feferi’s hair back.  “Listen, to go back to what Aranea was saying before, you can be anything you want to be and that includes being a leader.  You’re smart enough, determined enough and courageous enough to be Primera somenight if you work hard at it.  I’d be proud to see you sitting in that golden chair as a kind and benevolent ruler.”  
  
    Feferi gave her adoptive mother a puzzled look.  “I thought rulers were for measuring things?  Oh well!”  She reached into the small bag she had belted to her waist and extracted a rather well worn stuffed cuttlefish toy on a leash.  “Come on, Skidle!  Let’s go for a skimmer ride!”  The girl proceeded to drag the fish along behind her as she headed for the stairs.    
  
    “Soooooooo, when do we start teaching her about her heritage, love?” Aranea asked as they watched their daughter climb the stairs into the large watercraft.  
  
    “She’s almost old enough for flashlearning and when she starts taking in the history lessons, she’s going to find that we pulled no punches when it comes to her predecessors.  Nor should we have.  It will be up to us to show her that having the last name of Peixes doesn’t mean she has to be vicious or cruel.”  
  
    “I still think giving her a different last name like Ichtys might have been wise.”  
  
    “While it’s slightly easier to say than Yuooza like somebody’s kismesis suggested, it really shouldn’t matter.  The only concern I’ve had is whether someone might try to harm her for being a fuchsiablood but she’s survived just fine here in the heart of Capitol most of her life and there will be even less risk to her in New Byanbol.”  
  
    “It doesn’t hurt that we have some of the best bodyguards on the planet and that they’re coming with us.”  Aranea gestured to Aurana and Meulin as they boarded the hydroskimmer behind Feferi.  “Where are said kismesis and her matesprit, anyway?”  
  
    Porrim looked back in the direction of the assembled crowd.  “He should be rather hard to miss but she could even hide behind Felida…”  
  
    “Hello?  I’m right here, smartnook!”  Felida gave Porrim a solid punch on the arm.  “You can do way better than short jokes, Jadebutt.”  
  
    “And I’m thankful every single night that you opted to regrow that arm of yours.  As gentle as you could be with the mechanical hand, I always wondered if you were going to accidently punch me into next week at some point.  You’d think that when he regrew your leg he could have found a way to add a few inches in length…”  
  
    Felida returned the glower she got from Porrim earlier.  “Yeah.  Because having me stumble around with one leg longer than the other would have looked really fucking cool.”  
  
    “If you asked nicely enough, Felida, I could have cut the other one off, too, and then had him regrow that one to match,” Aranea offered.  “Seems like a logical approach, no?”  
  
    “Don’t you start!  Anyway, the Living Legend is shaking hands and kissing grubs over there and Horuss is probably crouched down beside her because unlike SOME people, he feels kinda bad for towering over his quadmate all the time.”  
  
    Porrim patted her kismesis on the head.  “And for the life of me, I don’t know why you can’t just be happy in the shade I provide.”  
  
    “Keep it up and I’ll get a chainsaw and see how equal I can make things!”  
  
    “A chainsaw… how quaint.”  Porrim craned her neck to try and look where Felida had suggested their friends were.  “Is this something you can only see with your mechanical eye?  Shame Horuss couldn’t regrow that for you since you’re all about equality tonight.”  She turned her attention to her own matesprit.  “It’s unfortunate that we can’t call either of them empathically.”  
  
    “Indeed.”  
  
    Felida sighed loudly.  “Allow me.  HEY CURLYHORNS!  YOU AND SWEATY BIGBOY NEED TO GET YOUR COLLECTIVE ASSES ON THE FAST BOAT TO BYANBOL SO I CAN GET SOME FROM MY OWN MATESPRIT SOMETIME TONIGHT OKAY?”  She waited until she was certain the intended recipient of her message had heard her – the upturned middle finger served as adequate confirmation – and then faced her quadmates with a satisfied smile on her face.  “You’re welcome.”  
  
    Porrim put a hand to her face.  “Your gift of eloquence remains as breathtaking as ever, Felida.”  
  
    “Don’t listen to her, my sweet,” Aranea said, gently stroking one of her moirail’s horns to elicit a pleased moan from her, “I continue to find your direct approach not only effective but entirely arousing.”  
  
    “I learned from the best, Mistress.”  
  
    “So what makes you think your matesprit will be in any mood to ‘give you some’, anyway?” Porrim asked.  “She’s just been installed in her new role and is up to her fangs in grubs.  I’m glad she was able to make the ceremony but I understood when I saw her bolt for her airjet as soon as it was done.”  
  
    “She’ll make time for me, don’t you worry.  And if she doesn’t, I’m sure one or both of you would be more than happy to fill in?”  
  
    Porrim chuckled.  “Well, I would like an excuse to maybe toss you around a bit and paddle your entirely deserving ass for threatening me with an antique woodcutting device, but I suspect my matesprit may call first dibs.”  
  
    “Indeed I would, dear heart, but I’m certain we could slide her in somewhere, toooooooo…”  
  
    Felida beamed.  “Thank you, Mistress!”  She followed this by sticking her tongue out at Porrim.  
  
    “I’ll take you up on that later once we get Fef in her ‘coon, Feeda.  Oh, good, they’re coming now.”  
  
   The three women watched as Horuss Zahhak rose and gently took the much smaller hand of his matesprit, Daremo Megido, into his own and walked alongside her.  Even after all of the sweeps that had passed, Porrim remained awed that the tiny maroonblood was still with them: in 174 A.E., using a derivative of a chemical in Porrim’s own Drinker saliva, she and Horuss were able to develop a serum that would greatly extend the lifespan of lowbloods; Daremo insisted on being the first to try it.  Although her exact age remained unknown, the world acknowledged Daremo as the longest living maroonblood in the history of Alternia, many considering the equivalent of her “hatching night” as the night the Empire ended a thousand sweeps prior.  She had made the most of that extended life, serving as Primera twelve times - a number matched only by Porrim’s own - and many other occasions as Chief Prefect of the Eastern Prefectures.  As many lowbloods partook of the extended lifespans they were offered, Daremo proved instrumental in helping to develop the necessary societal shifts that came with it; Porrim considered her not only a close friend but an equal and one of her greatest allies.  As they approached, Porrim watched Daremo’s face: the woman’s eyes narrowed and a nasty grin appeared.  “You’re lucky we’re inclade, Felida, or else I’d beat you within a centimeter of your life and then beat you another half centimeter further just so you might learn a fucking lesson!”  
  
    “Psssssh!  Who, you and this One Horse Army?  Horuss wouldn’t harm so much as a single hair on my head.  Hi, Horuss!”  Felida waved happily at the gigantic indigoblood.  
  
    “Er… hello, Felida!  I must confess, Daremo, she is correct.  I’ve taken precautions on multiple occasions to ensure that I do not hurt her in any neigh… I mean, way.”  
  
    Even with the added height her dressy footwear afforded her, Daremo remained a touch shorter than the oliveblooded admiral.  “So be it.   I’ll just have to kick the living shit out of you myself, then!”  
  
    “Promises, promises,” Felida taunted.  “Save it for the respiteblock, lady; and if we’re not available, you can take it out on tall, dark and sweaty here once we get where we’re going – if you can hold out that long, of course.”  
  
    Daremo tipped her head up to take in the form of her towering matesprit; his response was to grin awkwardly and quickly wipe the rapidly forming sweat from his forehead.  “No promises,” she replied, “it’s a long trip.”  
  
    “It’s only an hour, Dar,” Porrim commented.  
  
    She shrugged.  “If I wear him out, there are other people on the ‘skimmer, I suppose…”  
  
    Felida blinked a couple of times and then looked over to Aranea.  “Hear that, Mistress?”  
  
    “She’ll have to settle for Zahhak; I don’t often get to captain a ship anymore, even if it’s a bloody hydroskimmer so I’ll be driving, making it awfully hard to attend to anyone’s sexual needs.”  
  
    “That’s unfortunate; I do like a challenge,” Daremo said with a hint of disappointment.  “Kind of a shame you’ve mellowed out after all these sweeps…”  
  
    A slow smile crept across Aranea’s face, her fangs slowly appearing.  “I know full well what you’re up to, _girl_ ,” she said, intentionally choosing a word that she knew gave her ebon mate fits for some reason, “Don’t think for a second that it isn’t working.”  
  
    “Feferi is going to be RIGHT THERE.”  Porrim crossed her arms and stared at the two caliginous partners.  “I know it’s WAY too late to get ashen with you two but can it wait until later?”  
  
    “I supposssssssse…”  
  
    Daremo just laughed.  “I was just having fun, Porrim, don’t worry.  You sure take this ‘mother’ thing quite seriously, don’t you?”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “You could say that.”  
  
    “Guess it’s you and me, then, big guy.  Giddyup!”  Daremo took Horuss by the hand this time and led him to the hydroskimmer’s entryway.  He offered a quick wave as they walked past which Porrim and the others returned.   
  
    Aranea watched them depart, Daremo in particular.  “You have to admit, Porrim, she does look gooooooood in that red dress.  I’ve always been a fan of those Eastern heritage outfits and she makes it work.”  She spared a quick glimpse at Horuss and added, “She even makes Zahhak look half decent just by being beside him!”  
  
    “I’m just glad he’s actually willing to wear the suits I have made for him,” Porrim said once the couple was on board.  “Do you remember that one he wore to the very first parade?  I swore he was going to have a serious wardrobe malfunction!”  
  
    “He still wears his skintight robo-outfit under them, of course,” Felida added.  “It’s not like we would have gotten an eyeful of bulge.”  
  
    Porrim snorted at this.  “No, but we might have gotten an eyeful of high speed projectile!  Those buttons were under such extreme tension…”  
  
    “As much as I’m enjoying this little trip down Memory Lane, wasn’t it you who wanted to get underway, love?”  
  
    “Yes, I suppose so.  Just… kind of funny how I’m remembering all of these things now that we’re literally leaving this place for what will likely be a very long time.”  
  
    “Do you really think so?  I bet it’s not even an entire lunar cycle before someone comes looking for our assistance.  I don’t doubt Ampora or his ability to lead – he’s done it plenty – but it’s when people go into hiding that other people feel the need to start looking for them.”  
  
    “We’re not going into hiding,” Porrim protested.  “We’re finally getting some time to focus on a new chapter of our lives and maybe encourage others who are interested in grubraising to try it out.”  
  
    Felida unleashed a groan.  “Kayolo keeps bugging me to try it but I think I get enough hands-on with grubs and kids just helping out at the Caves.  The idea of having one that I had to make sure was fed, clothed and gaper trained at all times is more than a little scary!”  
  
    Porrim placed a hand on her shoulder as they walked towards the ‘skimmer.  “Don’t worry, you’d have all kinds of help!  There are plenty of lusii around the Caves to assist now.”  
  
    “Yay!  Because screeching white animals are just who I want to turn to for assistance.”  
  
    “Um, you were raised by one, Felida, remember?  Frankly, I’m surprised it didn’t take more than one; I suspect you were a handful as a grub.”    
  
    “Ha!” Felida mocked, “One grub is one thing but I bet you’re going to have your hands even fuller trying to juggle three!”  
  
    Aranea bit her lip as she thought about the fact that she was trading in running the Naval Operations of a Space Republic for a whole new set of duties.  “She may have a point, Porrim…”  
  
    “Uh-uh!  No backing out on this now, Rae; this may be the most important job we ever take on.  Besides, Fef isn’t a grub anymore.  And further to your concern, Felida, with those other lusii around to help out, that means we can still spare some of our time to whatever the world requests of us.  Or even do whatever we choose to for a change!  We’re free to be us again.”  
  
    Felida pondered this for a moment.  “So this means I’m officially a retired Admiral now, right?”  
  
    Aranea nodded.  
  
    “YES!!!!!”  Without any warning or delay, Felida immediately begin undoing her dress uniform, tossing the tunic to Porrim before pulling her pants down.  “Here’s what I think of your goofy dress clothes, Jadebutt!  You like ‘em, YOU wear ‘em!”  
  
    “Er, Felida…”  
  
    “You ever notice how she never has to wear any of these military straitjackets?” Felida asked Aranea, who was calmly watching her moirail hurriedly disrobing in front of her.  “Nooooo, she just gets to wear that entirely comfortable and incredibly flattering Sister’s Robe wherever she goes.  Well, my nights of being strangled by tight collars and stripey pants are all over, lady.”  The oliveblood gathered the garments up off of the ground, thrust them at her kismesis and popped off a crisp salute.  “Ha!  Good riddance!  Merry Twelfth Perigee’s Eve, Porrim!  All yours!”  
  
    Porrim accepted the offered clothing and examined her grinning hatemate.  “While I’ve always understood your disdain for my uniform designs, Felida, you do realize that you’re wearing what you usually wear under it, which is nothing, and that we’re still outside the hydroskimmer.”  
  
    “Oh shit.”  
  
    “Uh huh.”  
  
    “I’m basically showing my ass off to the entire city right now is what you’re saying.”  
  
    Aranea nodded again.  “That’s pretty much correct, yes.”  
  
    Felida simply shrugged.  “Meh.  Oh well.”  She looked back over her shoulder at the cameradrones and the whistling crowds behind her, offered them a blown kiss and a smack on her backside and then strutted up the gangplank and onto the ‘skimmer.    
  
    Porrim and Aranea stood facing one another, doing their best to figure out what to make of it.  “I’m reasonably certain I can hear Horuss sweating in the passengerblock from here,” Aranea finally said, causing Porrim to snort with laughter.  
  
    “I suspect you’re ri-”  
  
    A little voice was heard from inside the vessel.  “Feeda?  How come you don’t have no clothes on?  Are you going swimming?  Can I go swimming, too?”  
  
    “I don’t have no clothes on because clothes are _STUPID_ and _NO ONE_ should have to wear them!” Felida answered just loudly enough that she knew Porrim would hear her.  
  
    “Yay!  Stupid clothes can go away!”  
  
    Porrim’s hand flew to her face.  “Okay, maybe she shouldn’t look after a grub…  I better get in there before Feferi AND Daremo follow her lead!  Damn nudists…”  She took to the stairs and ran inside the hydroskimmer, shouting, “Feferi, dear, don’t listen to silly Feeda!  You keep your dress that Mommy made for you on until we get to our new home, okay?”  
  
     Aranea needed a moment to get a grip on her laughing and then looked back at the crowds and the sky-reaching golden trident.  Yeah, it’s time to move on.  She then entered the ‘skimmer, took a quick look at the chaos ensuing in the passengerblock, shook her head and pushed the button that raised the stairs.   _Sure glad I chose to steer the ship tonight…_

 

 

    Porrim slid her fingers slowly across the cool stone plaque in hopes that by touching the graceful features of Lamiea Maryam’s face that she might somehow be able to communicate with her just once more.   _I know you would never come out and say farewell but we both knew.  It feels so strange being here and knowing that you’re not here and never will be again.  
  
    She always will be here from now on_ , Kayolo answered in her head as she moved to stand beside Porrim.   _Her remains are in a small urn behind that plaque, returned to the stardust that we all come from, as it always must be.  
  
    And so it shall be done._  
  
    Kayolo made a soft chuckle.  “Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to NOT say that now?  After a thousand damn sweeps of answering that way, now everyone says it to me.  Not gonna lie, it’s really weird!”  
  
    “I’m certain you’ll get used to it soon enough, Your Elegance.”    
  
    “Oh gods… and THAT, too!  Porrim, if you’d have told me a thousand sweeps ago that I of all people would be the Grand Maryarch somenight, I’d have laughed and laughed and then suggested you lay off of the bloodwine!”  
  
    “I must admit that I thought you weren’t coming back here after your Sojourn with Felida.  How did Lamiea convince you to stay?”  
  
    Kayolo thought for a moment and then answered, “Cookies.  Never underestimate the power of a warm cookie.”  
  
    Porrim snorted.  “Don’t try to outsnark a snarker, Sister.  That said, her cookies were the best.”  
  
    “Yep.  I was seriously considering having that mentioned in her biograph holovid.”  
  
    “You would.  Don’t judge someone by their baking skills: Aranea says that the Condesce used to make a pretty mean cookie.”  
  
    “Really?  Like, ‘mean’ as in ‘good’ or ‘mean’ as in ‘might literally chew your face off before you could bite into it’?”  
  
    Porrim blinked a couple of times.  “You know, I’m honestly not certain.  Both seem equally plausible.  And listen to us saying ‘mean’ in that old vernacular.  We’re really showing our age, aren’t we?”  
  
    “Hey, speak for yourself,” Kayolo jibed.  “Compared to the way some of the young ones talk when they come back for a visit from the colonies, we at least make sense!”  
  
    “You have to expect that language would change and develop, especially when many only spend their first ten sweeps on Alternia and then spend the rest living on another world with the locals, be those locals are transplanted Alternians or not!”  Porrim considered for a moment about whether to speak her next words aloud or just transmit them via her Sisterly bond but opted to say them to make her point: “I honestly have no idea how anyone can speak Bpfasshi without swallowing a handful of hot gravel first but it’s certainly made for some interesting ‘borrowed words’.  How was I supposed to know their ambassador was greeting me and not about to vomit on my robes?  I feared I’d never live that one down!”    
  
    Kayolo chuckled as she recalled their first encounters with Alternians who had returned home after living among other races; while their first colony worlds were virtually uninhabited, Alternians were invited to live on worlds that received trade and protection from them, many of those exchanges made possible by Porrim’s diplomatic missions.  The results were decidedly beneficial and created different offshoots of Alternian society; those who returned to their homeworld for the sake of pleasure or pilgrimage often introduced new customs and mannerisms that those on the homeworld found curious or occasionally peculiar.  “Considering most people couldn’t understand a single word their lusus had to say, I don’t think anyone was really too horrified.  Oh… and Felida said she can’t wait until we encounter aliens that communicate with tapdancing and farts; she thinks I’d be a natural interpreter for them.”  
  
    Porrim turned to face her with a look of disbelief.  “I had no idea you could tapdance.”  
  
    “You suck!”  
  
    “Only at suppertime.  And no need to plead innocence; I know full well what certain grubpastes do to you.  I spent the first sweeps of my life sharing a respiteblock with you, remember?”    
  
    “Hey, I don’t eat a lot of that stuff anymore,” Kayolo protested, “You know how Drinkerhood changes your appetites.”  She looked around the room and at the faces of the Grand Maryarchs of the past.  “Can you believe we’re still here?”  
  
    “How do you mean?” Porrim asked.  
  
    “Well, look at us: you, the renegade returned triumphant, more successful than any of us could have imagined; and me, the one who would have given anything to not be here is now the one running the place.  And we’re both glowy bloodsuckers to boot.  I know that was the last thing I ever wanted…”  
  
    “But is it really so bad?  At least it came with a gift we’ve been able to share with the rest of the world now.  And your matesprit would have been but a distant memory without it.”  
  
    At this Kayolo smiled.  “True.  But there are some nights I wish I could just feel warm again without having to stay up to daywalk.”    
  
    “Small price to pay, I’d say.  Besides, I love how the world looks bathed in sunlight.  It’s so peaceful and serene, no one around except the occasional lusus… it’s one of the few times I truly feel like I can really be free of all of the pressures of the world.”  
  
    “That what I always admired about you, you know: you can always find the positive in everything.  And somehow you find a way to make it happen, even when others can’t seem to see it as a good thing at first.”  
  
    “I know where you’re going with that.  It makes me happy to know that even Lamiea came to understand why I did what I did.”  She regarded the graven image of the only Grand Maryarch she had ever known, a woman as much of a mother figure to her as the Mother Grub that dwelled below, and wondered what the serene yet passionate woman was making of the Afterdeath.   _Truly the final frontier and a voyage we must all eventually embark on - but now we can take it when we are ready, once we’ve all had a chance to truly live a life.  Thank you for everything, Lamiea; your encouragement gave me the strength to live mine to its fullest._  “Well, if this adoptive grubraising idea catches on, we may even see Alternians growing up on other worlds that this one instead of leaving as young adults.  Can you imagine?”   
  
    “If all goes well, we should live to see it!  But speaking of which,” Kayolo continued, placing a hand on Porrim’s shoulder, “are you ready?”  
  
    “Now?  Already?”  
  
    “Mmhmm.  They emerged from the Trials by the time I got back from Capitol.  All their bits seem to be in one place and they’re eating us out of grubpaste as I speak.  All they need now are their names.”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t recall being quite this excited in a very long time.  “Aranea?”  
  
    “She’s already waiting by the doors.  I’m sure she’s just as keen to meet them as you are.  Besides, Lamiea will still be here if you want to come back later on.”  
  
    “That’s… rather dark but then I suspect she would have said the same thing.”  
  
    Kayolo grinned.  “That’s why I said it!  Let's go, then… the future awaits!”  
  
    “A touch overdramatic, don’t you think?”  
  
    “Never mind!  Come on!”  
  
    They exited the memorialblock and took to the gentle spiraling slope that led down to the Mother Grub chamber below.  “So how have Sarafi and Maieka been doing with the added responsibilities now that you’re officially running the show?” Porrim inquired.  “Was Maieka ready for the Sunchamber?”  
  
    “Porrim, I was barely ready for it and I was the one running the ceremony!  That was the first time anyone had used the Sunchamber in over a thousand sweeps!”  
  
    “Used it for what it was _meant_ to be used for, you mean?”  
  
    Kayolo snorted.  “You’ll never let me live that down, will you?”  
  
    “Nope!”  
  
    “Anyway,” Kayolo continued, “you can imagine how utterly horrified I was having to do… well, ‘it’.  The very thing I was so afraid of having done to me and here I am, holding that blade over another woman’s chest…”  
  
    “Would you have preferred she endured the ‘First Death’ the way you did, though?”  
  
    “Do you have any idea how many times I asked myself that question in the hours before I had to do it?  I was so worked up over not wanting to die in there, volunteering for it, that maybe dying in battle was the better choice for me.  Maieka seemed quite prepared for what was to come, though; she just closed her eyes and smiled and when it was done, she woke up and said how much she enjoyed the feeling of the sunlight on her skin.  I suppose it was just right for her.  Porrim, I was so scared my hand was going to shake at the wrong moment and I would stab her in the face or something!”  
  
    Porrim’s hand flew to her mouth.  “I really shouldn’t be laughing about this…”  
  
    “Hey, at the time, I would have said the same, but at least I can laugh about it now!  Could have been worse, I suppose; she could have broke her neck falling down the stairs like Sarafi.  I did warn her about those…”  
  
    “So I gather Kaasan was your Third for the ceremony?  She’s been back here plenty over the sweeps.”  
  
    “That’s right,” Kayolo confirmed.  “It was a bit of a crash course in teaching her how the ceremony worked but then she always seemed to regret leaving the Caves.  Certainly not the first time we’ve had a promising Sister choose the world over this place but if they’re willing to come back to visit, I’m glad to have all the help I can get!”  
  
    This sparked a memory for Porrim.  “Speaking of which, have you heard from Kokoro at all?”  
  
    Kayolo shook her head.  “No, not since she dyed her hair pink and ran off with that shouty healthtender guy.  Last I heard she was living in the Eastern Prefectures somewhere; I’m sure she’ll be quite happy there.”  
  
    Porrim made a sound of agreement.  “She always was fascinated with their customs.  I figured she would have made a point of coming back to meet Yandro.  Everyone else seemed so curious about him.”  
  
    “Eighteen thousand, six hundred and seventy sweeps since we had a male jadeblood hatch and survive to pupation.  Everybody and their lusus had to come and gawk at the poor fellow.  I know some found it odd we call him ‘Sister’ but it’s a title, no different than calling a ship’s captain ‘Sir’ once upon a time.”  
  
    “Aranea dealt with that by just having everyone call her ‘Captain’ or ‘Marquise’, depending on her company.  Titles are just a name for something; it’s what a person does that decides whether their name is spoken with reverence or revulsion.”  
  
    “You’re like a walking ‘Famous Quote’ machine, you know that?”  
  
    “I’m not even trying, I swear!” Porrim protested.  
  
    “I know,” Kayolo said, giving her a playful nudge. “You genuinely think like that all the time.  It’s just… so you.  Now, are you ready for this?”    
  
    Porrim stopped and took a breath; not only could she hear the excited chatter around the corner but she could feel the empathic surges that came with it.  “As ready as I can be, I suppose.”  
  
    “Then let’s go!”  Kayolo led the way and Porrim followed behind her to see the four other Solemn Sisters, Sarafi, Maieka, Vahine and Yandro, as well as visiting former Sister Kaasan, huddled around Aranea while Felida and Feferi looked on.    
  
    “Porrim!” Aranea called out, “You have got to see this!”  
  
    “That’s the plan!”  Porrim hurried over to the group to see Aranea holding a squirming blue grub in her arms in a rather awkward manner.  She reached out and helped to reset the small insectoid into the crook of Aranea’s arm so that it was far more comfortable for them both.  “I know you only got to hold Fef once when she was a grub so this is still rather new to you.”  
  
    Aranea was quite glad to be wearing her jacket lest the pointed tips of the grub’s legs scratch her up too terribly.  “All of these legs, all going at once!  She’s a curious one…”  
  
    Porrim snickered as she watched her matesprit try to keep the child still.  “Are you even remotely surprised by this?  Look at her horns.”  
  
    “Why?  Are they…”  The question never escaped her lips as she realized the grub’s horns were identical to her own.    
  
    “As far as we can tell, what is happening here is likely unprecedented,” Kayolo explained.  “It is virtually unheard of for someone to meet their own offspring.  However, the Mother Grub was able to… produce this exception.  She is a Serket, almost identical to you but with a few genetic differences because that’s how the whole thing works.  We won’t know if she shares your empathic abilities for a few sweeps but there’s no question that she is your child.”  
  
    Aranea found herself without words but continued to watch the wriggling form continue to attempt to climb to her shoulder with rapt fascination.  
  
    Porrim was about to remark on the grub’s determination when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder.  “Hey, Jadebutt, you might wanna look over here for a sec?  They’re waiting for you.”  
  
    “Hm?  Oh!  Ri…”    
  
    She too lost her voice for a moment as the other jadebloods had massed around her.  Porrim watched as Maieka passed another grub to Kayolo, who held it aloft.  “Unto us is delivered a new Sister, another caretaker in a great unbroken line of caretakers, charged with the sacred task of seeing our youngest survive and thrive.  However long she chooses to serve in that role and wherever else she may go, may she find knowledge, wisdom and love both here and beyond these ancient walls.  May she find peace wherever she lives and may her name ever be spoken with tones of kindness and light.  And so it shall be done.”  
  
    “And so it shall be done,” came the unified reply.  
  
    “That name is yours to give her, Porrim,” Kayolo said as she passed the jade coloured grub to her.    
  
    Porrim cradled the quiet grub, who looked up at her with dark green eyes that mirrored her own.  A couple of tears slipped down her face as she the emotion of the moment took hold.  “And I have one to give.  Believe it or not, it was Felida who suggested it.”  
  
    The oliveblood in question was puzzled.  “Say what?”  
  
    “A long, long time ago, I thought you were calling to me; I said that wasn’t my name but I really liked the sound of it.  I swore that if I ever had the chance to name someone that it’s what I’d use.”  
  
    “How long ago was this?”  
  
    “About a thousand sweeps ago in these very Caves.”  
  
    Felida shook her head.  “You remember something like that from that long ago?  Porrim, I barely remember what I ate for breakfast some nights.”  
  
    “That’s because your thinkpan is about nine hundred sweeps older than it’s supposed to be.  I can completely understand if it doesn’t work quite right.”  
  
    “You know what would be a real fucking shame?  If I had to bite you right now in front of all of these lovely people.”  
  
    Porrim chortled.  “You realize that the majority of the jadebloods in this room have to bite people to live, right?  You’re completely out of your league here, Felida; don’t bite off more than you can chew.”  
  
    “Aranea?  Please make her stop.  You can totally make her stop.  I know you can.”  
  
    “Nope.  Busy.”  Aranea tickled the grub’s exposed belly which made her writhe and squeal with delight.  
  
    Felida turned to Kayolo in search of support and found none there either.  “Sorry, babe; I can’t tell her what to do either.  Being Grand Maryarch would only mean something if she actually still worked here.  You’re on your own.”  
  
    “Thanks oh so much for that.”  She returned her attention to her kismesis, “Guess what, Jadebutt: there will be biting.  It may be later, when you least expect it, but biting there will be.”  
  
    “Stop it; you’re scaring the grub.”  When Felida’s eyes widened in uncertainty, Porrim added, “I’m kidding, relax.  Anyway, how does this go again?  Oh, right…”   She cleared her throat and continued, “Unto us is delivered a new Sister.  So long as she walks upon Alternia, under stars or sun, she shall have the name Kanaya, and so it shall be done.”  
  
    “And so it shall be done.”  
  
    Felida raised an eyebrow.  “And I came up with this?”  
  
    “You did.  Thank you.”  Porrim gave her a quick kiss on one of her horns and then settled her newly named grub back into a space between her elbow and her chest.  “Yours needs a name, too, Rae; I’m certain Sister Sarafi here is just itching to record it in the Register.”  
  
    “I am indeed!” the Sister in question added; she was all but glowing with excitement.  “New Serkets are quite uncommon!”  
  
    Aranea went to speak but was interrupted by a rather loud squeal from her shaggy-haired grub.  “Listen here, you, I ne-”    
  
    Another happy high-pitched screech drowned her out once again.  
  
    _Is this normal, dear heart?  
  
    There is no such thing as normal where raising a grub is concerned.  Feferi is certainly a special case but all children present challenges.  This one might just have a lot to say?_  
  
    “If I may,” Sarafi interjected, “if you’re looking for a historical suggestion that might be fitting, in the region where the second Serket lusus settled the ancient dialect was a rich and fascinating one!”  
  
    _Holy shit, Mistress, she’s about as bad as you when you go on a tirade about rum or ships or something else that fills your sails!  If she had wings, she could be an Exposition Fairy, too!  
  
    Shush you; besides, I’m rather curious about what she has to saaaaaaaay._  
  
    Sarafi continued, oblivious of the moirails’ mental conversation.  “While the language used that yielded the name ‘Serket’ for the first one was equally fascinating, I bring up the dialect developed in the northwestern continent because of a specific word that seems to suit this grub of yours which happens to have a rather lovely lilt to it.  They had a term that was dual-natured: it could refer to either a happy squeak or an unpleasant screech, depending on the context and situation it was used in.  As many grubs are quite capable of both of these sounds – and this grub seems particularly gifted – it would be quite fitting should you choose to use this word to give her the name ‘Vriska’.”  
   
    Aranea rolled it around in her mouth a couple of times.  “Vriska… Vriska, eh?  I’ve certainly never encountered anyone else with that name in all my travels.”  
  
    “It does have an intriguing note to it, doesn’t it?” Porrim added.  “Almost exotic.”  
  
    “Friska?” Feferi asked.  “Can I hold Friska and Kanya?”  
  
    “It’s more of a ‘v’ sound, Fef,” Porrim corrected.  
  
    “She’ll get there, love.  Here, kiddo,” Aranea said as she offered the squeaking grub to the young fuchsiablood; Porrim followed suit shortly after.    
  
    “Hee hee!” the girl giggled as she tried to contain them.  “So many little legs!  They’re pokey!”  
  
    Porrim reached down to assist Feferi but paused when she noticed the pair of grubs were calming down.  “Hmm… yours doesn’t seem quite as screechy all of a sudden.”  
  
    Aranea looked over.  “I suspect it’s because she has someone to cuddle with – and I don’t just mean Fef.”  
  
    “Oh!  I see!”    
  
    Feferi tittered as the cerulean grub spotted the jade one and tried to migrate over to the same shoulder to get closer to her.   Once over there, Vriska curled up beside Kanaya, who seemed more than happy to have the company.    
  
    “Okay, I think things are getting a little lopsided there,” Felida said as she stepped forward to assist Feferi.  “How about you come with m-”  
  
    “HISSSSSSSS”  
  
    Felida jumped back, startled.  “Well, fine then!  Hey, Porrim, I think that came from the green one!”  
  
    “Somehow, I’m not surprised.”  Porrim approached and gently lifted Kanaya from the girl’s shoulder and motioned for Aranea to do the same with her offspring.  “You did very well with them, Fef!  We’re just moving them because your shoulder isn’t big enough yet for both at once.”  
  
    “That’s okay, Mommy!”  
  
    Felida turned her attention to Kayolo.  “You still want to take care of one of these?”  
  
    “One?  Felida, we take care of them ALL.  But tell me it wouldn’t be fun to raise one all the way up?”  
  
    “Hmmmmm…”  Felida reached over and tousled Feferi’s hair.  “They do get cuter when they stop looking so much like bugs.”  
  
    Kayolo laughed.  “Don’t forget you started out as a bug once, too!”  
  
    “Ugh.  Don’t remind me.”  
  
    Porrim and Aranea moved to stand beside Felida and put their respective grubs on her chest where they promptly curled up beside one another again.  “See, my sweet?” Aranea said, “So long as you don’t try to get between a Serket and a Maryam, you’re quite popular with both!”  
  
    “And they’re both more than happy snuggling up to my boobs, too.  Hey, wouldn’t it be weird if rumblespheres made liquid food like that milk Horuss gets from his lusus?”  
  
    “What a bizarre thought, even by your standards, Felida,” Porrim said, trying not to cringe.    
  
    Felida narrowed her eyes at her.  “Says the woman who bites people and drinks their blood!”  
  
    Porrim chuckled and thought to her, _We won’t get into what you like to drink with little sponge clots around…_   
  
    “Admittedly, it would make more sense if they had a purpose other than adding lovely curves,” Aranea added, changing the subject.  “Soooooooo, do we get to take them back to our hive now?”  
  
    “Not yet, I’m afraid.  They’ll need to stay here until they pupate, just like the rest,” Kayolo answered, just as a bleating squall came from behind her, causing every set of eyes to focus on the massive arched doorway that led into the Mother Grub cave.  “Speaking of which, someone is demanding to be fed right now.  I wanted to wait until everyone was settled in before I asked you about this, Porrim, but I suppose there’s no time like the present…”  
  
    Porrim and Aranea exchanged confused glances.   _Do you have any idea what she’s talking about, Rae?  
  
    Not in the slightest._  
  
    This time Porrim spoke to Kayolo herself mentally.   _I can tell the other Sisters are wavering between curious and anxious.  What are you up to?  
  
    I know you have your hands full with raising Feferi and these two to come but I’m going to need your assistance with this one.  I was hoping to ask you and Aranea privately if you might consider taking one more on…  
  
    Oh!  Um… well, I have to admit that we weren’t really thinking about it but we do have all kinds of assistance available.  
  
    Of course!  Felida and I will be right in there with you; we’re all for communal grubraising.  It’s just that… you’ll see._  
  
    Felida peered past the cerulean grub on her left shoulder to try and see what her matesprit was up to.  “Hey, Yolo, best hurry it up!  These two might start chewing on my arms and the last thing I want to do is regrow more limbs!  Besides, what’s such a big deal that you’d think it would faze the unfazeable Porrim Marya… oh.”  
  
    At the sight of what Kayolo was holding when she emerged from the Cave, Porrim reflexively grabbed Aranea’s hand so tight that her matesprit actually winced – which was all Aranea was capable of as she was just as gobsmacked as Porrim herself.  “And I thought Fef was something else,” Aranea muttered.    
  
    Kayolo approached Porrim and placed the squawking redblooded grub in her arms.  “If you think your blue one is chatty, you just wait.  Or maybe that’s normal for them; you’re the resident expert here!”  
  
    Tears appeared on Porrim’s face for the second time in a matter of minutes as she cradled the grub, who immediately settled down once she took him.  “How…”  
  
    “I haven’t the slightest.  The Mother Grub just decided it was time for another one?”  
  
    “Wow!” Feferi exalted as she came over to look, “I didn’t know anyone came with that colour of blood!”  
  
    “It’s pretty rare,” Porrim replied, “just like yours.  I hope you two can find some common ground in that.”   _What do you think, Rae?  
  
    I think that’s bloody amazing and I can feel just how unbelievable this is for you, but don’t you think we’ve got our mitts full already?  I mean, we can definitely help out plenty, but why not let someone else have a turn?  
  
    Someone such as?  
  
    You know who._    
  
    Porrim raised her eyebrows.   _You don’t think that would give him a rather… unfortunate vocabulary for someone so young?  
  
    From what you told me about Kankri, dear heart, I think it would give him a head start!  
  
    Hmm.  Maybe you’re right…_  She reached out to Kayolo again and gave a sly grin.   _We’re certainly willing to help but we might have a lot on our plate right now.  I don’t suppose you just might happen to know another couple who is quite interested in giving this a try?  
  
    I like the way you think, Sister.  I just might._  Kayolo glided over to Felida and gently helped herself to the pair of grubs.  “Feeding time for you two.”  
  
    “Aww… I gotta admit I was kinda getting used to that,” Felida protested.    
  
    Both Porrim and Aranea approached her; as Kayolo watched happily, Porrim placed the red grub onto Felida’s shoulder.  “I’m glad to hear it.  And so is he.”  
  
    Felida’s eyes popped open as she realized what was going on.  “Oh shit.”  


	76. 8REAKING F8 - Chapter 75 (The End)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots to say but I'll say it in the boxes before AND AFTER the story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, The End.
> 
> On November 12, 2012, I shared the first chapter of Beautiful Jewel, a vast departure from anything I had ever written before in that it was markedly sexually explicit. It was originally meant to be nothing more than a 20-40 page answer to my (now ex) wife who challenged me to write something better after I derided "Fifty Shades of Grey" as "likely having a first draft written in crayon". I gather now there are tastes of all types and while my works don't necessarily appeal to all readers of Homestuck fanfic, I do appreciate those of you who stuck with me all of these swee... er, years. It's going to be very hard to leave this universe behind. I've spent an awful lot of time here and had a blast doing some worldbuilding and creating what was hopefully a plausible arc for Mindfang's canon loves and losses as well as an entirely different arc where Porrim survives Dualscar's intrusion. 
> 
> This particular tale is easily the longest thing I have ever written, clocking in at 1,119 pages and 466,162 words. And that's just 8F alone; of the top of my head, the original trilogy was over 400,000 all together and that's over 800,000 words and... really hard to wrap my head around. This story outlasted not only my marriage but the computer I wrote it on - in fact, that's what took so damn long to get this final chapter out! My ancient lappy gave up the ghost right as I started this last part; it was ten years old and still running Vista so it was about time. I was able to commandeer my girlfriend's equally ancient lappy (Hey look! Windows Vista!) and utilize it to finish this; it does have the tendency to hit me with a BSOD now and then, so I hope I can complete this commentary before it takes a shit and dies! I have tried to make an effort to write many different types of fic within this one: pirate tales, science fiction both hard and soft, explicit erotica both hetero and homosexual in nature (challenging since we're dealing with an alien physiology), some espionage and adventure, nautical themes (obviously), fantasy (dragons!), scathing wit and humour, beings both simple and near-omnipotent and all of this within the boundaries of Andrew Hussie's Homestuck world. 
> 
> I know that this is certainly not a popular ship in the HS world and not without its detractors. I get their apprehension; Hussie certainly made it clear that there were times Dolorosa would not have been terribly happy with her treatment by Mindfang. I did not shy away from that in Beautiful Jewel, but what I wanted to do was come up with a way where a red romance could be not only plausible but probable, particularly by introducing (or expounding upon) Dualscar's vacillations. I honestly believed Dolorosa!Porrim would have made such an impact on Mindfang that it would stir her to embrace the story of the Sufferer and eventually fall in love with someone like the Summoner. 8F was created for the purpose of seeing how their lives together would have unfolded had they had the chance. I got to revisit some characters I created in the previous stories and in a few cases, really flesh them out (Felida being the obvious one; did you know that as I was writing Jewel before Hussie introduced the Alpha trolls that Felida Leijon was the name I gave to the Disciple? It shouldn't surprise you then that the names Orbius Ampora and Lamiea Maryam also came about that way as well). There were many parallels to the canon story and naturally plenty of deviations, but I do suspect you'll get a kick out of the ties made here in this finale. If nothing else, I genuinely hope that you were at least entertained in whichever way you sought to be; I did this as a learning experience and, more importantly, for the sheer fun of it. It was a pleasure to write this, although part of me now understands that being both an author or a porn director may both be more challenging jobs than I truly expected!

**75\. - ???? A.E.**  
  
    Porrim gazed out of the large windows of her livingblock; the harsh red glare of the Alternian sun still did not hurt her eyes in the least.   _No matter how many times I watch the sun rise or set, I never tire of it.  Such comforting beauty._ She was startled from her reverie from an awful retch from the next room.   _Are you going to be all right in there?  
  
    Ughhhhhhhh… hopefully.  You’d think after all these sweeps medical advancements would come up with a means of dealing with ‘porter sickness’.  
  
    Only one in a thousand seem to be affected; I just can’t believe that you’re one of them considering how many sweeps you spent on a ship!_  
  
    Porrim heard a cough and turned to watch Aranea, resplendent in her blue and black dress, emerge from the gaperblock.  “Entirely different animal, love; one could at least anticipate a ship’s movements but teleporters just send your innards up into your throat with no warning whatsoever.”  
  
    “All things considered, I’m certain you’d agree the trip was worth it.”  
  
    Aranea offered a wan smile and joined her matesprit at the window.  “Indeed.  I’m glad the girls share the same wriggling night or else I’ve had to make that trip twice a sweep instead of just once!”  
  
    “I’m just glad we have the ability to actually visit them out there; seems they’re getting further and further away now.  How many porternodes did we pass through this time?”  
  
    “Fourteen, if memory serves; I don’t trust my thinkpan after long jaunts like that.”  
  
    “Long jaunts… we went from Alternia to a starship on the edge of explored space in two and a half minutes!”  
  
    “So why did the trip home feel twice as long?”  
  
    Porrim sighed.  “Take it up with Equius. I’m certain that if you bribed him with apples for his droid army that he’d look into it for you.”  
  
    Aranea snorted.  “That was Horuss’s currency of choice.  You know that Equius was able to eliminate their need for fruit and hay.  He just… feeds it to them for fun now.”  
  
    “Right.  Thankfully he abandoned his ancestor’s plan to try and build himself a robot horse body.  It’s bad enough he seems to have an unhealthy obsession with a certain someone and tries to build robotic replicas of her, too.”  
  
    “Speaking of whom,” Aranea added as she looked out the window that offered a view parallel to the coastline and a hive not terribly distant from their own, “do you suppose she’s home?”  
  
    “She’s your kismesis, Rae; it’s not as though I track her every move.”    
  
    “I knew I should have listened to Aurana and had cameras installed in her hive.”  The blueblood sighed as a pang of memory struck her.  “I haven’t thought of my Pet in some time.  Too long a time.”  
  
    Porrim nodded and placed a hand on her matesprit’s shoulder; she thought of the sword given to her by the turquoiseblood as a moirallegiance token now mounted on the wall of their respiteblock and remembered the night it was offered.  “I know.  I wonder if she might have been willing to take the Extension if Meu had lived longer.”  
  
    Aranea shook her head.  “No; you know she felt the same about it as Horuss did.  Neither could take the heartbreak when Meu passed.  At least they raised a lovely girl together.”  
  
    The bittersweet smile that appeared on Porrim’s features suggested only a fraction of the emotions that swirled inside of her; she looked over to the holowall that featured a virtual picture frame and the image of a young couple: one who appeared just as Meulin did when Porrim first met her, save for her shorter hair, and the other who was a spitting image of her own first ward.  “That they did.  Nepeta refused to take the Extension knowing that her normal lifespan would match Karkat’s Extended one once he did.  Each enjoyed a distinctive turn as Prime; they were the closest thing to a ‘royal couple’ this world ever had.”  
  
    “Except for us!”  
  
    “Rae…”  
  
    “Kidding!  Besides, I never had any interest in being Primera, anyway.  Ah, Nep was such a sweet girl; she only ever had eyes for him.”  
  
    “Despite Vriska’s attempts to corrupt her!”  
  
    “Corrupt indeeeeeeeed,” Aranea snorted, “It wasn’t Vriska’s fault that Nepeta was as hot as her mother!”  
  
    “You and olivebloods, I swear.”  
  
    Aranea couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Yeah.  Something about the colour green, I guess.”  She punctuated this with a quick squeeze of Porrim’s backside through her robes.

    Porrim was about to return the playful gesture but was stopped as the virtual frame switched to display an image of a sopping wet Aurana Zashyl and Felida Oceleo, the water glinting off of the latter’s metallic arm in the green moonlight.  “Looks like someone’s listening to us this evening.”  
  
    “So it does.  Any idea who took that picture?”  
  
    “Pretty sure it was Hyvare Chelte.  Looks like it was taken from the bridgeblock of _Fool’s Gam8it_ and neither of them are aware of it being taken which is good because I suspect both of them would have thrown HIM overboard if they’d noticed!”  
  
    Hearing the name of her old ship caused Aranea to grin as it always did.  “I remember that night Hyvare got into trouble in Southend thanks to her giving him candy caegars instead of real ones and I had to bail him out.  That was the night we got our tattoos and you and Felida finally sealed the deal, wasn’t it?”  
  
    Porrim nodded.  “What a night it was!  So long ago…  We were so young and naïve.”  
  
    “Speak for yourself, love!  I was already a world-weary warrior by the time I met you!”  Aranea saw Porrim roll her eyes and put her arms around the jadeblood’s waist.  “That said, we’ve both come a long, long way, haven’t we?”  
  
    “We have at that.”  Porrim placed her hands over Aranea’s; their matespritship tokens briefly clinked together.  She looked down and studied the pair of golden bands on her hand: one with the blue sapphire and gold spider sitting atop it and the other a simple ring with a diamond set beside Felida’s symbol.  Porrim made a point of touching the diamond on the matching band on Aranea’s finger.  “Fitting that a geologist’s remains would be turned to a beautiful stone.”  
  
    “It is.  Not a night goes by that I don’t miss her.”  
  
    “Same here.  Although I suspect you’d agree that having Pumyra around helps a lot…”  
  
    _Hmmmmmmmm… is that just a dash of snark I detect there?  I could swear it is.  
  
    Oh, you noticed?_  Porrim made a soft chuckle as she thought this.  
  
    “I’ll have you know that as Alternia’s official Chief Archivist, I am allowed to hire an assistant and Assistant Archivist Pumyra Oceleo is an exceptionally talented and gifted student of the archival arts.”  Aranea placed her hands on her hips to punctuate this.  “So there.”  
  
    “I have to admit Sarafi raised her well in that department.  She’s so prim and proper, eager and talkative…”  
  
    Aranea snorted and bit her lip to suppress a barking laugh.  “That’s what makes the nasty words that flow out of her with my tongue in her seedflap so much more arousing!”  
  
    Porrim put a hand to her face.  “I still can’t believe you seduced the poor girl and then proposed pale!  Talk about mixed signals.  And she’s so young!”  
  
    “First of all, she’s old enough to have a matesprit so it’s not like she’s a grub by any stretch of the imagination.  Keep in mind you were, what, barely twenty sweeps old when we started out?”  
  
    “Oh, I know.  But what do you and Pumyra even talk about?  What common experiences do you share?”  
  
    “We have plenty in common!” Aranea protested.  “We’re both into books… and bondage…”  
  
    “And where would Pumyra possibly learn about bondage?”  
  
    “Well, Sarafi may have raised her directly, but you know full well she picked Kayolo’s thinkpan about her ancestor.”  
  
    “You understand full well why Kayolo couldn’t raise her,” Porrim said.  “She looks just like her former matesprit.  The idea of raising her much less red romancing her was just too strange.  And yet, here YOU are…”  
  
    “Here I am!  And maybe, just maybe, dear Pumyra happens to like reading erotic literature?  There may happen to be some in my personal library, after all; I’m reasonably certain she encountered it at some juncture.  No harm in that at all!”  
  
    Porrim’s reply was accompanied by a raised eyebrow.  “You’re very lucky Pumyra’s matesprit is okay with you having a sexually pale relationship with her.”  
  
    “Kamali Zashyl is a sweetheart and knows full well of my bond with her ancestor.  She understands that it’s only natural that I have an Oceleo at my side.”  
  
    “Between your thighs is hardly a ‘side’…”  
  
    “Shush, you.”  Aranea placed a kiss on Porrim’s lips in an effort to distract her, knowing full well it wouldn’t.  
  
    “Still a brat,” Porrim admonished.  “But those two just seem so adorable together.  They seem incredulous at the idea that their ancestors squabbled in a way that was almost more caliginous than my own relationship with Felida, even when we show them pictures like that one!”  
  
    Aranea strutted over to the glossy wooden table, her crimson boots tapping out their staccato song as she did so, and touched the surface.  “Rum, 1186 vintage, ironwood cup.  Bloodwine, ironwood cup.”  A few seconds later, two polished grey drinking vessels appeared upon the table’s smooth surface and she carried them back, handing one over to her matesprit and sipping from the other.  
  
    “Hmm… Any particular reason you chose that sweep?”  
  
    “To commemorate the one our daughters finally came to their senses and started openly flushing for one another, of course.”  Aranea raised her cup in a toast and Porrim responded in kind.  “And you thought it was never going to happen.”  
  
    “I will confess that Kanaya’s relationship with that alien girl was certainly an intense one but a shame their species is comparatively short lived.  However,” Porrim continued as she accepted the drink that was offered, “you have to understand that Kan’s confusion at Vriska’s red flirtations with the girl who would eventually become her moirail, her dalliances with the Nitram boy… oh, and walking in on what Vriska and Fef were up to that morning back at the Caves didn’t exactly boost her confidence.”  
  
    “That was literally over a thousand sweeps ago and you still won’t let that one go.  Adolescent explorations are perfectly normal and you know it.  Just because I was awkward and shy didn’t mean Vriska had to be.”  
  
    “Poor, sweet, innocent Feferi…”  
  
    Aranea chuckled.  “Funny how tables can turn sometimes, isn’t it?”  
  
    “It is indee-oh!”  A soft chime interrupted Porrim and both she and Aranea turned their attention to a series of lights creating a virtual screen in front of their livingblock wall; the first words that appeared on it indicated a subspace call and from whom.  “Accept call,” Porrim said and waited for the faces of the callers to materialize.  
  
    “Hi, Mom!”  
  
    “Hello, Kanaya.  My word, it’s been such a long time since we spoke.”  
  
    Kanaya nodded with all of the gravity at her disposal.  “It has.  Sweeps upon sweeps, centuries upon centuries.  I could only wonder to myself about how you have fared through these long and arduous nights, so distant, with the sheer, cold vastness of space betwe-”  
  
    “Oh for the love… will you two knock it off?  I’m drowning in snark here!  We were just there not even eight minutes ago!  Vriska, will you do me a favour and punch your matesprit in the snout or something?”  
  
    The younger blueblood rolled her eyes.  “Hello to you, too, Motherrrrrrrrr.  And I don’t believe that would be prudent; she’s my matesprit, not my kismesis, remember?”  
  
    “And since when has a Serket ever cared about whether or not she muddles her quadrants?” Porrim asked, eyebrow fully raised for maximum effect.  
  
    “And hello to you as well, Otherrrrrrrrr Mother,” Vriska answered.  “And you can’t blame me for that; I get it from her.”  She gestured forward towards the screen with the wooden cup in her hand in the direction of Aranea.    
  
    “Along with your fine taste in alcoholic beverages and inexplicable attraction to snarky jadebloods,” Aranea added.  “So, to what do we owe the pleasure of this call?  After all, as I just mentioned, we were there quite recently.  I don’t recall drinking enough that I would forget something…”  
  
    Porrim gave her matesprit a sideways glance.  “You wouldn’t recall drinking that much in the first place, no?”  
  
    “She does have a point, Spidermom,” Kanaya contributed.  “Anyway, we just wanted to talk to you by ourselves for a bit and say thanks for coming.  There were so many people here for the party that we felt we didn’t get enough time with you two, especially when we get to actually see you so infrequently.”  
  
    “Talk to the one with teleporter sickness,” Porrim said, putting an arm around Aranea’s waist, “We’d probably see more of you if that wasn’t a factor.”  
  
    “I do wish you healthtender types could come up with a fix for that…” Aranea grumbled.  
  
    Vriska nodded her agreement.  “Me too.  As much as I enjoy exploring strange new worlds, I always worry I’m gonna blow chunks on the new folks we encounter.  Luckily, I can usually send an envoy or have them meet me on my ship.  Captain’s prerogative and all that.”  She punctuated this with a flip of her long hair and a quick tug on the lapels of the decidedly non-uniform and well-worn long black jacket.  
  
    Aranea couldn’t help but smile.  “That does fit you so nicely.”  
  
    “Doesn’t it, though?  You still can’t have it back, Mother.”  
  
    “I wasn’t askiiiiiiiing…  I gave it to you when you made captain’s rank and it’s yours now.  I live vicariously through your exploits these nights, you know that.  It’s just so fitting that you captain that particular vessel.”  
  
    “Uh huh.  Somehow I don’t suspect me getting the newly commissioned _A.E.S. Mindfang_ was in any way, shape or form an accident.”  
  
    “Grand Admiralty has its privileges, dear.  Despite my protein chute’s objections, I’m glad the technology exists that we can beam all the way to wherever your ship happens to be.”  
  
    Porrim raised her drink.  “Agreed.  Here’s to Equius and his team for coming up with not only the warp nodes that get us there but the ones that allow us to even have this conversation over a ridiculous number of light-sweeps of distance.”  
  
    Vriska visibly shuddered.  “Yeah, he’s a smart dude and all but you didn’t have to have him as a neighbour at the Nitram Academy.  Ye gods, the sweat…”  
  
    “And you forget that we had to share an island with his predecessor for many, many sweeps,” Aranea countered.  “We never ceased to wonder how either of them managed to create such intricate cybernetics without shorting them out on a regular basis.”    
  
    “And what is the resident Zahhak at the Zahhak Eduhive of Technology working on these nights?” Kanaya inquired.    
  
    “Is it Top Secret or is he just fiddling around making creepy robotic replicas of his progenitor’s matesprit again?” Vriska asked.  “Speaking of which, how is the object of his affections?  She doesn’t get out much, does she?  If anything she’s been acting a touch spooky.”  
  
    “Can you blame her?  Oh wait…”  Porrim did her best to survey the dimly lit room behind their children.  “Are you two alone?”  
  
    “Yes, Mother.  We’re just in the Readyblock.”  
  
    “And somebody’s moirail isn’t in there, under the desk, in some state of undress?”  
  
    Kanaya slowly and deliberately turned her head to look at Vriska and waited for a response.  
  
    “Ughhhhhhhh… get caught fingering your moirail on the captain’s desk just once and then everybody rides your nook about it.”  
  
    “Most people don’t finger their moirail as a general rule,” Kanaya responded as dryly as she could.  
  
    “Mother, did you ever have to put up with this sort of thing?” Vriska asked, jerking a thumb at the short haired jadeblood beside her.    
  
    “Only every single night.  Have you ever considered encouraging Kan to develop an ebon relationship with Terezi?”  
  
    Kanaya sighed.  “Do you know how hard it is for a healthtender and a legislacerator to find something to be competitive about?  And no, I have no interest in fighting her for you.  I had to wade through enough competitors for your red attentions, thank you very much.”  
  
    “And yet you thought punching me in the face would make me realize you were into me.  While it worked, I seriously don’t think you have a black bone in your body,” Vriska grumbled in reply.  “Can’t you two just pretend to accidently run into each other and then let it devolve into a messy squabble where your dresses sorta end up ripped up on the floor… which conveniently takes place in our respiteblock…”  
  
    Porrim gave Aranea a look that said _This is your fault._  Aranea simply shrugged; “What do you want me to say?  Sounds like a great idea, no?”  
  
    “And somehow she’s the captain of an Alternian Exploration Fleet starship.  ANYWAY,” Porrim continued, “what I was getting at is that I need you two to continue to maintain the utmost secrecy about Miss Megido and you both know full well why.”  
  
    “Yes, yes, we know.  She’s dead.”  Vriska made a face with her eyes rolled back and her tongue hanging out for emphasis.  “How many more sweeps until she can come out and rejoin the real world again?”  
  
    Aranea pondered this.  “If she tries to sell herself as an early bloomer, probably another three or four.  She’s already going a bit crazy and she wanders off a lot but the good news is that we’re so isolated, no one will see her.  She knew what she was getting into but now I suspect she might be having regrets; boredom is a cruel, cruel mistress.”  
  
    “Ha!  I don’t even know the meaning of the word anymore,” Vriska said.  
  
    “She keeps herself busy doing some excavating nearby,” Porrim added, “She digs up some of the most interesting things: old caegars, ancient pottery…”  
  
    “She even found a sex toy!” Aranea interjected.  
  
    “Rae… that was one of yours from when someone had our old hive blown up.”  
  
    Both Kanaya and Porrim snorted with laughter.  
  
    Aranea crossed her arms.  “Still, a relic from an earlier time…”  
  
    “Poor Damara,” Kanaya said, and then her hands flew to her mouth.  “Sorry… it’s going to take a while to get used to her new name still.”  
  
    “Don’t worry; you’ve still got – what did we say? – four or so sweeps to practice,” Porrim explained.  “Even after a couple of sweeps, we’re just getting used to calling her Aradia now.”  
  
    Kanaya lit up at the sound of it.  “Such a fitting choice, considering she’s ‘rising again’ in a sense.”  
  
    “Gods, you sounded like Sarafi there for a moment,” Vriska chided.  “I’m still trying to get my pan around the idea that she’s going to become her own descendent.  That’s more than a little messed up.”  
  
    “We’re just as surprised that she’s still going strong.  I feed off of her and she keeps on living, yet there is no record of any maroonblood who lived more than average of two hundred sweeps with the Extension or as a Drinker’s mate.  As an experiment, she even asked me to stop for a while; I didn’t feed from her for an entire sweep and nothing changed at all.  I’ve researched her blood in every way possible and there’s nothing visibly out of the ordinary whatsoever.  She just keeps on ticking like she’s made of time.”  
  
    “At this rate, I wonder who will live longer: Aradia or Feferi,” Aranea added.  “I noticed Fef wasn’t at the party…”  
  
    “She called about an hour beforehand to say she couldn’t make it,” Vriska confirmed.  “She’s finalizing a peace accord on Garrus IX and the timing was rather critical.”  
  
    “Ah, the life of an Am _bass_ ador,” Kanaya said, putting the emphasis on the center of the word as Feferi loved to do.  “Sometimes I wonder if she’ll ever settle down.”  
  
    Aranea barked a laugh and took another swig of her rum.  “Not a bloody chance.  I’m worried Captor ruined her for everyone.”  
  
    “That was so long ago.”  Porrim smiled as she recalled everything that occurred where one Sollux Captor was concerned.  “I remember the night Fef brought him home for the first time; we couldn’t believe the odds that she would find a Captor of all people.  Of course, it got strange when Ampora’s son started making red overtures…”  
  
    _Er, Porrim, my love, I know it’s been an awfully long time but you still might want to avoid that subject.  It was quite literally the messiest triangle I’ve ever encountered and Kanaya kinda got in the way trying to protect Fef when it went sour and Erid…_  
  
    Porrim looked up to the screen where her daughter was glowing brightly with obvious anger.  “I still don’t want to hear that name ever again,” Kanaya hissed, “not even now.  I was NOT ready to become a Drinker that night.  He deserved what he got.”  
  
    “Right, I completely understand; no one ever is, dear,” Porrim said with the calmest tones at her disposal.  “Nobody blames you for what happened there, not even Orbius.  It was probably better that Sollux ended up red with Alyssm Waleti anyway.  I just wish that Feferi would make some time in her life for the possibility of a red romance instead of just working constantly.”  
  
    Kanaya relaxed a little, her skin’s luminescence began to ebb.  “She had so many suitors during her stints as Primera and she wanted nothing to do with any of them.  I never quite understood why.”  
  
    “Take it from me, kid,” Aranea said, “a fuchsiablood scorned is a frightening thing indeed.  They don’t tend to let things go.  Ever.”  And neither do jadebloods, it seems, she thought to her matesprit.  
  
    _Apparently not.  Her skill at perforating Amporas came from you, however.  
  
    I grant you that, yes.  Speaking of old feuds…_  “Vris, I keep meaning to ask: is Terezi still hatedating that Makara?”  
  
    Vriska nodded.  “Yeah, but don’t worry.  Gamzee is, to use his phrase, a ‘chill dude’ and seems nothing like the Subjuggalators you used to talk about.  To be honest, I can’t even see how the guy can hate anyone; he’s even more laid back in black than Little Miss Fussyfangs here.”  
  
    “Hey!” Kanaya protested.  “That’s Chief Medical Officer Fussyfangs to you.  And I have my moments.  Although I’d rather help others make sure that they’re involved in healthy caliginous relationships.”  
  
    “Keep meddling with the crew and I’ll bust you down to Counselor.  You’re a healthtender, not the ship’s two wheeled auspistism device.”  
  
    Both Porrim and Aranea looked at each other.   _Any of this seem familiar to you, Rae?  
  
    Maybeeeeeeee…_  
  
    “Sometimes broken pushers need healing, too,” Kanaya pouted. “And auspistism helps prevent broken bones.  Think of it as preventative medicine, then.”  
  
    “Anyhow,” Vriska continued, “those two have been on-again, off-again black for damn near eight hundred sweeps.  They met through Karkat, for crying out loud!  You’d think if he liked it he’d put a scar on it by now but TZ says she’s fine with it being… unofficial due to Gamzee’s unfortunate last name.”  She paused for a moment and then added, “Which reminds me, I don’t know if I’ve ever really said this, but thanks for being cool with Terezi and me being moirails.  Especially considering what the last Pyrope did to you.”  
  
    Aranea raised her hand and then used it to flip her hair away from her neck, revealing the scar and accompanying jade-coloured spider tattoo.  “Don’t worry about it, my dear.  Like I said when you announced your moirallegiance to us, the sins of our ancestors are not our own.  Even where that Makara is concerned.  You saw firsthand how people treated Feferi until she proved she was nothing like Meenah, particularly those who were old enough to remember life under the Condesce, and even then some of them were still quite vocal that all future fuchsiabloods should be executed upon hatching.  Typism still isn’t entirely dead but at least it’s a lot less prevalent now.”  
  
    “Thank goodness for that.  And you’d think after how many centuries in space that we’d finally be able to have mixed-race crews living together smoothly but we’re still working out the kinks in that department.”  Vriska chuffed and added, “And then there’s artificial intelligence to deal with: that damned Mark IX droidwasher Equius sent out with us has started requesting navigator training!  Looks like we’re going to have another societal shift on our hivestep any night now.”  
  
    A thought occurred to Porrim which made her chuckle.  “Can you imagine if he starts crewing all of our ships with a bunch of Megido replicas?  An army of Aradiabots?”  
  
    “No.  Just no.  Something tells me I’m going to need to pay our lovestruck indigoblooded friend a visit sooner than later,” Aranea muttered.    
  
    “Take towels, Mother,” Vriska suggested.  “You know how he gets realllllllly sweaty when you’re around.”  
  
    “Oh I’m taking all of the towels, dear.  ALL of them.”  
  
    Kanaya, resplendent in her pale blue dress, put her arm around Vriska and said, “I hate to cut this short but we ought to get some rest.  Standard duty shifts for us both tomorrow.  Besides, I don’t want to cut into whatever you two will be doing with the rest of your night.”  
  
    “Likewise,” Porrim answered.  “I know how this works.  I’ve been around the block a time or two.”  
  
    “Haven’t we all?” Vriska asked.    
  
    Porrim narrowed her eyes at the younger blueblood on the screen before her.  “I am a little disappointed in your choice of outfit, however.  I’ve made you plenty of dressy options for special events such as this and you go and throw that jacket over it.”  
  
    “Here’s a flash, Mom: I’m not wearing anything under this jacket right now!”  Vriska did just that for emphasis, sending Aranea into peals of delighted laughter.    
  
    “I can’t believe I’m even remotely surprised by this.”  Porrim put her hand to her face in exasperation.    
  
    Aranea nodded her approval at the sight of Vriska’s virtually identical and relatively unscarred body.  “Fuck, I used to be hot.”  
  
    “Fuck, you’re still hot!” Vriska replied.  “Go get some of that!” she added, tipping her head in Porrim’s direction.    
  
    It wasn’t obvious who sighed louder, Porrim or Kanaya, but Aranea grinned.  “I just might do that.”  
  
    “Miiiiiiiight?  I know you too well for just ‘might’.”  
  
    “You do indeeeeeeeed.”  
  
    “I hate to break up this meeting of the Jadeblood Appreciation Club,” Porrim began, “but we really do need to let you two get back to your own party.  Thanks for making the time to call us.  When are you coming home for a visit?”  
  
    Kanaya thought for a moment.  “I believe our next two week break is in a couple of months.  I think we can spend a few nights with you.”  
  
    “That would be lovely.  Just let us know; I’m certain we can work it into our busy schedule.”  
  
    “Yeah, you retired people must just have an absolutely packed calendar,” Vriska quipped.  
   
    Aranea raised an eyebrow.  “Just because we’re retired from the political and exploratory scene doesn’t mean we’re dead, grub.  I’m still writing and organizing our official memoirs and Porrim here is just sewing up a storm.  Sometimes we even go out on our ship for a cruise.”  
  
    Vriska made a rude noise.  “That’s not a ship, Mother.  That little wooden raft you keep in your basement is barely a boat and you know it.”  
  
    “Don’t start with me, you.  I will endure unspeakable nausea for the sake of kicking your ass if I have to.  And I will wear my boots while I do it.”  
  
    “Pshhhhhhhh.  I’ll believe it when I see it.  Go take it out on Other Mother and your new ‘assistant’ in the respiteblock instead.”  
  
    Porrim squinted at her matesprit.  “She knows already?”  
  
    “Well, of course I know,” Vriska confirmed.  “Pumyra is an oliveblood and an Oceleo at that.  Does the word ‘inevitable’ mean anything to you?”  
  
    “Rae?  How serious were you about taking the ‘porter to go tune her in?”  
  
    “All right, we’re going,” Kanaya said.  “Thanks again for the lovely gifts and we’ll see you soon!”  
  
    “I’ll even give her a kiss for you,” Vriska added and planted one on her own jadeblooded matesprit.  
  
    Porrim sighed and looked to Aranea.  “Tell me again why we wanted them to end up together?”  
  
    “Because they fit.  Like you and me.  Good night, ladies; I would say ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’ but I daresay I’d be a bit late for that!”  
  
    “Still none of your business, Spidermom…” Kanaya said, knowing full well that Aranea was right.  “And I have yet to come up with anything that you wouldn’t do!”  
  
    “Exactly!”  
  
    Porrim and Aranea waved as the screen dissipated as quickly as it originally appeared.  “Listen to those two with their ‘two weeks’ talk.  It’s like they don’t even know what a perigee is,” Aranea groused.  
  
    “Of course they don’t; they grew up with only one moon in the sky.  That’s why we call them ‘months’ now and they’re twice as long.  But never mind that; I’m more worried Vriska’s going to get herself in trouble one of these nights with her antics.”  
  
    “Nah.  She’s been doing this long enough to know when to play it straight and when to be herself.”  Aranea headed back to the table to refresh their drinks.    
  
    “It’s not like our nights on _Fool’s Gam8it_ where you had no one to answer to but yourself.  She’s captaining a ship on the very frontier of explored space, the face of our race...”  
  
    “…and she earned the right to do so fair and square.  She’s served the Space Navy for hundreds of sweeps; she knows what she’s doing.  You don’t think for a second the dress you made for her wasn’t on the floor of the Readyblock and she didn’t just do that to mess with your thinkpan like she’s done her whole life?”  
  
    Porrim sighed.  “Dammit.”  
  
    “Seeeeeeee?  She’s a clever girl and so is Kanaya, just in a more conventional way.”  
  
    “I’d hardly describe developing a cure to another planet’s pandemic by using a sample of that race’s blood, a scraping from her own horn and an unfinished gelatin snack as conventional,” Porrim said as she accepted her refilled cup.  
  
    Aranea certainly couldn’t argue that point.  “True enough.  They’re just smart in different ways, like you and I are.  You were always the diplomat, capable of seeing both sides and finding a way to bring them together in the middle whereas I preferred more uncommon means of persuasion, both subtle and direct, to achieve my goals.”  
  
    “For the record, I never use the empathy I borrow from you to affect anyone’s moods; all I choose to do is read feelings and communicate with others.”  
  
    “Uh huh.  And Felida staring at a bunch of featherbeasts fluttering overhead while Aurana snuck up behind her to toss her off the pier the morning after Feferi’s first coronation had absolutely nothing to do with you whatsoever.”  
  
    Porrim knew her silent pause answered the question.  “The things we do for hate sometimes require a special touch.”  
  
    “That’s what I thought.”  Aranea raised her glass in a toast.  “And the things we do for love certainly do as well.”  
  
    “Of course.”  They touched glasses and each took a long sip of their drink.  “So, what happens now?”  
  
    Aranea put her free hand to her chin in thought.  “Hmmmmmmmm… I’m not sure.  I’ve never been this far with anyone before!”  
  
    Porrim’s face reflected her disbelief but a smile soon appeared.  “So it’s going to be roleplay this morning, then?”  
  
    “Well, that depends on what you’re feeling up to?”  
  
    “Hmm… maybe nothing quite so elaborate but I would be willing to let myself be taken upstairs and taught about the joys of being tied up and enjoyed by a much more experienced lover again.”  
  
    “Music to my sponge clots, dear heart.”  Aranea placed a rum soaked kiss on Porrim’s lips and it was returned gently but passionately.  “Would you mind if I tidied myself up down here first?  You can have the gaperblock upstairs if you need.”  
  
    “Works for me.”  Porrim finished her drink and went to set it on the table when she felt a swat upon her backside.  “And what did I possibly do to deserve that?” she asked with all of the mock surprise at her disposal.    
  
    “Hey, you brought that choice ass over here.  It would be a crime for me not to show my appreciation.”  
  
    Porrim nodded her approval.  “Very well, then.  Both I and this choice ass of mine are on our way upstairs.  See you there.”  
  
    Aranea’s lovely smirk was still enough to excite her.  “Yes you willllllll…” 

 

    Porrim Maryam found herself pacing the floor back and forth in front of the large, ornate bed in her respiteblock.  The red rays of the morning sun coloured the ceiling and she relished the feeling of happiness they brought.   _This is my home.  After all I’ve seen and done and lived through, I’m happy to have a place to call mine.  Well, ours, to be precise.  
  
    Aren’t you supposed to be fretting about your strange surroundings and nervously awaiting the arrival of your mysterious captor?  
  
    Funny, the Captors I’ve met weren’t terribly mysterious.  Socially awkward, perhaps…  Besides, weren’t you planning to be Mindfang tonight?  
  
    Listen here, smartnook, if you keep this up, I’ll have my way with you and then leave you tied up while I go get a plate of grubloaf with lavender sauce and eat it in front of you.  How’s that sound?  
  
    Kinda kinky but a touch odd?  Is this what you and your little librarian friend do for kicks?  
  
    And you call ME a brat.  
  
    I do, yes.  
  
    You just waiiiiiiiit.    
  
    That is, in fact, what I’m doing._  Porrim couldn’t help but giggle at the emotional static she felt from her matesprit who was on the other side of the respiteblock door.   _I’m ready when you are._  
  
    The door opened and she froze as the tall woman entered the room, wearing a shimmering blue gown and crimson boots that came up to her knees.  “Hello, Porrrrrrrrim…”  
  
    The jadeblood hurriedly sat down upon the bed and regarded her visitor with eyes that spoke volumes of her uncertainty.    
  
    “Don’t be afraid, dear.  Haven’t my previous visits shown you that you can trust me?  You know that I don’t bite… terribly hard.”  With a single fluid movement, the tall woman was sitting beside Porrim, their shoulders touching.  “I’m very happy to see that you haven’t worn a groove in my floor with all that pacing.  Why so nervous?  When will you come to understand that only pleasure follows in my wake?  I mean you no harm.”  
  
    Porrim swallowed and went to put her hands in her lap but her left hand was intercepted by one belonging to the blueblood; she initially made to pull away but instead opted to let it remain.  
  
    “Gooooooood.  You remember that these hands bring pleasure and kindness.  You do trust me, don’t you, Porrim?  Tell me that you do…”  
  
    She took a short breath, turned to look her visitor directly in her strange blue eyes and answered, “I… I do.”  
  
    “It warms my pusher so to hear you say that.  Allow me to reward your courage.”  With that, Aranea leaned in and lightly placed her lips against Porrim’s neck, at first using her breath to warm the skin and then closing her lips to initiate a slow, sucking kiss.  Taking Porrim’s involuntary gasp as further encouragement, she continued up to her earlobe and placed nips and kisses on and behind it before retreating.  “See?” she whispered, “I take very good care of my lovers.  Especially the ones who trust me completely.”  
  
    Porrim looked down to her knees and smiled.  “What else would you have me do?”  
  
    “A simple exercise in trust, love.  It starts right here.”  Aranea gracefully rose to her feet and slowly, deliberately undid the silky waistband of her robe.  Once undone, she pinched the end of the band and drew it entirely out from the loops that held it in place.  Without taking her eyes off of Porrim’s, she turned to offer a view of her back and then let the robe slip off of her shoulders and down from there, letting it fall smoothly to the floor.  Aranea draped the blue waistband around her neck and then bent down to remove her trademark boots: one after the other, she withdrew her slender legs from the scarlet footwear and then took her time placing them beside a nearby chair.  She noted that Porrim’s eyes never left her during the entire process.  “See something you like?  Quite all right; let your eyes linger if you wish.  I’m quite comfortable in my own skin; some parts are nicked and marked, other parts are colourful and bright, but it’s all mine and I only share it with those I find to be most worthy.”  She turned to face her lover, her conical breasts, smooth abdomen and the swell of her seedflap quite visible now and added, “Good news… I deem you as worthy as they come.”  
  
    “I’m glad to hear it,” Porrim replied, doing her best to sound demure as Mindfang strutted the short distance back to where she was sitting.  “I do like what I see very much.”  
  
    Aranea offered her hand and waited for Porrim to accept it.  “Well, you’ve just made my night.  In return I may need to ask one small favour of you in return.”  
  
    “Oh?  And what would that be?”  
  
    “Why, a similar willingness to reveal yourself.  It’s only fair, after all, that we take the next step in our journey on equal footing.  While I do love that magnificent gown of yours, the only thing that I can think of that would challenge its beauty is the skin that lies beneath…”  
  
    Porrim smiled and turned to face away from the nude blueblood; she lifted the mantle of her gown off, gently placed it on the floor and then asked, “Would you kindly assist me in removing it then?”    
  
    “With pleasurrrrrrrre…”  Aranea undid the fasteners of the elaborate garment and gently opened it up so that it too fell to the floor as the blue bathrobe did before it.  Once Porrim had stepped out of it, she drew in behind her matesprit and embraced her around her generous hips, pressing her waist into Porrim’s full backside.  “Not only do you do wonders for the eyes, but for the skin as well.  I love the feeling of your body up against mine.”  
  
    “Mmmmm… so do I.”  Porrim couldn’t stop herself from glowing if she tried.  
  
    “In fact, this is going to be an exercise in touch.”  Aranea released Porrim’s waist and took the ends of the blue band in her fingers.  “Here’s where the trust part comes in.”  She lowered the band over Porrim’s horns and down to her eyes before pulling it gently taut and tying it off at the back.  Once she felt the makeshift blindfold was adequately secured, Aranea placed her hands on Porrim’s shoulders and gently turned her around, then pressed her lips to Porrim’s waiting ones.  “Isn’t a kiss so much richer when it arrives without being announced?”  
  
    Porrim’s reply was only a sharp breath in.  
  
    Aranea took her hand and guided her the short distance back to the bed.  “Come, lover, lie down on your back and allow me to take you places you could never anticipate.”  
  
    _Oooooh… exciting!  Do you mean places like a new restaurant?  I really don’t eat that much these nights…  
  
    Porrim.  Please turn down the snark; you’re messing with the mood.  
  
    Oh right… sorry!_  
  
    Once Porrim was lying back on top of the plush sheets, Aranea moved to the top left corner of the frame and produced a simple leather arm restraint.   Without a word, she slipped the smooth cuff onto Porrim’s arm and fastened the clips.   _Do you remember the very first time we did this?  When I asked you to place the restraint on yourself?  
  
    Of course!  
  
    That was the moment I knew that you and I were meant to be.  You trusted me.  I could feel the pureness of that trust and I knew that I would go to any lengths to keep you safe… even if I couldn’t tell you at the time._    
  
    Porrim let the mixed emotions of that time in her life replay though her thinkpan.   _It took me a long time to understand.  I’m just glad I did._  Porrim waited quietly while Aranea continued to tether her limbs to the bed frame with the remaining restraints but something occurred to her in those moments.  “Spinneret, can I ask you my question now?”  
  
    Aranea froze and looked over to Porrim’s blindfolded face.  “Now those are words I haven’t heard in a very, very long time.  Of course you may.”  
  
    “How did you know to come back for me?  I thought you were going to be gone for hours.”  
  
    “I… just had this hunch about where the token rings would be.  I don’t know why I suddenly remembered right then but I tucked my hand into my jacket pocket and there they were… even though I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why they would have been there?”  Aranea smiled and moved to the head of the bed to finish buckling Porrim’s other arm in.  “Fate is a funny thing, I suppose; some see it as absolute and unaffectable while some think it fragile and breakable, to be reshaped with each passing millisecond.  I don’t know anyone who was actually capable of changing their destiny but then again, maybe we all do so without knowing? Or maybe someone was just looking out for us that night.  All I know for certain is that I’m just glad I reached into that pocket and found what I was looking for.”  Aranea wiggled her fingers, making the jade band she wore flicker reflected light from the nearby glowglobe.    
  
    “I’m glad, too,” Porrim answered.  She tried to look at the blue sapphire ring upon her own finger but the blindfold prevented this.  “I rather like this life of ours.”  
  
    “As do I.  So, my turn for a question now: are you still ticklish here?”  Aranea leaned forward and kissed Porrim’s exposed stomach just beside her grubleg scars; the involuntary thrash and squeal answered the question without a doubt.  
  
    “And I thought I could trust you!” Porrim complained through her laughter.    
  
    “You cannnnnnnn… trust me to use my mouth to pleasure you.”  With this, Aranea climbed onto the bed and straddled her immobilized matesprit across the waist.  She leaned forward and pressed her chest to Porrim’s, relishing the heightened sensations created by her aroused nipples brushing up against Porrim’s own full rumblespheres.  As she did so, Aranea placed kisses under Porrim’s neck and then moved to initiate a sucking kiss on her lips…  
  
    _Ow!  Did you just bite me, Rae?  
  
    Spiderbites, dear heart, remember?  
  
    Uh huh.  Someone used to be a touch careless with her fangs once upon a time._  
  
    “Seems only fair considering I’ve been on the receiving end of the biting the last couple thousand sweeps, no?”  
  
    Porrim softly chuckled.  “When you put it that way, I suppose so.”  She inhaled as deeply as she could with Aranea lying on top of her and added, “I still do love the sweet floral scent of that soap.  It’s been awhile since you’ve used that one, hasn’t it?”  
  
    Aranea beamed.  “Let’s just say I chose it specifically.  The other senses become so much more potent when one is lessened, especially for you Drinker types.”  
  
    “Mmhmm.  It’s wonderful.  Hey, aren’t you supposed to be teaching this young, inexperienced jadeblood about the hidden pleasures of the flesh?”  
  
    “Ah, yes indeed.  Where were we…”  Aranea began to slide back down towards the end of the bed, planting a series of kisses on Porrim’s chest, taking time to embrace the firm jade points on the tips of her breasts with her mouth and tongue and savouring the emotional responses that came as a result.  She made certain she kept a hand on her lover’s abdomen as she brought her kisses down that way to minimize the distraction tickles brought but opted to remove it when she encountered the swell of Porrim’s hips, allowing the full sensation to be experienced.  Aranea continued further down to the space created by Porrim’s legs being held apart and rained lingering kisses upon the insides of her thighs for some time, occasionally letting her hair brush up against Porrim’s more sensitive places, before turning her attention to what lay between.  “My, this is certainly lovely.  I wonder what to do with it.”  She leaned in to kiss the engorged jade labia before her but stopped just short and lightly blew on them instead; the physical reply came swiftly in the form of a gasp.    
  
    “That’s certainly a good start…”  
  
    “You may like it now, dear heart, but I know you’ll come to love it very shortly.”  Aranea licked her lips and embraced Porrim’s lower ones, bringing her tongue to bear just below the swollen jade nub and teasing it; the unfettered cries that came from her matesprit encouraged her to continue.   _Now do you understand the pleasure you’re capable of?  Touch is the strongest sense of all!  Let it envelope you… outside and inside as well…_  Aranea parted that which her mouth had been attending to and then wet her fingers before sliding one – and then a second – inside the space within.    
  
    _Ohhhhh… gods yes…_  
  
    Aranea increased the tempo slightly as Porrim pushed back onto the fingers inside of her; she let a third drift down to the soft folds of her jade nook and the pleasure nerves that resided there.   _Isn’t it wondrous where we can create unnamable magic with but a simple touch?  
  
    I didn’t know… it could feel so good… are you allowed to touch that… for pleasure’s sake?  
  
    Oh, my ‘sweet, naïve little jadeblood’, listen to you._  Once her third finger found purchase within the snug confines of said nooksphincter, Aranea resumed her oral attentions on the engorged center of Porrim’s sex and enjoyed the tightening around all of the fingers she had deployed.  “Yessssssss… I can feel you getting closer and closer…”  Another suck, “and closer…”  
  
    Porrim strained against that which held her down; she could feel her legs shaking uncontrollably as the climax began to build deep within and she could swear that even with the blindfold over her eyes she could see colours swirling in her field of vision.  “I… I… nnnn…”  
  
    “Shhhhhhhh… no more words.  Just surrender to the rapture deep within you…”  Aranea began to gently vibrate her fingers in concert with the natural pulses of Porrim’s seedflap and closed her eyes.   _I am with you, my love; let me stand with you as you explode into stardust…_  
  
    Sound erupted from Porrim but no words as the waves of orgasm tore through her again and again, accompanied by the empathic reflection of Aranea’s experiencing them inside her mind as well.  She rode them as long as they kept coming until she was finally exhausted of air and lapsed into the hollow shakes that accompanied her warm afterglow.   _Such… love…  
  
    And it’s all for you, dear heart.  You did splendidly.  
  
    I did nothing but enjoy what you were doing, Rae.  Thank you._  
  
    “I would say ‘my pleasure’ but…”  Aranea slowly slipped her digits from where they were engaged; she knew that Porrim’s coital output was greatly reduced since her becoming Drinker and would never return so she made sure to make the most of the wetness her matesprit’s body did provide.  “…I dare say the pleasure was yours!”  
  
    “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to let me show you what I’ve learned from your teachings?  I really don’t want to keep all of the pleasure to myself, after all.”  
  
    “Hmmmmmmmm… I could be persuaded.  Would you like your hands free or do you think you’ve got what it takes to love me with only your mouth?”  
  
    Porrim thought for a moment.  “I think you’d prefer it if I had everything at my disposal.”  
  
    Aranea nodded and slid off of the side of the bed.  “I think you might be right.”  She made her way around the bed and undid the restraints as well as the blindfold but climbed back on top of Porrim before the jadeblood could move anywhere.  “I suspect you’ll want me to turn around?”  
  
    “You suspect correctly.  I don’t think I can lick any part of your body from this far away.”  
  
    “Very well, let’s remedy that.”  In a matter of moments, Aranea was presenting her backside and crouching towards Porrim’s face.  “I do this on one condition, love.”  
  
    “Oh?  Do tell?”  
  
    “See that fine ass there?”  
  
    Porrim snorted.  “It’s awfully difficult to miss right now.”  
  
    “Good.  I’m going to need you to smack it.  Nice and hard.  No shooshpapping of my ass is allowed.  Think you can handle that?”  
  
    The reply came barely a second after Aranea finished talking in the form of a solid slap right where it was requested by Porrim’s left hand.  “Was that ‘not shooshpapped’ enough for you?”  
  
    “Hell fucking yes.  You ARE a quick learner.  Do it again!”  
  
    It was done again.  
  
    In response, Aranea brought her seedflap even closer to Porrim; her arousal was decidedly evident in the form of the trail of blue wetness trickling down the inside of her thigh.  “See that?  That’s because of you, dear heart.”  
  
    _It appears I’m doing something right, then.  Let me get that for you._  Porrim placed her hands on either side of Aranea’s rear and made room for her tongue to trace over the track of the blue streak all the way up to her lover’s aching seedflap.    
  
    Aranea called out as Porrim’s tongue began to trace long, sweeping runs down the length of her inner lips and around the hood of her exposed nub and back down again; her fingernails bit into the sheets and she tried her best to maintain some semblance of coherent thought.  “Fuck yes!  Just keep… doing that… you’re a natural,” she panted.  
   
    _Glad you like it!_  Porrim continued to make her tracks, stopping at the top to occasionally swirl around or suck on the bluest of blue parts before continuing on.  Every now and then she would taste what came forth from her matesprit or take her tongue all the way back across her lover’s nook when she wasn’t expecting it, causing further exclamations of arousal to be shouted into the mattress.   _I know what you need…_  Another smack and Aranea cried out happily.   _Who’s the brat now?  
  
    YOU STILL ARE BUT DO THAT AGAIN_  
  
    Porrim obliged and she felt Aranea’s spike of pleasure the moment her hand made contact.   _You’re inside of me again, aren’t you?  
  
    I ammmmmmmm… bring us home, love.  I’m so close…  
  
    Yes we are…_  Porrim surrounded Aranea’s quivering blue nub with her lips and used rhythmic sucks, steady and firm, waiting for her matesprit to start shaking.  She didn’t have long to wait.   _There we are… there…_  She kept it up as long as she could; the piercing wail and the flood of blue came simultaneously, while the shockwave of the shared orgasm struck a split second later.  Aranea fell forward onto Porrim in climactic bliss and Porrim quickly wiped away enough of her release so that she could breathe properly before closing her eyes and letting the aftershocks of their lovemaking wash over her like the waves of the ocean just outside of their window.    
  
  
  
  
  
    “Porrrrrrrrim...”  
  
    Her eyes fluttered open at the kiss on her horn.  The first thing she noticed was that the red light that played upon the ceiling from the window was now absent.  The second was that her slender matesprit was now standing in front of her, still completely free of clothing.  “Unghh… how long was I out?”  
  
    Aranea made a soft chuckle.  “You fell asleep as soon as I was done.  My love, you were so out of it I was able to slide out from under you without even waking you up!”  
  
    “Wow… guess that took a bit out of me.  Don’t suppose you could grab me a wet cloth?  My eyes are still a bit stick-oh!  Thank you!”  
  
    “Already on it,” Aranea said as she handed the object Porrim sought to her.  “It’s like I could read your mind or something!”    
  
    “That or it’s pretty obvious I needed one from what I’m figuring to be a whole lot of blue still on me!”  
  
    Soft laughter was the reply.  “I must admit, it was rather copious.  Isn’t it something, the effect you still have on me after all these sweeps?”  
  
    Once Porrim was satisfied she had most of Aranea’s emissions removed from her features, she placed the cloth on her daystand beside the bed.  “I’m glad to hear it.  I worried you were going to get sick of me a thousand sweeps ago, especially with all of the grubs running amok and us hardly getting any sleep, never mind sex.”  
  
    “There were some awful long nights and days there at times, yes.  I’m extremely grateful that my mate happens to enjoy sunlight.  I suspect the vast majority of those who embraced grubraising didn’t have the same luxury.”  
  
    “Undoubtedly.  I do hate to change the subject, but while I’m quite happy you brought me the towel, I don’t suppose you would object to providing a bit of breakfast?”  
  
    Aranea smiled, her fangs exposed.  “Not at all.  Would you prefer neck, sphere or thigh this evening?”  
  
    “What’s easier for you?”  
  
    The blueblood prodded her breast; it swelled in response.  “This might be a fun choice?”  
  
    Porrim couldn’t stop the snort.  “You know how that usually ends up.”  
  
    Aranea shrugged in reply.  “I fail to see the downside here.”  
  
    “Considering I just dealt with the leftovers of our previous encounter, I’m a touch surprised you’d still be unsated.”  
  
    “Pshhhhhhhh.  That was HOURS ago, love.  Let’s worry about taking care of your needs first, though; I already had some loaf so I’m good to go.”  
  
    Once she decided that slaking her thirst was her priority, Porrim sat up on the bed and gestured for her matesprit to join her.  Aranea did so, straddling her hips and flipping her hair back over her shoulder.  “Last thing I want if for that to tickle your nose; got rather messy last time you sneezed mid-feed.”  
  
    Porrim rolled her eyes.  “You would bring that up, wouldn’t you?”  
  
    “Relax!  It was funny after the fact.”  
  
    “The respiteblock looked like a crime scene!”  
  
    Aranea laughed at Porrim’s exaggerated horror.  “Luckily the droids made short work of it. Nobody called the Enforcers, no forensic investigation necessary.  All good, love.”  
  
    “I’m glad you were still willing to let me do this after that occasion.”  
  
    “Are you kidding?  My life is entirely tied to yours, just in case you forgot about that particular point!  Now dig in before it gets cold… well, colderrrrrrrr…”  
  
    “That one never gets old, Rae.”  Before her matesprit could bust out another well-worn joke, Porrim found the twin indents on the top of the blue-tipped breast offered to her and lined them up with her fangs before gently clamping down and drinking of the cerulean that came flowing out.  
  
    A few minutes passed and both women stood beside the now-opened window, drinking the night air together.  The sky was bathed in the reflected light of the pink moon and the fainter haze of the green ring that encircled the planet for the majority of their lives, but their attention was focused on a solitary light in the field beside their hive.    
“Looks like somebody is setting up shop for the night,” Porrim noted.    
  
    “It’s a shame she wasn’t a daywalker like you; it would certainly make that hobby considerably easier.”  
  
    “Perhaps.  Modern glowglobes are so much better than the ones from our youth.”  
  
    Aranea gave her a gentle poke.  “You know what I mean.”  
  
    “Yes, of course.  It’s rather funny that despite how far we’ve come in terms of equality among the blood colours where job availability is concerned, no matter what we do, no other troll can be a Rainbow Drinker but a jadeblood.”  
  
    A rather horrifying idea occurred to Aranea in that moment.  “Can you imagine what would have happened if the formula for the Extension turned everyone into Drinkers, though?  On a planet full of bloodsuckers, whose blood would we drink?”  
  
    “Horuss and I made certain to test it in isolated conditions, remember?  She was the first to take it and nothing happened.  All things considered, I’m glad we tried it on others soon after; I’m not convinced there isn’t something very odd about her.”  
  
    “Well no shit.  I could have told you that. I’m her fucking kismesis.”  
  
    Porrim sighed.  “I mean from a physiological perspective, Rae.  To be frightfully honest, I’m all but certain she’ll outlive us both.”  
  
    Aranea said nothing but watched the recently renamed Aradia Megido, dressed in a simple black shirt and grey skirt – a normal enough outfit for digging in the dirt save for the peculiar hat perched atop her head – trotting back and forth from her adjacent hive to the tent she had deployed, carrying her various excavation tools.  “I know you have no scientific reason to believe that but somehow I suspect you’re right.  I would say it would take an act by gods or governments to end her existence and yet I’m not convinced either could slow her down, even in concert.”  
  
    “I really wonder what she went through before she came to us.”  
  
    “Sometimes it’s better not to know, love.  Wouldn’t you rather have not known about Meenah?”  
  
    “Whether I wanted to know or not, the Condesce still needed to be dealt with.  I can only speculate whether or not she left any unfinished business behind.”  
  
    “Look at her, Porrim.  Do you think that she looks like the type to leave anything unfinished?  Admittedly, in all the sweeps I’ve known her, she’s never left me hanging… except only to draw out what it was we were doing at the time.”  
  
    “Again, not what I meant but…”  
  
    Aranea continued to watch the maroonblood make her rounds.  “There is a power to her, dear heart.  I certainly wouldn’t want to cross her.  Well, not beyond the good taste of kismesissitude, that is.  And be assured I enjoy the hell out of that…  HEY!!!!!!!!  WEIRDO!!!!!!!!” she called out.  
  
    Porrim’s hand flew to her forehead.  “You have got to be kidding me…”  
  
    The once-and-former Damara Megido stopped and looked up at the window where she spotted the pair.  She did nothing but blink in their direction.  
  
    “DID YOU DIG UP THAT STUPID FUCKING HAT, TOO?  THAT THING’S PROBABLY OLDER THAN THE DIRT YOU DRAGGED IT OUT OF!”  
  
    The maroonblood’s reply was to wordlessly hike up the front of her skirt to expose herself, thrust her hips suggestively and flip Aranea her middle finger.    
  
    “MAYBE LATER.  DOING THE MATESPRIT FIRST!”  
  
    “Seriously, Rae…”  
  
    Aranea opted to give her kismesis a jaunty wave and it was returned before Aradia entered her tent to begin her excavations.  “She’s a piece of work, that one.  Don’t know what I’d do without her.  Or you, for that matter.”  
  
    “Probably enjoy a snark-free existence with a lot fewer puncturings, I’d imagine,” Porrim quipped.  
  
    “This.  This right here is why I love you.”    
  
    Porrim rested her head on Aranea’s shoulder.  “Glad to hear it.  I’m not entirely convinced I’m capable of not being a smartnook.”  
  
    “You weren’t when it counted, have no fear.  I just happen to know you save your best for me.”  
  
    “I certainly do.  I love you, Aranea.”  
  
    The blueblood turned her head to kiss Porrim in reply.  “Love you, too, dear heart.  While I never could have imagined a life this long, I certainly happy it got to be this wonderful.”  
  
    “Flattery will get you everywhere.”  
  
    “So I’ve heard.  Just look at this view… I never tire of it either.”  
  
    Porrim nodded. “I’m glad we got to rebuild here; it’s a perfect place for a few people who want nothing more than to be blessed with a place away from the world after a long, busy life.”  
  
    “Where we started is where we’ll end,” Aranea said.  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.  So many nights behind us and still far to go, you and I.  We can still see the ones we love far away whenever we need to and the ones who happen to be close… well, here’s one now.”  
  
    “What? Oh!”  
  
    A series of soft knocks at the door immediately followed and Aranea moved to answer, not bothering whatsoever to cover herself before opening it to greet their guest.  “Good evening, Pumyraaaaaaaa…”  
  
    The short oliveblood, primly dressed in a buttoned white blouse and simple skirt, was startled to the point of stumbling backwards at the sight of her moirail and Porrim completely undressed.  “OH!  I’m so sorry!  I can come back later!  I just… noticed you hadn’t come downstairs to work on writing in your journals yet and I got worried that maybe something bad had happened to you and…”  
  
    Porrim tried and failed to stifle a chortle.  
  
    “Relaaaaaaaax, my sweet.  I’m perfectly fine and so is darling Porrim.  Better than all right, aren’t we?”  
  
    “You could say that, yes,” Porrim answered.  
  
    Aranea could swear she felt the heat from the blush on Pumyra’s cheeks.  “You have nothing to be ashamed of, dear.  Especially not in our company.”  
  
    “Are you sure?  I feel like I’m interrupting something…”  Pumyra looked down at the floor.  
  
    _You realize she’s not just trying to avoid looking at us due to embarrassment, love, but also for fear of showing her arousal,_ Aranea thought to her matesprit. _And it’s not just me she’s aroused by…  
  
    You don’t say?_  Porrim had made quite an effort to not engage Felida’s descendent in any way outside of friendly familiarity but there were many times Pumyra’s presence stirred something inside of her.    
  
    “Not at all,” Aranea said aloud, “in fact, you might have arrived just in time.  Porrim and I were discussing our plans for the night and as it turns out, you may very well have a role to play.”  
  
    “I… I might?”  
  
    “Yes indeed!  You see, part of me was thinking I should spend the night downstairs with you, working on my book and helping you sort through some others… and just maybe doing some things that pale lovers don’t often do…”    
  
    Pumyra’s blushing reached an entirely new degree.  
  
    “And yet, part of me wants to just stay in this respiteblock here with my darling matesprit and while away the hours in her arms… and other parts of her lovely anatomy.”  Aranea waited for the inevitable feelings of jealousy to arise in the normally placid oliveblood and wasn’t disappointed when they manifested.  “So, I have a decision to make.  Tell me, Porrim, why should I choose to stay here versus absconding to the basement with this sweet, innocent young woman?”  
  
    A slow smirk appeared on Porrim’s face.  “Why would you choose to leave?  I mean, she’s cute and all but… she barely has much to speak of in terms of curvature, don’t you think?  How old did you say she was?  She looks she just graduated from her eduhive, to be honest.  If you took her for a tryst in a broom closet, you’d probably mistake her for the broom!  What fun would that be?”  Porrim tried hard not to relish the sight of Pumyra’s jaw dropping at her spate of insults.   _I think I have her attention, Rae… she’s trying to figure out what I’m up to.  It’s rather cute, to be honest.  
  
    Allow me to help her along._  “My goodness, Porrim!  Such brazen attempts at rivalry are quite unlike you!  Do you really think her a threat?”  
  
    “To what?  This little slip of a thing couldn’t possibly be a match for me in any way, shape or form… could she?”  
  
    Pumyra started chewing her lip.  “I…well, I… um…”  
  
    “You what?” Porrim asked, her smirk now blossoming into a wide grin.  “You get mistaken for a flagpole on a frequent basis?  Admittedly, at least you do have some padding on your backside; the good news is it won’t hurt you as much when you get sat down on it rather forcefully.”  
  
    “Are you going to take that from her, my sweet?” Aranea slipped her arm around Pumyra’s waist and at the same time gave the young woman an empathic nudge concerning Porrim’s intentions.  
  
    “Oh yeah?” Pumyra finally fired back.  “W-Well, at least my backside isn’t as padded as yours is!  Your butt is so big… and jade… and…”  
  
    “Did you hear that, Porrim?” Aranea inquired, reveling in the sparks she was creating.  “She’s never even fully laid eyes on your choice ass and she knows you have a… jade butt.  Fancy that.”  
  
    Porrim put her hands on her ample hips.  “Sounds to me like there are officially two brats in this respiteblock now.  Do you know what happens to girls who like to run off at the mouth?  They usually end up being… restrained.  I don’t suppose you have any experience whatsoever in that department at all, do you?”  
  
    Pumyra drew herself up as tall as she could which was decidedly unimposing.  “I’ll have you know that Mistress Ara… oh nuts!  I’m not supposed to call you that when someone else is around, am I?”  
  
    “Wait… oh NUTS?  Are you serious?  Do we have any soap, Rae?  This one needs her mouth washed out!”  Porrim cackled with glee.  “Wait, never mind; she doesn’t even know the meaning of the word ‘dirty’, I’d suspect.”  
  
    “That is IT!  I’ll show you just how dirty I can be, you mean old lady!” Pumyra shouted as she gripped the part of her blouse that was buttoned up and ripped it open, sending buttons flying and exposing her bare chest, twin olive nipples punctuating her small rumblespheres.  “There you go!  How do like them apples?”  
  
    Porrim raised an unimpressed eyebrow.  “I like apples.  Those are crabapples.  Maybe you should stand outside when the sun is up; things might grow a little better.”  
  
    “Well I never!” Pumyra said with all of the indignity at her disposal.  
  
    “That’s what I figured, to be honest,” Porrim replied, more than a glint in her eye.

   Aranea took Pumyra’s hand into her own and gently led the young oliveblood inside.  “Now, now, love; Miss Oceleo here is already twenty sweeps old.  Although she spent the first fifteen of them in the Caves – which I should point out, Porrim, was even longer than you spent there – she has been around the proverbial block once or twice… well, maybe once.”  
  
    “Thanks, Mistress… I think…”  
  
    “Good news, then,” Porrim said, “by the time I get through with you, you’ll know exactly how many times you’ve been around the block and who took you there.”  
  
    Pumyra was about to come up with a retort when she stopped and looked to Aranea.  “This does feel rather sudden, doesn’t it?”  
  
    “Love and hate come quickly, dear, and often when you least expect them to.  I suggest you make the most of this opportunity.”  
  
    “Are you sure?  I mean…”  The tiny oliveblood turned her attention back to Porrim.  “I know full well about your relationship with my ancestor.  Are you sure this is going to be okay?”  
  
    Porrim looked to Aranea and took her matesprit’s hand.  “Pumyra, if there is one thing I’ve learned in this life that I’ve spent with Aranea Serket, it’s that there really is no fate but the one we make for ourselves.  You are here and so am I; let’s see what happens next.”  She paused for a moment and then added, “I do hope what happens next involves you removing that skirt; one of us in this block is decidedly overdressed.”  
  
    “Oh!  OH… um…”  
  
    “I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘shit’, my sweet.  Don’t worry about offending anyone; no virgin sponge clots here.”  
  
    “Just a caliginous virgin oliveblood,” Porrim said, the smirk returning.  “Wait… the ‘Twenty Sweep Old Virgin’... didn’t we watch that one a long time ago, Rae?”  
  
    Aranea grinned.  “We did indeed.  I can confirm this show will be considerably better; I have had a preview, after all.”  
  
    Pumyra took a breath, closed her eyes and hooked her thumbs into her waist to pull her remaining garments down.  “There.  How’s that?”  
  
    Both women nodded.  “I believe there’s something I can work with here,” Porrim stated.  “How about you?”  
  
    “Like I said earlier, dear heart, sometimes where we start is where we end.  While history doesn’t always repeat, it does have a tendency to rhyme.”    
  
    “Please don’t start rhyming now, Rae; you’ve got enough odd affectations as it is.”  Porrim let go of Aranea’s hand, took one of Pumyra’s and then waited for her matesprit to take the other.  She looked over to the bed, its restraints still lying about and the sheets in disarray.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way.  “Shall we, my love?” Porrim asked as she began to guide their friend towards it.  
  
    “Yessssssss…” 

********

Thanks are, of course, in order:  
  
The inspiration for writing this last and longest part of the tale came from my friend Jamie who runs the highly desired Vriska on Tumblr.  She approached me on the day I posted the final chapter of Nobody Lives Forever and I was (as I am today) wondering what the hell I was going to do next.  She and I have closely collaborated on this gigantic tome and this is dedicated to her; thank you for the inspiration and your help in directing the action.  
  
My next acknowledgement belongs to my moirail, Michaela.  Although she's not as active on her Tumblr Mercale.tumblr.com  these days, I met her here through her exceptional HS fics and I asked if she would offer me some guidance.  Her editing skills served me very well; the quality of my writing would not even be close to what it is today without her assistance.  Her war against my commas was well fought and she emerged victorious (although I still retain my Canadian desire to use two spaces after periods in lieu of just one).  What I have learned from her will continue to serve me well from here on in and I can't even thank her enough for taking the time to edit my early works.  
  
It may or may not surprise you that I say thank you to my ex, Lynnai.  It was, after all, her than inspired all of this but not only that, she read much of it and also provided magnificent artwork for the covers of the stories.  I know that her realistic HS art style wasn't a huge favourite but I was a fan and she brought these characters to life on paper in a way that I never could.  We were aiming for a "romance novel" style like the book that Karkat and Dave were fighting over in the "Penis Ouija" chapter in Act 6 (or was it 5?  Time to re-read the original) and I dare say she captured it.  
  
And speaking of art, every single piece of fan art that came in for this left me in awe.  The very first belonged to my friend Lorilyn ( kudufawks.tumblr.com ) who I met through the Homestuck Fan Music Contest; she in fact introduced me to the world of HS fanfic.  Prior to that, I would never have suspected I would ever write something quite like this, much less have a platform or three to put it on, but here I am with a few fics of my own.  Her lovely works were the first, both explicit and non, that I received.  The next came from Lindsay ( aparticularlygoodfinder.tumblr.com ), another friend through music and my favourite Australian, Christie ( aerococonut.tumblr.com ), both of which blew my doors off.  So many people have contributed amazing art over the years and many of them have changed their usernames so I'm having a hard time crediting them personally, but you can see these lovely pieces on my Tumblr here: <a href="http://drhicks76.tumblr.com/post/48306775605/dals-fic-masterlist">Dal's Fic Masterlist</a> If you scroll down, you'll see links to all the artwork I've received!  I also take the time to mention my good friend Simone ( kenjisartblog.tumblr.com ) as he has provided some amazing renditions of these characters and is actually finishing a piece of the three main characters which I'll share here once it's done!  To everyone else who contributed artwork, THANK YOU.  I can't put into words how much I appreciated every single piece of fanart I have received.  Oh!  And to Christie's awesome sister, Em, for the Dolorosa and Mindfang dolls!  I still keep them right beside my desktop computer and see them every day!  
  
Thanks to Andrew Hussie.  There were as many times that I was hopeful you were reading this as I was horrified that you would be.  You know what, though?  When I write my own original universe, I'm going to be perfectly okay with shipping so long as no one fights over it.  Good on you for making every fan troll (including, to use your words, " the shitty ones", canon and it didn't even cost me $10,000.  That said, your $10,000 kickstarter goal was the genesis of Squish Imdead, a troll so utterly killable, I don't think you could have killed  him.  Guess we'll never know...  
  
And, of course, my biggest thanks goes to you, Dear Readers.  It doesn't matter to me if it were one, ten, or a hundred people reading this tale, I thank you one and all.  A writer without readers is simply shouting into the void.  Be assured this will not be the end of my writing career; in fact, I'm wrestling with what I want to do for an original piece.  Think I know the story I want to tell, but deciding if it should be near or far future, whether superhuman feats are common or verboten (or both!) or if it should be decidedly political in nature (yes, I do have something to say about the state of the world these days).  You may even see some parts of these characters show up again as, to borrow a line from The Doors' "The End", they "take a face from the ancient gallery".  Be assured that I will make every effort to provide an entertaining, provocative and funny tale, complete with hetero and homo relationships (among others?) and should you ever come across a book I've written and remember this fic, do stop by and say hello.  
  
I may (MAY) revisit this universe again at some point should the spirit move me (and I feel like writing some quality lesbian smut, although by the end of this, it got harder to come up with different ideas.  Then again, sometimes it's not the action itself as it is the characters involved, wouldn't you agree?), perhaps as a shortfic now and then, but I really better get on telling my own tales.  To anyone who has ever sent a message to me about any of my stories (including the person who told me I should quit after the first chapter of 8F - hope you enjoyed the 74 Fuck You's that followed!  Thanks for inspiring me!), I thank you one and all from the bottom of my...er, pusher.  I've had so much fun with these ladies, through their darkest nights and their happiest hours, and I hope you have, too.  May we meet again somenight!    
  
Yours,  
       Dal  
  
February 25, 2017  
  
P.S. - While I didn't fully soundtrack this tale, if any of you request it, I did have musical inspirations for many of the chapters.  The last part of this last one would best be read with David Gilmour's "Where We Start" playing.  I know his music showed up a lot for NLF, but this song stuck with me as the inspiration for the final, joyous scenes between Porrim and Aranea.  Hope you enjoy it.


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